PRODUCTION: Escaping Riga in Development

Director Davis Simanis and producer Liga Gaisa are in development with a Latvian full-length documentary, Escaping Riga, a "docu-fiction" about Riga-born film director Sergei Eisenstein who emigrated to Russia and philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin who immigrated to England. The film, produced by Mistrus Media (www.mistrusmedia.lv) looks at their early childhood friendship and their final meeting after WWII.

11-11-2010

PRODUCTION: Seven Acts Of Mercy in Preproduction

BUCHAREST: The Italian documentary and short film directors Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio are in Bucharest for the final stage of the casting the lead actress of their first feature, Seven Acts of Mercy/Sette opere di misericordia, an Italian/Romanian coproduction. The contemporary drama of redemption is set against the social backdrop of the immigrant situation in Italy.

10-11-2010

PRODUCTION: A Film for Friends in post-production

Director/screenwriter Radu Jude is currently in post-production with a low-budget 60-minute film A Film for Friends/Film pentru prieteni which he produced and self-financed. Jude, whose first feature The Happiest Girl In The World/Cea mai fericită fată din lume was awarded with C.I.C.A.E. Award at the Berlinale 2009, told FNE that the film focuses on a man who, prior to take his life, tapes a video testament to his unfaithful friends.

10-11-2010

PRODUCTION: Romanies Go To Elections in Production

The Slovak/Czech documentary Romanies Go To Elections from one of the new Slovak documentary directing stars, Jaro Vojtek (Slovak Oscar candidate The Border), is currently in production with 50% of the filming completed and post-production set to begin in January 2011. The film is scheduled for a November 2011 premiere.

09-11-2010

PRODUCTION: Sweet Smoke finishes shooting in Lithuania

Director Masha Novikova has completed filming her documentary triptych under the working title Sweet Smoke (OF FATHERLAND/ OF HOMELAND) in Lithuania. The release of the film is planned for 2011.

09-11-2010

PRODUCTION: We Will Meet in our Dreams in Development

Slovak production company Arina (www.arinafilm.sk) is in development with director Juraj Nvota (Muzika) on We Will Meet in our Dreams. The 1.5 million euro story of thwarted love was presented at the Connecting Cottbus (www.connecting-cottbus.de) pitching forum by producer Silvia Panakova and scriptwriter Daniel Pastircak.

08-11-2010

PRODUCTION: From Love With Best Intentions goes into postproduction

From Love With Best Intentions, the second feature by Adrian Sitaru, has concluded filming after one month and one day of production, producer Ada Solomon told FNE. Postproduction will take place in Romania at Chainsaw Europe (www.chainsaweurope.com) and in Hungary.

04-11-2010

PRODUCTION: Itaker in development

BUCHAREST: Italian actor, director and producer Michele Placido made his first trip to Romania for the feature film Itaker, which he is co-writing together with Toni Trupia. The script is in early development. Trupia will direct the film set in the 1960's which follows the story of a boy who leaves Northern Italy in order to find his father in Germany.

26-10-2010

PRODUCTION: Documentary The Fountain of Youth in Development

The film director and musician Hanno Hoefer (Tales From The Golden Age) is in early development with his first long film The Fountain of Youth/Fântâna tinereţii, a documentary about the Romanian medicine Gerovital, famous during the communist regime for his ability to slow down aging.

25-10-2010

PRODUCTION: Ghost Rider 2 Starts Filming November 1

BUCHAREST: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,the first big American production to film in Romania since Cold Mountain in 2002, starts shooting on 1 November 2010 at Castel Film (www.castelfilm.ro ). The shooting will take place entirely in Romania and will wrap at the end of February 2011. Initially the filmmakers planned to start on 1 October.

24-10-2010

PRODUCTION: The Ghosts in development

BUCHAREST: Bobby Păunescu (Francesca) is in early development with his second feature film, The Ghosts/Fantomele after completing a first draft of the script. Foreign investors and coproducers from USA, Italy and Great Britan have expressed interest in the project.

21-10-2010

PRODUCTION: Loverboy shooting in Romania

BUCHAREST: Loverboy, the second feature from Romanian director Cătălin Mitulescu is now in production.

19-10-2010

PRODUCTION: Flying Lessons starts shooting

BUCHAREST: The second feature of Moldavian filmmaker Igor Cobileanski, Flying Lessons/La limita de jos a cerului began filming 17 October 2010. The film is based on a script written by Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective) and Cobileanski, and is produced by Alexandru Teodorescu and the Romanian company Saga Film (www.sagafilm.ro).

18-10-2010

PRODUCTION: István Szabó shooting The Door

BUDAPEST: Oscar-winning Hungarian director István Szabó is mid-way through shooting a film based on the best-selling novel by Hungarian writer Magda Szabó, The Door with Academy Award winner Helen Mirren in the lead role.

18-10-2010

PRODUCTION: Gödrös in Preproduction with The Beginning of Things

BUDAPEST: Hungarian director Frigyes Gödrös is in preproduction with a Hungarian-Cuban coproduction based on Cuban magical realist writer Alejo Carpentier's novella Viaje a la Semilla (The Beginning of Things).

13-10-2010

PRODUCTION: Book Smugglers in Postproduction

VILNIUS: The Lithuanian-Irish co-production Book Smugglers (Smuigléirí Leabhar, Knygnešiai), a creative documentary bydirector Jeremiah Cullinane, is now in postproduction. The film will be completed in both 72 and 52 minute versions.

13-10-2010