17-11-2009

PRODUCTION: Judgment finds German co-producer

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    Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev's production company Argo Film is co-producing his second feature film, The Judgment, with Germany's Leipzig-based LE Vision.

    Producer Christine Haupt of LE Vision (www.levision.de ) told FNE that the film is in development. The project was chosen for ScripTeast (www.scripteast.pl ) and a first draft has been completed. The project has applied for the Nipkow Programme in Berlin, in anticipation of a fall 2011 shoot and 2012 release.

    The story is set on the border of Bulgaria,Turkey and Greece, opening in 1988 when a Bulgarian guard is ordered to shoot an East German couple trying to escape to the West. Twenty years later he is faced with the prospect of smuggling illegal immigrants from the East into Bulgaria to cover his daughter's medical needs.

    The production is budgeted at 1.5 million euros, with half the budget coming from Germany. The project expects to bring on a Turkish co-production partner.