19-05-2017

Romanian/German Pre-Apocaliptic Drama Launches Crowdfunding Campaign

By
    Director Sergiu Zorger Director Sergiu Zorger

    BUCHAREST: Into the Night by Sergiu Zorger, a Romanian/German pre-apocaliptic medium-length drama, is aiming to raise part of its budget through a crowdfunding campaign launched on Kickstarter.

    The crew plans to raise at least 5,000 USD, which will be used for paying the prop and extras, renting a steadycam and getting an additional shooting day.

    "Building a believable pre-apocalyptic fiction world within a real life setting on a small budget is our biggest challenge. It involves coordinating a 20 man team in a remote city that was never shot in before and filming 19 scenes in seven days, where almost all scenes are exterior scenes that are dependent on the weather," the director says on Kickstarter.

    Ana-Maria Pîrvan is producing through Anchor Films in coproduction with the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (Koln) and the Cluj-based Romanian creation think tank and publisher The Infinite Creation Lab. Germany's Film und Medien Stiftung NRW is supporting with 20,000 EUR. The crew is Romanian/German and postproduction will be done in both Romania and Germany. The technical equipment is provided by the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.

    The director told FNE that the film is written for a 42 minute version, but another 25 minute version might be also made.

    The script penned by Sergiu Zorger, Mihai Petean and Andrei Pop revolves around a flaneur during his last day on Earth, as the Earth is living its last day before the Apocalypse. The script is based on a short story by Mihai Petean and was already used in a graphic book penciled and colored by Stefan-Andrei Pop and lettered by Cosmin Olteanu.

    Serghei Chivirigă and Florentina Năstase play the main characters, Jack and Jill. German DoP Berta Valin Escofet is lensing and Bucharest-based company Retro Future will be responsible for costume design and set design.

    Principal photography will take place in the Romanian town of Reșița in June 2017. The film will be launched in the festivals circuit in January 2018.

    Sergiu Zorger studied at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne.