09/05/2023 - Vinci Vogue Anžlovar’s seventh feature will be a “soft” crime-thriller for youth audiences and is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Roman Kukovič

On the set of Tartini’s Key (© Željko Stevanić/Blade Production)

Principal photography on Vinci Vogue Anžlovar’s Tartini’s Key began on 6 May in the Slovenian coastal town of Piran. According to the current shooting plan, it will continue until 12 June at this location, where the plot also takes place, with three more shooting days scheduled for 15-18 June in Ljubljana. Piran, the historical coastal town known for, among others, baroque violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini, has served as the setting for a number of Slovenian and international productions, such as last year’s shoots for Igor Šterk’s Lunatic (see the news) and Julian Farino’s Hollywood action-thriller Our Man from Jersey.

The protagonists are three kids from different social backgrounds, named Mario, Barbara and Robert, played by newcomers Svit Šturbej, Ella Lapajne and Maks Kerševan, respectively. An SMS sent to a wrong number kicks off a string of events in which the children embark on a treasure hunt, enjoying different adventures and solving puzzles connected to the history of Piran in the process. The antagonists of the story are criminals who also want to get their hands on the treasure, which has something to do with composer Tartini and the violin-maker Stradivari.

Vinci Vogue Anžlovar describes the source novel by Roman Kukovič and the film as some sort of Da Vinci Code for kids, which should nonetheless be equally engaging for adult audiences. The director (who is also the screenwriter and adapted the novel) stated that he is aiming for a film “full of twists, suspense, friendships, first love and interaction with the audiences, who are supposed to try to solve the mysteries along with the characters”. Anžlovar, a filmmaker best known for the first movie released in Slovenia after its independence (Grandma Goes South, 1991) and the first Slovenian international co-production (Gypsy Eyes, 1992), also highlighted the analogue nature of the on-screen adventure, even though it is set in motion thanks to a mobile phone.

Along with the three newcomers in the leading roles, the cast includes professional Slovenian actors like Jurij Drevenšek (most recently glimpsed in Marko Šantić’s Wake Me [+see also:
film review
interview: Marko Šantić
film profile]) and Primož Pirnat, who collaborated with Anžlovar on his latest film, Grandpa Goes South [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (2022). This was also the case with Zala Đurić, Croatian actor Goran Navojec and Boris Cavazza, who will play a bit part in Tartini’s Key. Janez Škof, Tanja Ribič, Nenad Nešo Tokalič and singer Filip Vidušin will also play certain roles. The film will be lensed by Mirko Pivčević, Petra Kriletić is handling the production design, while Barbara Drmota designed the costumes.

Tartini’s Key is being produced by Zoran Dževerdanović for Blade Production, in co-production with Radio-Television Slovenia. Film Studio Viba Film is providing the technical services, while the Slovenian Film Centre granted financial support.