Lívia Filusová is producing through Slovak Furia Film in coproduction with Czech 8Heads Productions. German Mogador Film is the associate producer.
The script is based on testimonies and tells a story of a little deaf boy Samuel and his Slovak-Czech family from southern Slovakia, who find themselves in the middle of a battlefield of two world powers during Christmas of 1944.
The script penned by György had 12 drafts, chiselled during several workshops and film forums including MIDPOINT Slovak Intensive, Pop Up Residency Slovakia, Bratislava Industry Days and Visegrad Film Forum at IFF Febiofest Slovakia. The Historical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Science helped György to give the script an authentic vibe, while Ivo Trajkov was involved in the dramaturgy.
„In the context of the current worldwide political situation it is extremely important to provide the historical events and the circumstances that people had to live in, and the cruelty they had to undergo during WW2. Our ambition is not to transfer to the screen only the ‘historical memory‘ of this period. The story enters the depths of human individuality, which is affected by a specific borderline situation and reveals the most hidden aspects of its behaviour, decision-making and actions. The combination of a young ambitious director with an experienced award-winning cinematographer will bring a unique original dynamic to the film. It will surely attract local and international audiences, festival audiences and film professionals as well“, producer Lívia Filusová told FNE.
The film will be lensed in black and white by Vladimír Smutný, who was the DoP on the 1997 Oscar winning film Kolya and who also shot Václav Marhoul’s The Painted Bird, produced by Silver Screen in coproduction with the Czech Television, Directory Films, PubRes and RTVS.
Currently, the project is in the financing process, negotiations with coproduction partners, broadcasters, distributors, world sales as well as potential partners and sponsors.
So far, the project has been supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund with a script development grant. The budget is 1,787,026 EUR.
The shooting is divided between winter and spring, with the first segment due in January – February 2024 on real exterior locations in Southern Slovakia, and the spring segment set for April – May 2024 on a studio set in Bratislava. There are 40 shooting days.
The premiere of House in the Middle is set for the first half of 2025.
Click HERE to see the official trailer.
Production Information:
Producer:
Furia Film (Slovakia)
Lívia Filusová: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Coproducer:
8Heads Productions (Czech Republic)
Credits:
Director: Dominik György
Scriptwriter: Dominik György
Dramaturgy: Ivo Trajkov
DoP: VladimírSmutný
Composer: Jack Bochow
Cast: Ivan Martinka, Klára Issová, Filip Luterán, Jana Oľhová, Eugen Libeznňuk, Marek Fašiang
