PRODUCTION: Of Snails and Men to Shoot in August

28-06-2011

PRODUCTION: Of Snails and Men to Shoot in August

By Iulia Blaga

BUCHAREST: Tudor Giurgiu's second feature, Of Snails and Men/Despre oameni şi melci, is inspired by true events, even if they may sound quite odd. In 2002, Reuters published an news report stating that the workers from a Romanian factory proposed donating their sperm in order to obtain funds to save their factory from being privatized.

Ionuţ Teianu wrote the script based on the idea. Tudor Giurgiu found the story very inspiring, "a Romanian Full Monty, one might say," and decided to direct it. Giurgiu is also the director of Transylvania Film Festival (www.tiff.ro). His first feature, Love Sick/Legături bolnăvicioase premiered at the Berlinale 2006.

Giurgiu plans to make a realistic comedy that he will also produce together with Oana Giurgiu and their company Libra Film (www.librafilm.net), in co-production with the French company Agat Films & Cie (www.agatfilms.com) and Patrick Sobelman. The budget is €1.2 million, Giurgiu told FNE.

HBO România (www.hbo.ro) and Romanian public television (www.tvr.ro) are also involved. The project recently received a grant from Eurimages (www.coe.int/t/dg4/eurimages) recently. It already has a sales agent: Elle Driver (www.elledriver.fr).

The shoot is planned to begin in mid-August 2011 for a period of six weeks in Bucharest and surrounding locations. The director has cast the French actor Jean-François Stévenin and his son, Robinson Stévenin (it will be their first film together), but the casting of the Romanian actors is not yet finished. The Romanian Vivi Drăgan Vasile is the DOP.

The premiere is set for Fall 2012.

Production Information

Libra Film

52 Popa Soare Str., Et.1

Ap.4, Sector 2

Bucharest, Romania

Phone/Fax: +40 213266480

+40 213260268

www.librafilm.net

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Agat Films &Cie

52, rue Jean Pierre Timbaud