Roman Polański Visited Polish Film Studios

Roman Polański visiting Warsaw’s Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych. Photo courtesy of WFDiF

Roman Polański and his producer Robert Benmussa visited three film studios in Poland: Alvernia Studios in Nieporaz near Krakow, ATM Studio and Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych in Warsaw. He also met with several of his close collaborators, including cinematographer Paweł Edelman.

Polański is planning to film his latest film (working title: The Dreyfus Affair) in Poland. The film is based on “An Officer and a Spy,” a novel written by Robert Harris.

According to producer Robert Benmussa, “the artistic and technical conditions offered by Polish companies meet our expectations. However, in order to make the final decision, we need to ensure legal security of Roman Polański in Poland.”

Roman Polański has rented an apartment in Krakow, where he will be living during his stay in Poland. He has also opened a bank account and registered with the authorities as taking temporary residence in Poland.

Polański’s attorneys Jerzy Stachowicz and Jan Olszewski have confirmed that after finishing the business trip, Roman Polański will “remain in Krakow for a time for leisure.” They also expect Polish authorities to take a stand regarding support in bringing the production of Polański’s latest film to Poland, particularly in terms of a possible extradition appeal by the United States.

International Co-Production on the Dreyfus Affair

The film will be an international co-production, filmed in English with English and American actors. The Dreyfus Affair is the story of a Jewish-born French army officer, who was arrested and sentenced to a long term in prison, after being accused of treason and cooperation with Germany based on forged documents. This political scandal sparked political and social unrest in France, leading to significant changes in the life of the country. The film will not only be a period drama, but also a spy thriller that relates to current events. The production budget is estimated at approximately 35 to 40 million euros. Filming is scheduled for spring of 2015.

The Polish Film Institute, Film Commission Poland and the City of Krakow have expressed their interest in co-financing production of The Dreyfus Affair.

Translated by Karolina Kołtun