19/02/2010

After Janosik. The True Story [+see also:
trailer
film profile], her adaptation of the famous story of a Slovak Robin Hood, Agnieszka Holland (Copying Beethoven) is starting work on In the Darkness and returning to a type of character that combines petty crime and a noble soul capable of sacrifice for the good of others.

The film will tell the story of Poland’s Leopold Socha, who was transformed from a thief into a hero during the Second World War by saving the lives of a group of Jews from Lvov. When Socha meets them for the first time, he decides to find them a hiding place in the canals for financial gain alone.

But his attitude gradually changes and he ends up risking his own life to save men, woman and children from extermination.

The lead role will be played by Robert Więckiewicz (Wojciech Smarzowski’s The Dark House). The cast also includes Kinga Preis, Agnieszka Grochowska, Julia Kijowska, Marcin Bosak and Benno Furmann.

In the Darkness is a Polish/German/Canadian co-production between Zebra Film, The Film Works and Schmidtz Katze Filmkollektiv. Its €4.8m budget includes backing from Germany’s MDM, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, HessenInvest, FFA and DFFF, as well as €726,000 from the Polish Film Institute (PISF).

Shooting will take place in Berlin, Leipzig, Lódź and Warsaw. Beta Film is managing international sales for the film, which is expected to be released theatrically in spring 2011.

(Translated from French)