Renowned producers Ole Wendorff-Østergaard and Anna Wydra join forces to bring the story of the war hero to the big screen. Ole and his company Sputnik Film acquired the rights from rights holders Jan Karski International Institute and Robert Laffont publishing house, to the book “Story of a Secret State” written by Jan Karski. The book recounts the story of the heroic exploits of Jan Karski’s life in the Polish underground movement during WWII.
“THE MESSENGER”
Poland, 1939. At the beginning of World War II, the nation is carved into pieces. The Nazis take the west, the Soviets the east, and Poland teeters on the edge of oblivion. Within weeks, a Resistance movement is formed; a “secret state” spreads from Warsaw to Krakow, to even the smallest towns. The Resistance takes its orders from Poland’s government-in-exile, first operating in France, then – after the Nazi invasion– in England.
This is the true story of JAN KARSKI, the man the Resistance chose to be its courier, its eyes and ears and the bearer of its secrets. Before the war Jan’s was a glamorous life; a young man of promise, groomed by his influential brother for a place in the diplomatic corps. Jan is handsome, multi-lingual, and possesses an almost photographic memory, but when he takes up the Resistance cause, he has to find a deeper inner strength. Jan criss-croses Europe’s most perilous borders, changes identities like another man might change his suit. He is captured and tortured by the Gestapo, and becomes the only non-Jew to infiltrate the Warsaw ghetto, bearing witness to Nazi savagery at its barbaric worst.
Jan finally carries his message to Poland’s allies in the West, reporting all he has witnessed with terrifying accuracy. He meets with the Allies’ most powerful leaders, including the U.S. president, FDR, himself. But “truth” in wartime is just another weapon. Will Jan’s voice be loud enough? It is one thing to deliver the message; it is quite another thing to be believed.
The film is being developed to be a large international co-production in English language with strong international partners. The plan is to start shooting in Poland in 2018 and have a completed film in 2019.
Sputnik Film and Producer Ole Wendorff-Østergaard has large co-production and film finance experience from films such as “Antichrist” by Lars von Trier, “The Woman who Dreamt of a Man” by Per Fly and “The Model” by Mads Matthisen which had its premiere in Rotterdam earlier this month. These three films were all co-produced out of Poland with Ole as co-producer and with Zentropa in Denmark as the main producer. From 2007 to 2010 Ole was a financial producer at Zentropa in Denmark and a part of the producer’s team completing 8 features with a total budget of over 35 mill €. Ole has co-produced with the following countries: France, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, UK, Hungary and Germany. Since moving to Poland in 2008 Ole started up Zentropa International Poland and is now running his own company Sputnik Film which works closely together with the feature film division of Platige Image as Delegate Producer on the animated feature “Another Day of Life” which will be completed in 2016.
OTTER FILMS - established by Oscar nominated Anna Wydra, focused on art-house fiction and documentary films for cinema and TV, with an emphasis on the international market. At this year Berlinale Anna premiers feature ZUD by Marta Minorowicz (shot in Mongolia and produced with zero one film/ D).
With Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosołowski we have completed 2 documentaries "Rabbit à la Berlin" (2009) and "The Art of Disappearing” (2013). Lately we premiered “Deep Love” by Jan P. Matuszyński (produced with Cor Leonis Production and HBO 2013), “6 Degrees” by Bartosz Dombrowski (produced with HBO and East Pictures 2014) and well awarded “Domino Effect” by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski (produced with zero one film/ D and RBB/ARTE 2014). We are currently in production of new feature of Sergey Dvortsevoy "Ayka" (produced with Kinodvor/ RU, Pallas Film/ D, Eurasia/ KZ) and in post-production of documentary essay "And there was Love in the Ghetto" by Jolanta Dylewska, Andrzej Wajda and Agnieszka Holland (produced with Pallas Film), and documentaries: “Noicelessly” by MML Collective (produced with Hautlesmains Productions/ FR) and “Reporter” by Magda Szymków (co-produced with Vezfilm/ UK). In autumn 2016 we will go into production with Bartek Konopka’s feature film “The Mute” (produced with Samson Films/ IR).
Contact details
Anna Wydra annawydra[at]otterfilms.pl
