Entitled Fatherland, it focuses on dramatic events in the life of the famous Nobel Prize-winning German writer Thomas Mann. Set at the height of the Cold War, the story centres on the relationship between Mann and his daughter Erika, an actress, journalist, and rally driver, as they embark on a road trip across Germany, from U.S.-dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar.
Fatherland won Pawlikowski the Award for Best Director at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Pawlikowski is also a co-author of the script with Hendrik Handloegten.
The film stars Hanns Zischler as Mann and Sandra Hüller as Erika. Both were present at the film’s gala show in Warsaw last week.
The creative team of Fatherland includes, on the Polish side, cinematographer Łukasz Żal, costume designer Aleksandra Staszko, editor Piotr Wójcik, production designers Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński, and composer Marcin Masecki.
Fatherland is a co-production between Germany (Nine Hours), Poland (Extreme Emotions), Italy (Our Films), and France (Chapter 2), in collaboration with Circle One in Italy, Pawlikowski’s Apocalypso Pictures, and with support from Arte and Pathé.
The film is set for distribution across Europe, as well as in North and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Mexico, and India.
(mk/aj)