02-09-2008

Former child actor’s directing debut

By Gyorgy Karpati
    Former child actor Barnabas Toth told FNE he began filming his feature film debut The Shark in Me, on August 15. The shooting will last 30 days, ending September 26.

    French born Toth had several roles as a child actor in such movies as the European Award winner The Midas Touch (1988) directed by Geza Beremenyi and the Cannes FIPRESCI Award Winner Child Murders (1993) directed by Ildiko Szabo. Toth recently hosted two TV shows, and directed the award-winning short film On a Train (2004), which screened at the Cannes Critics Week's.

    Toth also stars in the film, which moves to locations in Hungary after completing eight days of filming in France.

    The film is budgeted at €470,000, with €125,000 from the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary's (www.mmka.hu) co-production competition, €33,000 from the Foundation's general support, €16,000 from Dialog Studio, and €16,000 euros from national TV channel MTV (www.mtv.hu). The Hungarian production company is FilmArt Ltd. (www.filmart.hu), led by founder and CEO is Jeno Habermann. France provides 30% of the budget through co-production partner Vie Des Hauts Production, led by Dominique Garing.

    The picture is dramedy, the director told FNE, with a conflict between father and son that causes the son to escape to France.

    The film will premiere at the Hungarian Film Week in January 2009, with a theatrical release planned for later in the year.