On Saturday 19 April, in the town of Medvode, near Ljubljana, shooting got under way for the TV series The Monster Behind the Iron Curtain, written and directed by Slovenian filmmaker Tomaž Gorkič. He is best known for his work in the realm of independent genre cinema, especially for his feature-length debut, Idyll [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], which scooped four national Vesna Awards in 2015 and was later distributed in numerous territories via streaming platforms. According to the plan for one season consisting of an undisclosed number of episodes, shooting will last 20 days during April and May, and will unfold on location in Medvode, Ljubljana, and the townships of Tržič and Vrhnika.

The series is envisioned as a tense psychological thriller set against the backdrop of socialist Yugoslavia, which exposes the murky layers of life on the margins of society. The personality of the main character slowly comes to light: while he seems like a quiet, harmless man who blends in well with society, he actually carries around a monster within himself. The story is loosely inspired by true events – the murders committed by Metod Trobec back in the 1970s. The same character was at the centre of Gorkič’s 2019 short film Metod.

“The entire process of developing the story and the project lasted almost ten years before it took its final form in the guise of a series that covers a vast historical period of time. The story intertwines the fates of individuals placed in the social context of that time and connects them to form a whole that acts as a peculiar, distorted reflection of human society. It is this distortion that contributes to the formation – and even idolisation – of the cult of the serial killer,” said Gorkič on the occasion of the start of principal photography.

The main roles are played by Svit Stefanija and Saša Pavlin Stošič (glimpsed in The Tree [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Sonja Prosenc as well as in Gorkič’s previous feature The Curse of Valburga). Supporting roles are played by Marko Mandić, Sebastian Cavazza, Luka Cimprič, Andrijana Boškovska, Karin Komljanec, Boris Kerč, Katarina Stegnar, Alenka Kraigher, Marinka Štern, Nebojša Pop Tasić and others. In terms of the crew, Miloš Srdić serves as the cinematographer, Jurij Moškon as the editor, Davor Herceg as the composer and Boštjan Kačičnik as the sound designer. Zoran Lesjak oversees the production design, Sanja Grcić designed the costumes, while Eva Uršič handles the make-up.

Deja Škerjanc is on board as the producer and Eva Tomazin Zevnik as the executive producer. Both come from the company 666 Productions. The Monster Behind the Iron Curtain is being co-produced by A Atalanta, RTV Slovenia, Zvokarna, MB Grip and the Society of Merry Artists. The series was backed financially by the Slovenian Film Centre.