PRODUCTION: The Ravishment plans Bulgarian release

01-02-2010

PRODUCTION: The Ravishment plans Bulgarian release

By Pavlina Jeleva

Film director Plamen Masslarov (14 Kisses, 1997; Mayor, Mayor, 1990; The Judge, 1986) and head of the Bulgarian National Film Archive announced that his Bulgarian-Russian co-production The Ravishment will be released in cinemas on February 12.

The film is distributed by Masslarov's own company Lucky Ltd. Unlike the usual practice, the director/producer/distributor plans the first week of theatrical release in the Black Sea town of Varna, followed by major cities Sofia and Plovdiv.

The Ravishment by distinguished novelist Boyan Biolchev is linked to his 1986 script Cry for Help, in whicha young orphan (Ivailo Gerasskov) was brutally sent to jail during the communist era. In The Ravishment the same character (Ivan Radoev Jr), now released from jail, becomes a victim of crime again, this time of the post communist mafia. "I imagined that Georgy, who in Cry for Help had no parents and therefore a difficult social situation, could never forgive an "irresponsible" writer (Valentin Ganev) for using his life in a film with a happy end. Seeking revenge my old/new character finds the writer and draws him into today's urban underground life," Biolchev said.

The film mixes new criminal elements with a romantic love story between Georgy and the beautiful Russian Elena (Julia Peresild, seen in Aleksei Uchitel's Captive). The project was supported by the National Film Center and nationally co-produced by Camera and Nu Boyana with Rock Studio as the Russian co-producer. It was shot during six weeks in 2008 with a budget of only 600,000 Euro.

Biolchev and Masslarov state, "The Ravishment is dedicated to the large audience. Up to now, at different occasions, it was seen by nearly 4000 viewers and was always strongly acclaimed."

Production credits

Scriptwriter- Boyan Biolchev

Director - Plamen Masslarov

Directors of Photography - Andrey Chertov & Emil Penev

Set decorator - Anastass Yanakiev

Music - Svetlio Vitkov & Vassil Giurov

Producer - Plamen Masslarov

Co-producer - Aleksei Uchitel

Cast

Georgy - Ivan Radoev Jr

Elena - Julia Peresild

The Writer - Valentin Ganev