Final delivery of the Russian film ‘Leviathan’, which will compete at Cannes 2014 for the main prize Palme d'Or, is currently being worked on by Windmill Lane Pictures colourist Dave Hughes and Russian D.O.P. Mikhail Krichman.
Krichman has just signed off the grade with Hughes who is mastering the final look for the film. Tim Morris and Sandi McGrath are supervising the 4K Digital Intermediate at Windmill Lane in conjunction with the Russian producers and Moscow facilities.
The film is one of only 18 films selected from a huge range of entries for the Palme d’Or competition which is the highlight of the Cannes film festival. Other directors in the competition include; Jean-Luc Goddard (Goodbye to Language), Tommy Lee Jones (The Homesman), Mike Leigh (Mr. Turner), David Cronenberg (Maps to the Stars) and Atom Egoyan (Captives). Windmill Lane will be delivering a 4K DCP for screening at Cannes, a first for the Dublin based company.
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev (Elena, The Return), ‘Leviathan’ stars Aleksei Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov and is set on a peninsula by the Barents Sea. The film is based on the Old Testament tale of Leviathan, the mythological sea monster killed by God and fed to the Hebrews in the wilderness. Melding together a biblical story with themes concerning social issues in contemporary Russia. The screenplay is a modern reworking of the ‘Book of Job’, produced by Alexander Rodnyansky. Speaking about the film, Rodnyansky said; "It deals with some of the most important social issues of contemporary Russia while never becoming an artist’s sermon or a public statement, it is a story of love and tragedy experienced by ordinary people.”
Krichman, who recently graded ‘Miss Julie’ at Windmill Lane with Hughes, (directed by Liv Ullmann, starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Chastain and Samantha Morton) says he’s “delighted to bring another project back to Windmill Lane and to be working with Dave so soon again.”
Zvyagintsev’s Cannes nomination has broken the long absence of Russian filmmakers in the festivals competition. ‘Jimmy’s Hall’ director Ken Loach is also nominated for the 2014 Palme d’Or award. Loach has been a regular at the festival since his feature ‘Kes’ screened there in 1970. Since then, he has had a further sixteen films screen in and out of competition, for which he won the Palme d’Or (The Wind That Shakes the Barley), three Jury Prizes (The Angels’ Share, Raining Stones, Hidden Agenda) and a Young Cinema Award (Looks and Smiles).
The Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 14 – 25, 2014. More information on the upcoming festival is available here.
