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PRODUCTION Slovakia

Andrei Konchalovsky set to shoot his next project about a Slovakian politician

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- Konchalovsky will draw his inspiration from political figure Alexander Dubček’s incredible story for his next film, The Human Face

Andrei Konchalovsky set to shoot his next project about a Slovakian politician
L-R: Producer Andrej A Leca, Karol Hlávka (the film's co-writer) and Zuzana Gindl-Tatárová during the press conference announcing the film

Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky, who has built a successful career at home as well as in Hollywood and won the Silver Lion for his latest effort, The Postman's White Nights, is set to direct The Human Face (formerly known as Rules of the Game), a story inspired by the life and fate of Slovakian politician Alexander Dubček. “Dubček's story is one of a man who crossed a border, flying in the face of fear. He stopped worrying about eavesdroppers, secret agents and the occasional barking from Moscow, and decided to act as a free man,” said the director about the figure of Dubček. However, The Human Face won't be a biography, as the film's co-writer, Karol Hlávka, explained: “After several meetings and consultations with the director and co-writer, Andrei Konchalovsky, both sides agreed on a vision of the film that does not aim to make a biography of this well-known Czechoslovakian reformist of the communist regime. Instead, we intend to map out certain rules of the game, universally functioning mechanisms of power that are not only related to the 1960s, but exist in wider geopolitical contexts and reach as far as present times.”

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The Human Face will be a political thriller, a genre that is in demand and has great potential, as shown by Michal Kollár's The Red Captain [+see also:
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, which recently premiered and topped the opening weekend chart, outgrossing the former number one, Juraj Jakubisko's Bathory [+see also:
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. “Alexander Dubček is one of the most famous and important Slovaks and Czechoslovaks in the world. His name resonates even now as that of a politician with a human face and good will. Our ambition is to examine his personality in detail and understand his historical and political relevance, while also capturing the ideals of humanity, inner integrity and the art of defending one's ideals. By no means do we intend to idealise and glorify one man,” said Andrej Antonio Leca, the film's producer.

The film should be ready for release in 2018, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Prague Spring. Shooting is planned to take place over 60 days, with principal photography to be set in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Russia, Italy, France and Spain, and post-production is expected to last from November 2017 to February 2018. The Human Face will be Slovakian production outfit LECA Production’s feature debut, with Beata Greneche of BEART Production serving as the Czech co-producer. Even though the project is intended to be an international co-production with the Czech Republic, Italy and France, the partners from the latter two countries remain unknown. The film's budget is an estimated €5 million. The Slovak Audiovisual Fund denied the request for financial support for the film’s development stage (for €48,600 of a total €69,300) last year, but the producer is looking to reapply this year.

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