#SON OF SAUL OSCAR MOVIE#

All this, however, makes the creators more focused and, overall, results in better shots. вЂњWhen we found out about this, we said ok, but they needed to explain to us why,вЂќ say Sipos.вЂќ We accepted their arguments and all we asked was that the shots be very focused because if a scene had to be reshot it would mean significant additional costs.вЂќ Such an approach to filming implies more concentrated work and more rehearsals since the camera does not roll all the time. There was one more risk: the film was captured on 35mm film, not digitally. Hungarian talent, however, where the character is barely on screen or only says a word or two, filled the less important ones. The director insisted on foreign actors playing the foreign characters, which they found for the more important roles. The actorsвЂ™ fees had to be reevaluated several times.

Rajna and Sipos also deal with the companyвЂ™s commercial work.ДЄs paying for sets, locations and actors generally make up the bulk of production costs, the location search for Son of Saul lasted about eight months with the help of scouts known to вЂњclimb over fences and peek in through key holes.вЂќ They settled on the abandoned military grounds of the Haros Inlet, just south of Budapest. Stalter is in charge of shooting, whether it be Hungarian or foreign, and is also involved in procuring new projects. Judit Stalter, a veteran within Laokoon, became part-owner in 2009, admittedly because her new partners felt she might jump ship and set up her own business.вЂќ Sipos provides creative strategy for the team RajnaвЂ™s forte is production and he also runs handles the business end. They reached their current staff of 10 in the years after 2005. Both being fluent in Italian, they initially did production work for Italian commercials, growing into a team of four in three years. вЂњWe have been in agreement since the very beginning that we would not take on any projects that we did not see ourselves in or we would not be able to contribute to creatively,вЂќ says Rajna. Laokoon, whose foundation had been in commercials and later foreign productions, was neither the first nor the only company he pitched to, but he chose it because he sensed an artistic curiosity and passion in Sipos and Rajna. Nemes presented the script for Son of Saul to the Laokoon Filmgroup as part of a Cannes-sponsored program. Not only were they selected, they won the Grand Prix-a fantastic highlight going into Oscar night approaches on February 28. They believed they could make it into the official selection at Cannes. The filmmakersвЂ™ adventure in Cannes was a result of taking a huge risk, a suicidal decision to skip an important industry events: The Berlin International Film Festival and the Panorama Program, in which the Laokoon FilmgroupвЂ™s earlier movie, Happy New Life, had premiered. Where NemesвЂ™ film breaks new ground with the tradition of previous Holocaust portrayals is his focus on the tragedy of the individual вЂ“ not the masses вЂ“ along with the question of how one might stay human amid such inhumanity. He believes he recognizes his son among the dead bodies piled before the ovens, and vows to smuggle the body out and to find a rabbi who could help him bury the child with dignity. The film, which takes place at Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in 1944, tells the story of Saul (played by Geza Rohrig), a crematorium worker with the German Sonderkommando. вЂњHowever, if down the road we fell in love with a film, we would still commit to it even if we did not feel it had Oscar potential.вЂќ

#SON OF SAUL OSCAR MOVIE#

вЂњThe success of Son of Saul is of course tangible through the awards, the ceremonies, the trips, the sudden fame and we are thrilled to be producing Laszlo NemesвЂ™ next movie as well,вЂќ says Sipos, seated in the kitchen of Laokoon FilmgroupвЂ™s Budapest headquarters, which acts as the companyвЂ™s main conference room. The film was launched in America in December, in the first 9 weeks the film earned 1 million dollars in 50 cinemas.

Son of saul oscar