FAR, a father and son drama about a tense camping trip that spirals out of control when the son discovers his father has a dark secret.
ABOUT
Kim Bodnia has been a star of Scandinavian cinema since the early ’90s with his breakout role in Nicholas Winding Refn’s Pusher and more recently as Martin Rohde in the Danish/Swedish hit TV series The Bridge. His most recent role has been receiving rave reviews as the title character in Jon Stewart’s hotly anticipated directorial debut film, Rosewater.
Louis Bodnia Andersen is Kim’s son and although relatively new to acting is already impressing audiences and colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic.
Kim and Louis play a father and son who embark on a tense camping trip that soon spirals out of control when the son discovers a dark secret his father is hiding. Kim and Louis give a brutally honest and visceral portrayal that at times feels more documentary than fiction.
Directed by Alexander Bodin Saphir, who co-wrote the script with Louis, the film is part devised, part scripted and part improvised.
Daniel Gal, the cinematographer, had his hands full keeping up with the action – but with his mix of documentary and fiction experience he was perfectly placed to beautifully capture the intensity of their relationship as well as the unique spontaneous ‘unscripted’ moments.
OUR ‘EXPERIMENTAL’ PROCESS
One of the things that makes this project different from most is that we never closed the creation process. Normally, due to the time and economic pressures inherent in working on a film set the focus is to just get what’s written in the script translated into film. But this closes a huge part of the creative process before the actors, cinematographers and sound men/women even get a chance to properly interact with the material.
So we did something different – we kept the creative process open the whole way through the film and although the film was already scripted we continued to drastically change scenes the night before shooting and often again on the set. This was made easier because of the documentary filmmaking experience of the team, which allowed the story to unfold in an unscripted way, while still making sure the scenes were covered.
The process was a risky experiment – we could have ended up with little usable footage and no story, but instead we came away with some incredible performances and a fascinating relationship drama.
WHY KICKSTARTER
Because your backing of this film is the only way we can finish this incredibly personal and honest film in the way that it was intended. Your backing will allow us to not have to compromise on the standard of the film and finish it with world class professional post production.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Even with the incredible advancements in technology filmmaking is still an expensive and long winded process.
We are still editing the film and as you might guess from the way we shot it – it’s a big task, even for a super talented and experienced editor like Kate Coggins.
After the edit we will work with a world class post production house to grade the picture, do the music and the final sound mix. Then we need to online it and send it to film festivals.
Your support will help us get the best professionals on board and create a cinema quality film that can be seen in cinemas around the world.
WHAT WE WILL DO WITH THE FILM
We will submit the film to top film festivals around the world and use it as a trailer for a larger feature length collaboration that Kim Bodnia and the team are working on.
We are also exploring more non-traditional distribution methods and hope FAR will be screened on TV in select territories.
THE TEAM
Kim Bodnia – actor/writer/director, with over 25 years experience of acting in film, television and theatre. Seminal films include Nicholas Winding Refn’s Pusher and Jon Stewart’s Rosewater as well as the Swedish/Danish hit TV show The Bridge.
Louis Bodnia Andersen – writer/actor, co-wrote the script for the short film with A. Bodin Saphir and is an experienced musician and director. Is playing opposite his father for the first time.
A. Bodin Saphir – writer/director, a playwright and children’s fiction writer, he is also an experienced film and documentary director/producer currently working on a BFI funded documentary.
Daniel Gal – cinematographer, an award winning cinematographer and director in his own right with both documentary and fiction credits.
Kate Coggins – editor, a very experienced editor of multiple award winning films in both fiction and documentary.
This is a highly motivated and professional (and international) team who have given their time and creative energy for next to nothing to help make this passion project a reality. FAR represents the first time that the team has worked together and marks the beginning of a working collaboration that is already developing a number of projects.
PLEASE CHECK BACK OFTEN for MORE UNIQUE REWARDS
Please note: All mentions of ‘THE BRIDGE’ refer to the Danish/Swedish BRON/BROEN version rather than the US FX version.
* We’ll be in touch to find out what you want Kim’s dedication to say. While every effort will be made to make sure you get your reward by Christmas – this can’t be guaranteed due to the vagaries of the postal system. Also Kim reserves the right to refuse to write, say or sign anything offensive.
As with every creative endeavour there are risks, but we have already shot the film and have assembled a highly experienced and professional post production team to oversee the final stages of editing, grading, sound and music.