14-06-2012

FNE IDF DocBloc: Czech-Italian Terezin Film Goes into Production

By Michal Prochazka

    PRAGUE: Wolf, a Czech/Italian documentary coproduction with a Holocaust theme will be filmed over the summer. Italian producer Marta Donzelli (Vivo Film) working with Czech producer Radim Procházka (Produkce Radim Procházka, www.radimprochazka.com).

    "I met Marta Donzelli in Cannes a year ago as I was participating at the program of Producers on the Move. I was happy to help to develop a project that is connected with Czech Republic and also brings a powerful story from the war as seen by Italian filmmaker Claudio Giovannesi," Procházka said.

    The Czech participation on this 4.5 million CZK film (190,000 euro) project covers more than 30 percent of the budget, with funding coming from public broadcaster Czech Television (www.ceskatelevize.cz) (800 000 CZK/37,000 euro) and the State Fund for Support and Development of Czech Cinematography (700,000 CZK/30,000 euro). Procházka will handle the music, the postproduction of the film and part of the shooting that brings the main protagonist back to Terezin - once a Jewish ghetto and WWII concentration camp - after more than 60 years.

    The film should be ready by the end of 2012. It retells the story of a Viennese Jew, Wolf Murmelstein, suffering from a Hollocaust trama and pain. His father was a well known Terezin rabbi. Benjamin Murmelstein, who was ordered to write down the list of Jews sent to Auschwitz by the Nazis. After the war he was falsely accused of collaboration and harshly persecuted. The son has dedicated his life to clearing his name from the unjust accusations.