22-07-2009

Production: Jakl shoots Kajinek

By Irena Zemanová

    Director and producer Petr Jákl has started shooting his "opus magnum," the big budget crime-thriller Kajínek, based on a true story of one of the most notorious Czech prisoner Jiří Kajínek.

    Part of the movie is currently being shot at the exteriors and interiors of Fort Mirov, the oldest jailhouse in north Moravia, Jákl announced.

    The story of Jiří Kajínek, a 48-year-old man convicted for the assassination of two people and condemned to life imprisonment at Mirov, who escaped the prison for three months in 2000, is produced by Jákl´s company JBJ Film (www.jbj-film.cz) and Hollywood Classic Entertainment (www.hce.cz), which also distributes the movie, set for release in January 2010.

    After a controversy involving the award-winning director Ivan Fíla, who also wanted to shoot a movie based on Kajínek, Jákl obtained a copyright directly from Kajínek, who met with the director several times at the prison. Jákl, who worked for four years on this project, also wrote the screenplay in cooperation with screenwriter Marek Dobeš.

    "Kajínek is neither a reconstruction nor a documentary. Its a strong story, full-bodied criminal thriller, story about the truth, the guilt, the crime and the punishment, that offers an amazing potential for filmmakers. It's a story I always wanted to tell," Jákl said.

    F.A. Brabec (Bathory, May, Kytice), is handling cinematography.

    Jákl has not announced the film's budget.

    The international cast includes Russian actor Constantin Lavronenko as Kajínek, Czech actress Tatiana Vilhelmová as his lawyer, Polish star Boguslaw Linda, Czech actors Vladimír Dlouhý and Michal Dlouhý and German actors Werner Daehn and Ken Duken, both staples of Hollywood productions such as XXX and Inglorious Basterds.

    Contacts:

    Producers:

    JBJ Film, Petr Jákl

    www.jbj-film.cz

    Bitovska 1227, Prague 4 1400

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Phone: +420 261 261 825

    Cell: + 420 777 830 004

    Distributor

    Hollywood C.E.: Lucie Straková

    Tel.: (+420) 605 288 996

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.