04/01/2021 - The Slovak director’s latest feature-length project will be shot in the new film noir style

Milan Ondrík (left) and Hynek Čermák (right) (© Falcon)

Peter Bebjak, one of the most prolific Slovak directors, has been dividing his career between Slovakia and the Czech Republic as well as between the small and the big screen. After the period drama The Report [+see also:
trailer
interview: Peter Bebjak
film profile] (read the news), Slovakia’s candidate for the 93^rd Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category, and the television miniseries The Actor (read the news), Bebjak has already started shooting a new feature film, a revenge thriller titled Shadowplay.

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Written by Vendula Bradáčová, Slovakian actor Milan Ondrík (read the interview) stars in the leading role as Jan, a man who leaves his wife (Dominika Morávková) who herself will soon become the victim of crime. Jan turns into a widower with the full awareness that he is responsible for his wife’s death because he did not help her in a critical moment. He hides from guilt in a local boxing club. After a string of revelations, Jan starts pursuing his wife’s murderer himself, fearing the culprit could avoid justice and punishment.

Bebjak tackled similar topics in his previous works The Cleaner [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Martin Žiaran
interview: Peter Bebjak
film profile] and the television miniseries Justice (read the news). He reveals in his director’s statement that Shadowplay will be shot in the new film noir style. “New film noir frequently synthesizes diverse genres. That's what I like the most about 21^st century films, multi-genre,” he says, explaining that the film will combine melodrama, thriller, crime, action film, and psychological drama. Bebjak’s long-time collaborator DoP Martin Žiaran is behind the camera, while Hynek Čermák, Vladimír Javorský and Kristýna Frejová star alongside Milan Ondrík. Principal photography is divided into two parts: December 2020 and April 2021. The production has adapted to the new shooting regulations during the pandemic, investing in hygienic measures and testing the film crew.

Shadowplay is produced by Czech outfit Hangar Films and co-produced by Barletta Production (Czech Republic), D.N.A. Production (Slovakia), Czech Television, Radio and Television Slovakia, and Xpoint. The Czech and Slovak premiere is set for October 2021 with Falcon handling the domestic theatrical release.