Film and Music Entertainment begin shooting EPIC – a major International co-production between the UK, Germany, Russia and Georgia. Principal Photography begins in Georgian Capital Tbilisi last week. EPIC was developed by the British Film Institute (London), and is supported by the HessenInvestFilm Fund (Frankfurt), Metra Films and the French-German Cultural Channel Arte as well as the Georgian National Film Centre.
For Immediate Release
Jan 25th 2013
Mike Downey and Sam Taylor’s Film and Music Entertainment began principal photography last week on a major international co-production at the Georgian Film Studios in Tbilisi. The film, entitled EPIC, which has been in development with the British Film Institute for the last two years has been written by award winning British director Ben Hopkins and BAFTA winning UK writer/director Pawel Pawlikowski. Second unit began in and around Tbilisi before Christmas moving to Akhaltsikhe and Tbilisi.
Epic is a gentle black comedy about a confused, washed-up Academy Award winning British movie director who gets invited by a nascent state to make a national Epic in an obscure Caucasus Republic. When Emil Forester receives an invitation to the Embassy of the Autonomous Republic of Karastan in London to discuss his career and to receive an invitation for a retrospective of his films in ‘Karastan- Land of Inspiration’ – little does he know that he is embarking on one of the wildest journeys of his already diverse and colourful career.
The film has been cast by London-based casting agents Wildman Hall, who along with the production team have managed to secure an ‘A’ list international cast including Matthew Macfadyen as Emil Forester, most recently seen in the BBC’s Ripper Street and whose performance as Darcy opposite Keira Knightly in Pride and Prejudice is the stuff of cinematic legend. Opposite him plays stalwart of the latest Twilight – Breaking Dawn mega-franchise, Myanna Buring as love interest and heroine Tulpan. And finally – iconic Australian actor Noah Taylor (Shine, The Proposition) takes centre stage playing himself and also the founder of the Karastani nation TANAT in the film within the film.
“It’s comedy about globalisation and nation-building, sex and art, money-laundering and love.” Says director Ben Hopkins whose film Simon Magus played in competition at the Berlinale, “In the case of Epic, reality is absurd, credibility is ridiculous, and authenticity is hilarious. And all set in a fictitious country, that could be one of any number of post Soviet satellite states.”
The film is a co-production between London-based Academy Award nominated producers Film and Music Entertainment led by Mike Downey and Sam Taylor, Daniel Zuta’s Frankfurt located Brandstorm Entertainment, Metrafilms’ Artem Vassiliev in Moscow and Tbilisi’s 20 Steps owned by Vladimer Katcharava.
Other key financiers of the film are the British Film Institute (London), HessenInvestFilm Fund (Frankfurt), CinePlus (Berlin/Frankfurt), the Franco-German Cultural Channel ARTE, German film distributor Piffl, and the Georgian National Film Centre
“We have had a long road to production, and have been working here on the ground in Tbilisi for the last four months,” says British producer Mike Downey, “But now, with the excellent support of our Georgian and international partners and the Georgian National Film Centre we are ready to start shooting under excellent conditions. We look forward to the next couple of months working in Tbilisi and Axalcixe and we look forward to delivering a major in international motion picture in time for screening in the 2014 festival cycle.”
Other key creative elements on the film are executive producer Stephen Daldry, whose first four features, Billy Elliot, The Reader, The Hours, and Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close have all been Academy Award Nominated for best director as well as winning Oscars for Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet. Pawel Pawlikowski is the co-writer, Pawlikowski has won a number of British Academy Awards for his work on films like The Last Resort and My Summer of Love.
“The Georgian film industry is in a period of growth,” says Georgian National Film Centre CEO Tamara Tatishvili, “and it can grow further by the presence of such international co-productions as EPIC as real partnerships with Georgian companies. The high quality of the level of cast and the international commercial possibilities are very attractive to give Georgian companies a global perspective and to act as a showcase as to just what is possible in terms of international partnerships in Georgia.”
The film will move from Georgia to Germany in the last week of February 2012 for a week on location in and around Frankfurt. Post production will take place in Germany from March 15th.
“We are delighted to be able to be participating in this truly commercial international comedy of real scale and size,” says 20 Steps Vova Katcharava, “we have already begun pre-selling the film and it has already secured a significant German theatrical release. We look forward to introducing the film to buyers in Berlin and to working with Sam and Mike again.”
