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Transsiberian in theaters on July 18, 2008
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Jun 14, 2008, 19:45
First
Look Studios is releasing TRANSSIBERIAN in theaters on July 18, 2008.
Directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist), the film is a nerve-frying
Hitchcockian thriller starring Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson and Ben
Kingsley.
Watch the Movie Trailer
Transsiberian is a thriller set on the legendary train that links the Far East and Europe, stretching from China to Russia.
Following a stay in Peking, Roy and Jessie, decide to give their
relationship one last go and have another adventure together,
travelling on the Transsiberian from China to Moscow through exotic,
wild, and snow-laden places.
On the train, Roy and Jessie discover that the Transsiberian is no
longer the luxurious train it once was before the fall of the USSR..
The famous train's former glamour has disappeared, leaving cold steel
carriages and taciturn fellow passengers, reputed to include drug
traffickers. They take refuge in the company of a fellow western
couple, Carlos and Abbey, and everything is going well until the four
decide to get off the train at one of the stops.
When Roy misses the train and gets separated from the rest of the
group, Jessie gets off to wait for him and Carlos and Abbey offer to
wait as well. However, it soon becomes clear that Carlos and Abbey may
not be the sweet and caring couple they initially seemed to be and the
story unfolds into a series of thrilling twists and turns. Unwittingly,
Roy and Jessie get caught up in the dark world of smuggling and
betrayal, and they know that while the train is in motion, there is no
getting off…
The Transsiberian experience was the dream of a young American couple
that quickly turns into a nightmare. Seven days is far too long to
hide, especially on a train.
CAST
Woody Harrelson Roy
Emily Mortimer Jessie
Kate Mara Abby
Eduardo Noriega Carlos
with
Thomas Kretschmann Myassa
and
Ben Kingsley Grinko
CREW
Director Brad Anderson
Producer Julio Fernández
Executive Producer Carlos Fernández
Co-Executive Producer Antonia Nava
Director of Photography Xavier Giménez
Line Producer Jet Christiaanse
Line Producer Teresa Gefaell
Script Brad Anderson
Will Conroy
Art Director Iñigo Navarro
Set Designer Alain Bainée
Editing Jaume Martí
Costume Designer Thomas Oláh
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BIOGRAPHIES
BRAD ANDERSON / Director/Screenwriter
The Darien Gap, Brad Anderson’s first feature, screened in competition
at the ‘96 Sundance Film Festival. Because of this film he was honored
by Variety in ‘97 as one of the “Ten Leading New Independent Directors
to Watch.” In 1998 his film Next Stop Wonderland, featuring Hope Davis
and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, was picked up at Sundance by Miramax. It
won the Grand Prix and Audience awards at the Deauville Film Festival,
as well as the Excellence in Filmmaking Award by the National Board of
Review.
In 2001 he had the unusual experience of having two of his films
simultaneously hit theaters, both to overwhelming critical praise: the
romantic comedy Happy Accidents (IFC Films), which stars Marisa Tomei
and Vincent D’Onofrio; and the psychological thriller Session 9 (USA
Films), which stars David Caruso, Josh Lucas and Peter Mullan.
In 2005 he made The Machinist (Paramount), which was produced and shot
in Spain. It stars Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh and
premiered at Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival. It won the 2006
Silver Melies as part of the European Fantastic Film Festival.
His newest film: the Hitchcockian thriller Transsiberian, which he
co-wrote and directed, premiered at Sundance and Berlin, 2008. It was
shot in Lithuania, Spain, and China and stars Emily Mortimer, Woody
Harrelson, Ben Kingsley and Eduardo Noriega.
Projects in development include: an adaptation of J.G..Ballard’s novel Concrete Island; and a musical called Non Stop to Brazil.
His television credits include episodes of Homicide; The Wire; The
Shield; Surface; Sounds Like, an hour long film which he wrote and
directed for Showtime’s “Masters of Horror”; as well as an episode of
this season’s NBC horror anthology “Fear Itself”.
