Kamen Kalev’s The Island after Cannes

published on 10/12/11 12:52 PM

French model and actress Laetitia Casta and Danish actor Thure Lindhardt in The Island

Photo: Архив

Kamen Kalev’s The Island is a film about overcoming boundaries in the literal and figurative sense, and the freedom to follow your heart. After the international acclaim of Eastern Plays, the Bulgarian director has once again embarked on promoting Bulgarian cinema abroad. His endeavour has been backed by French model and actress Laetitia Casta and Danish actor Thure Lindhardt. The international premiere of The Island was in Cannes on 16 May this year. “The first public screenings are always very important because a director can feel the pulse of his movie and see what has been achieved as a whole”, Kamen said and added that the screenings in France went well despite receiving some criticism. The Island was premiered in Sofia 10 October. It is on in the capital from 14 October.

“The story of the film’s creation is quite long”, Kamen Kalev told Radio Bulgaria. “I started writing the script back in 2003, straight after graduating from La Femis Film Academy in Paris. In the beginning, we relied a great deal on a French production company, but things didn’t work out. For five years we had been trying to find money in Bulgaria and then back in France until I realised I couldn’t wait any more and started working on Eastern Plays. At the same time, I kept working on The Island’s plot that was changing all the time. I was changing over time, and the changes I’ve experienced are somewhat reflected in the script. This is my way to make films – to have a main plot showing a movie’s essence, while remaining open to life”.

At first, the movie focused on a couple and a love that was growing destructive. Gradually, the focus changed to the main character and his liberation from the limits he himself has set in life and society. “I grew more interested in this transformation. I believe it’s important for the others and myself”, notes Kamen Kalev. While shooting the movie on St. Anastasia island in Bulgaria star actress Laetitia Casta told Kamen “You know, this movie won’t appeal to many people”. This is what happened, according to the current reviews in France. In Kamen’s view, one reason is that French critics have expected his second film to be a continuation of Eastern Plays, while the story in The Island is somewhat queerer. The place where the film was shot has played an important role.

“I started writing the script on St. Anastasia island, which is located 4 km away from Burgas, where I was born. I would often go to this island as a kid. This is the story of a Bulgarian man and a French woman who arrive at the island and, for some reason, can not leave. This is how the island becomes a metaphor for our personal limits”.

For a long time Kamen had been looking for an actor to play the part of Daneel and speak both Bulgarian and French, but without any success. He set his mind on Thure Lindhardt, who learnt his lines phonetically in Bulgarian.

“Sorry for not speaking Bulgarian” said Thure in brilliant Bulgarian. “After reading the script for the first time, I couldn’t leave it behind for a long time. I was deeply shocked and provoked, which is always nice for an actor. When you get controversial feelings about a role, you most probably have to accept it. There was something I sensed straight away, which was neither Bulgarian, not Dutch; it was universal- this is the striving for freedom and the aspiration to come out of your shell and be the person you want to be. It was my first time to act in a film using a language I completely don’t understand. Bulgarian language turned our very beautiful, but very much different from my own language. It was a hard but wonderful challenge, because it was very important for me to know the meaning of each line”, said Thure Lindhardt.

As far as French model and actress Laetitia Casta is concerned, Kamen said he had followed her development for a long time. Despite her popularity as a model and the difficulties to establish herself as an actress, the director said he firmly believed he was an exceptional actress and the best match for the part of Sophie, too. In October The Island is being screened at a number of prestigious festivals in France, coming later in the year to French cinema halls.

English version: Vyara Popova

По публикацията работи: Vessela Krasteva

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Kamen Kalev’s The Island after Cannes

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