21/07/2009

The 21-week shoot has wrapped on a biopic about far-left terrorist and mercenary Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (otherwise known as Carlos and also nicknamed the Jackal), directed by Olivier Assayas (in competition at Cannes with Sentimental Destinies in 2000, Demonlover [+see also:
trailer
film profile] in 2002 and Clean [+see also:
trailer
film profile] in 2004).

Starring Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez (Che: Part One [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Alexander Scheer, Nora von Waldstätten, Christoph Bach, Aljoscha Stadelmann and Julia Hummer, this TV drama made up of three 90-minute episodes (to be shown next year on Canal + and Arte) will also be released theatrically as a two-hour feature.

Co-written by Assayas and Dan Franck, Carlos the Jackal traces the life of Carlos (currently serving a life sentence in a French prison) from 1973-1994. Full of violence and secret-service manipulation, the story includes the 1974 bomb attack on the Publicis Drugstore in Paris, the 1975 hostage-taking of 11 OPEC ministers in Vienna and several planned assassinations.

All this unfolds against a geopolitical backdrop encompassing the PLO, Japanese Red Army, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, the USSR, East German Stasi, Hungary, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and, finally, Sudan where Carlos was arrested.

Produced by Daniel Lecomte for Films en Stock, Carlos the Jackal has a €14.6m budget. This includes co-production support from Germany’s Egoli Tossell Film, and backing from Canal +, Arte France, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF).

Lensed by Yorick Le Saux, the film was shot mainly in France, Germany and Lebanon. International sales are being handled by StudioCanal.

(Translated from French)