The shooting took place from June to August 2023 in Latvia and Uruguay, while the postproduction plates will be shot in Poland (Auschwitz), Argentina, Brazil and Serbia. Most of the postproduction is being done in Serbia.
Serebrennikov penned the script along with Olivier Guez, who won the Prix Renaudot in 2017 for the book The Disappearance of Josef Mengele, on which the film is based.
The cast includes Max Bretschneider, David Ruland, Dana Herfurth and Burghart Klaussner.
The film is produced by France’s CG Cinema, Monaco’s Hype Studios, Germany’s Lupa Film, Lorem Ipsum (USA), France’s Arte France Cinéma and Scala Films, and Latvia’s Forma Pro Films. Serbia’s Red Production, Uruguay’s Cimarron and Mexico’s Piano are coproducing. No budget details have been disclosed so far.
The grandfather of the Serbian producer Miloš Đukelić is an Auschwitz survivor and had his own personal experience with Mengele, which gives this project one more personal note.
The international team includes professionals from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Australia, USA, Great Britain, Spain and Israel.
Beside producer Miloš Đukelić, who was on the set throughout the entire shooting, other Serbian members of the team are Ksenija Tomović Đukelić (the head of the Serbian production team), Vladimir Đukelić (assistant producer and postproduction coordinator for Serbia and DIT during filming) and Miloš Mirković (second camera assistant).
Russian filmmakers and film workers now living in Serbia are also involved, including cinematographer Vladislav Opelyants.
The production intends to apply for Serbia’s incentives scheme.
Disappearance will be released in 2024 with Kinology handling the sales.
In coproduction with Miloš Đukelić, Serebrennikov is currently rehearsing with well-known Serbian actors for the theatre play Same Old Story by Ivan Goncharov, which will have its world premiere in Belgrade’s venue Centar za kulturu „Vlada Divljan“ this autumn.
Serebrennikov left Russia in March 2022 following the lifting of a travel ban and suspended three-year prison sentence.
Production Information:
Producers:
CG Cinema (France)
Hype Studios (Monaco)
Lupa Film (Germany)
Lorem Ipsum (USA)
Arte France Cinéma (France)
Scala Films (France)
Forma Pro Films (Latvia)
Cimarron (Uruguay)
Coproducers:
Red Production (Serbia)
Piano (Mexico)
Credits:
Director: Kirill Serebrennikov
Scriptwriters: Kirill Serebrennikov, Olivier Guez
DoP: Vladislav Opelyants
Cast: August Diehl, Max Bretschneider, David Ruland, Dana Herfurth, Burghart Klaussner
