Czech director David Jařab has started shooting his latest drama, Snake Gas [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], inspired by Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness. Jařab, who previously directed the World War I parable Head – Hands – Heart and a documentary about a prominent figure in Czech surrealism, Vratislav Effenberger or the Hunt for Black Shark, has already directed the same subject matter for the theatre stage. However, the director has noted that the cinematic version is not an adaptation of the stage play, but rather a standalone film inspired by Conrad’s novella critiquing European colonial rule in Africa. Jařab, who also penned the script, made the protagonist into a Czech man who is travelling to the Balkans, instead of Africa.

Robert Klein (Stanislav Majer, from Shadow Country [+leggi anche:
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Czech producer Viktor Schwarcz calls Snake Gas a “river movie with elements of mystery”, tackling an array of hot topics, such as “the environment, immigration, the correctness and incorrectness of social thinking and behaviour, wealth accumulation, and monopolisation”. Additionally, Snake Gas is described as a “film parable about a journey into a closed area on the brink of the oriental and the occidental worlds”, and about “one’s fears of violence, the search for love and sexuality, and the willingness to understand the difference between refugees and invaders”.

The 35 shooting days are expected to last until 20 May, with principal photography unfolding largely in Slovakia. Indeed, after scouting locations in Croatia, Slovenia, Romania and Hungary, the producers eventually decided to shoot almost the entire film in Slovakia (the majority of scenes take place on a river). The cast includes Martin Pechlát (Bird Atlas [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Olmo Omerzu
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intervista: Michal Nohejl
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intervista: Bogdan George Apetri
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intervista: Sergei Loznitsa
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intervista: Sergei Loznitsa
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intervista: Tomasz Wasilewski
scheda film], is attached as the cinematographer on the movie. The majority of the film crew are Slovak professionals.

Snake Gas is being produced by Viktor Schwarcz, of Czech outfit Cineart TV Prague, and co-produced by Slovak company ARINA and Czech Television. The film was supported by the Czech Film Fund and the Slovak Audiovisual Fund. The theatrical release is scheduled for 2023. CinemArt will handle the theatrical release in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.