05/03/2009

Having won acclaim for his debut feature Retrieval [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – which was lauded in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2006 (see article) and enjoyed success on the festival circuit (Gdynia, Thessaloniki, Bratislava, Trieste, Salerno, Pecs) – young Polish director Slawomir Fabicki (nominated for an Oscar in 2001 for his short A Man Thing) is in preparations with his new project, Bonobo Jingo.

Co-written by the director and Mieczyslaw Krzel, the film centres on an 11-year-old boy who lives in old railway carriages with a chimpanzee. Presented on the Croisette in 2007 at the Producers Club Co-production Forum, the script was also selected from among 500 European projects for the New Cinema Network 2008.

The project marks a real turning point in Fabicki’s career, as he turns his attention to family themes after his previous two dark films. The director says: "Bonobo Jingo is a story that unfolds here and now. It’s made up of elements that exist in real life. Young viewers who watch the film will easily be able to identify with it, for this story could happen to any member of the audience.

"The film shows how the family grows stronger and how important it is to support each other and be good. The story also reveals how essential it is to have a home, even if it’s small, modest and in a railway carriage".

Awarded €30,000 by the New Cinema Network competition, Bonobo Jingo also received development funding from the Polish Film Institute. It is being produced by Piotr Dzieciol for Opus Film on a €3m budget.

(Translated from French)