Director Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice) has suspended production on set of his new film ‘La Mula (The Mule)’. The film, which is co-produced by Irish company Subotica and supported by the Irish Film Board, has been in the works for two and a half years and the film’s shoot, which started on 31 August, was just one week away from completion.
Director and co-producer Radford felt he needed to cease production citing the failure of lead co-producers Gheko Films to sign co-production agreements.
The Irish production company involved in the project, Subotica, has issued this statement: “We can confirm that, at the moment, shooting has been halted by director Michael Radford, but negotiations are ongoing."
The Irish producers also made reference to Michael Radford’s own statement which reads as follows:
"Firstly let me make it quite clear that I have not abandoned the film. Gheko Films know that I am in London with my investors, because we have had several conference calls together. I have suspended the shoot and fully intend to go back and finish it.
"On Saturday 31st October 2009, in my capacity as co-producer, I was forced to suspend the shooting because I did not believe the financing to be safe. It is true that the film has been fully financed for some time now as the Irish Film Board and the UK Film Council will confirm. However, in order to release these funds all the co-producers have to sign, together, a number of agreements.
"In anticipation of this, I, the crew and the facilities companies started work in good faith. This is normal practice in these kinds of co-productions. However Gheko Films has consistently failed to sign these documents for reasons known only to themselves. We kept putting back the deadline, and still they wouldn't sign."
The final deadline that Gheko films received was Friday, October 30th, but since the production company again failed to sign the outstanding agreements Mr. Radford felt it necessary to delay finishing the shoot.
"I am now in London with the UKFC and the Irish co-producers trying to make sense of all this and find a way to complete the film which we all want to make." he states. “I am mortified by the effect this has had on the cast and crew of the picture. However they all understand that I have done this to try and safeguard not only their remuneration, but what is precious to all of this out of the wreckage: The film itself."
Continuing the debate, Gheko Films' Bruce St.Clair issued the following statement to IFTN: "Following the difficult situation we, Gheko films, and indeed all of the co producers are in, I would simply like to point out the following.
"Michael did walk off the set after making his announcement, and thats the fact, the reasons for doing so are his and only his. But his doing so did damage the production since he as director, has no authority to stop the production. It is also true that the agreements that the co-producers wanted Gheko to sign were unreasonable, but particularly under spanish law and therfore impossible to sign and these issues concerning the finance and cash flow remain details that only we and the other co producers know about and of course the intricacies of these only concern us and are confidential.
"But right now our main and only goal is to finish the film with Michael of course.
"I am sure we will manage a final agreement that suits all and every party involved. There is a beautiful film that is practically finished and it would be a tremendous shame to stop here and we are sure that the first person to agree with us would be Michael Radford.
"As I mention above, we are working to resume Michael's participation on the set, surely within the next hours he'll be back and we can resume the brilliant and very special film Michael and all involved want."
'La Mula's other backers include the Irish Film Board, the UK Film Council and Michael Radford’s own production company Workhorse Entertainment. The Spanish language film is based on the novel by Juan Eslava Galan of the same name which deals with a soldier who tries to protect a mule during the Spanish civil war.