Film and Music Entertainment have had a bumper 2012, completing shooting on six features The Parade which premiered in Berlin winning the Berlinale Audience Award and 20 other prizes since then; Imagine by Andrzej Jakimowski which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and won best director and Audience Award at Warsaw; Lilet Never Happened by Jacco Groen; Peter Greenaway’s Goltzius and the Pelican Company; and portmanteau film Zagreb Stories: Love. Last week Film and Music Entertainment completed shooting on Julien Temple’s latest music documentary Children of the Revolution a social, political and musical history of Rio de Janeiro. In addition, they have just completed shooting on Mark Dornford May’s adaptation of Benjamin Britten’s opera Noye’s Fludde as part of thye official celebrations for the Benjamin Britten Centenary.
Ends
For further information please contact:
Ed Rigg
Film and Music Entertainment
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+44 207 183 6544
Notes for Editors
Film and Music Entertainment was launched on the German stock market in 1999 by Mike Downey and Sam Taylor. In 2003 they successfully engineered a management buy-out prior to the parent company’s delisting in 2004.
Film and Music Entertainment is one of the UK’s most successful and prolific independent production companies. It was formed by Mike Downey and Sam Taylor in January 2000 with the aim of financing and producing feature films. Stephen Daldry (three-time Oscar-nominated, director of Billy Elliott, The Hours and The Reader) acts as Chairman of the Board and as executive producer.
With over 30 films under its belt, including a winner of the Golden Lion in Venice, an Academy Award Nominee and multiple official entries in the Sundance, Berlin, Montreal, Toronto, San Sebastian and Locarno film festivals, the Film and Music Entertainment brand has over the last decade become synonymous with the production of quality feature films.
Downey and Taylor were founder shareholders in Shotgun Pictures, the Munich-based low budget film finance enterprise and has produced in the last years: Open Water 2, Princess by Anders Morgenthaler (Cannes Directors Fortnight Opener 2006), Suely in the Sky, and My Black Little Heart.
Taylor sits on the Pact Skillset Board.
Downey has been voted in as board member of the European Film Academy for four successive terms and has served on the BAFTA Council, and BAFTA Film Committee.
The F&ME catalogue can be viewed on their website: www.fame.uk.com.
20 Steps Productions - Vladimer Katcharava
20 Steps was founded by producer Vladimer Katcharava, director - Beso Solomanashvili, production manager – Dali Narimanidze, and editor/project coordinator Ekaterine Kartsivadze. The company focuses on the development and co-production of independent feature, documentary and animation films that will appeal both to domestic and international audiences. It aims to work with local crew and experts to further develop the film industry in Georgia and nurture talent creating an environment within which directors can work without any creative bars. Vladimer has developed a fantastic working relationship with the Georgian National Film Centre. Through working with international partners the company continues to grow and make long standing, lasting relationships. In 2009 – Vladimer won the Promotion Prize of the 19th Film Festival Cottbus donated by Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten, Munich.
Metrafilms - Artem Vassiliev
Born and brought up in Moscow in 1994 Artem graduated from Moscow State University. In 1993 he became one of the founders and partners of the company Teko Film, specializing in TV commercials production and digital post-production. In 1999 Artem Vassiliev becomes general producer of Teko Film Production (Metrafilms since 2003). Currently Metrafilms is one of the leading commercial production companies in Russia and develops its own film projects. Between 2005 and 2010 Metra has often partnered with Phenomen Films, a production company with three feature films completed: (Paper Soldier by Alexey German Jr, Room and a Half by Andrey Khrzhanovski, and Act of Nature by Sergey Osipian and Alexander Lungin.
Brandstorm Entertainment - Daniel Zuta
Daniel Zuta has worked for many years as an independent film producer. He founded the Daniel Zuta Filmproduktion in 1984; meanwhile, he produced more than 40 international feature film, documentaries and short films. The Daniel Zuta Filmproduktion is specialised in International co-productions. Additionally, they work as service for International Productions and help young filmmakers to make their debuts. Many of their films were selected at renowned Film Festivals and honoured with several awards. Daniel Zuta is a member of the European Film Academy, the German Film Academy, the European Producers Club and the Hessian Film Office.
