The film will open in Polish cinemas on 18 November 2019, distributed by Next Film.
The Coldest Game is set in 1962, at the height of the Cuban crisis, and it follows chess genius Joshua Mansky, who is forced by the CIA to challenge the Russian master Gawryłow into a chess match during an international tournament taking place at the Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science. The tournament becomes a cover up, allowing the Americans to investigate if the Russians truly possess nuclear warheads in Cuba.
"The chess match, the Cuban crisis, President Kennedy and Secretary Chruszczow were real. The Palace of Culture and Science is still towering over the centre of Warsaw. We hope that the fusion of fact and fiction, the emotions and the intrigue between the two chess masters, as well as secret service agents of two empires, will give the viewers an unforgettable experience", director Łukasz Kośmicki said in a statement.
Roman Polanski’s usual DoP Paweł Edelman was lensing and the film stars Bill Pullman, Robert Więckiewicz, Lotte Verbeek and Aleksey Serebryakov.
The film was produced by Watchout Studio in coproduction with TVN S.A., Next Film, ITI Neovision S.A., Big City Outdoor, The Story Lab, Poręczenia Kredytowe, Kosafilm, Galeria Olśnienia - GO Justyna Chodkowska.
Production funding from the Polish Film Institute amounted to 530, 000 EUR / 2.2 m PLN out of the budget of 3.8 m EUR / 15.9 m PLN. The film was also supported by the City of Warsaw and the Board of the Palace Of Culture and Science.
International distribution is managed by K5 International and the international sales agent is Hyde Park International.
Production Information:
Producer:
Watchout Studio (Poland)
Coproducers:
TVN S.A. (Poland)
Next Film (Poland)
ITI Neovision S.A (Poland)
Big City Outdoor (Poland)
The Story Lab (Poland)
Poręczenia Kredytowe (Poland)
Galeria Olśnienia - GO Justyna Chodkowska (Poland)
Credits:
Director: Łukasz Kośmicki
Screenwriters: Łukasz Kośmicki, Marcel Sawicki
DoP: Paweł Edelman PSC
Music: Łukasz Targosz
Production design: Allan Starski
Costume design: Ewa Gronowska
Cast: Bill Pullman, Robert Więckiewicz, Lotte Verbeek, Aleksey Serebryakov