WILL CONROY / Screenwriter
In addition to co-writing "Transsiberian", Will Conroy has written
"Widow's Walk", also for director Brad Anderson, "Five Minutes, Mr.
Welles", for Vincent D'Onofrio, who directed and starred in the film,
"Mac Dog Williams" (with National Book Award nominee Chris Offutt, for
D'onofrio and Brooklyn Hazlehurst Productions), and other original,
feature-length thrillers and comedies including "Echo" (with National
Book Award nominee Thom Jones), "Catalina Trust", which Conroy also
directed in 1999, "Largest Living Things", "Opposite Field", and an
adaptation of his father Frank Conroy's classic memoir, "Stop-Time".
Most recently Conroy has adapted Robert Wilson's thriller, "The Blind
Man of Seville", for Filmax International in Spain. He can be reached
through Neil Olson at Donadio & Olson in New York.
WOODY HARRELSON / Roy
Woody Harrelson’s rare mix of intensity and charisma consistently
surprises and delights audiences and critics alike for his work in both
mainstream and independent projects.
Further illustrating his diverse appeal, Harrelson recently starred in
the New Line comedy SEMI PRO opposite Will Ferrell and Andre Benjamin.
At the same time, Harrelson could be seen alongside Josh Brolin, Javier
Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones in the Coen Brothers’ film, NO COUNTRY FOR
OLD MEN which won a SAG Award for best ensemble cast. Harrleson
recently finished filming on Columbia Pictures’ SEVEN POUNDS with Will
Smith and Rosario Dawson, set for release in December 2008.
Also set for release in 2008 are Zak Penn’s ensemble comedy THE GRAND,
Stuart Townsand’s BATTLE IN SEATTLE with Charlize Theron, Andre
Benjamin and Ray Liotta and Brad Anderson’s TRANSSIBERIAN where he
starred opposite Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley in a film which
premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Harrleson’s critically-acclaimed portrayal of controversial magazine
publisher Larry Flynt in Milos Forman's THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT
garnered him Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild
Nominations as Best Actor. Other highlights from Harrleson’s film
career include AFTER THE SUNSET, PLAY IT TO THE BONE, THE THIN RED
LINE, THE HI-LO COUNTY, ED TV, WAG THE DOG, WELCOME TO SARAJEVO,
KINGPIN, NATURAL BORN KILLERS, INDECENT PROPOSAL, WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP,
THE BIG WHITE, A SCANNER DARKLY, NORTH COUNTRY, THE PRIZE WINNER OF
DEFINANCE, OHIO and A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION.
Harrelson first endeared himself to millions of viewers as a member of
the ensemble cast of NBC's long-running hit comedy, CHEERS. For his
work as the affable bartender Woody Boyd, he won an Emmy in 1988 and
was nominated four additional times during his eight-year run on the
show. In 1999, he gained another Emmy nomination when he reprised the
role in a guest appearance on the spin-off series FRASIER. He later
made a return to television with a recurring guest role on the hit NBC
series, WILL AND GRACE.
Balancing his film and television work, in 1999 Harrelson directed his
own play, FURTHEST FROM THE SUN at the Theatre de la Juene Lune in
Minneapolis. He followed next with the Roundabout's Broadway revival of
THE RAINMAKER; Sam Shepherd’s THE LATE HENRY MOSS, and John
Kolvenbach's ON AN AVERAGE DAY opposite Kyle MacLachlan at London’s
West End. Harrelson directed the Toronto premiere of Kenneth Lonergan's
THIS IS OUR YOUTH at the Berkeley Street Theatre. In the winter of 2005
Harrelson returned to London's West End, starring in Tennessee
Williams' NIGHT OF THE IGUANA at the Lyric Theatre.
A committed environmentalist, Harrelson joined his activism with his
film efforts in Ron Mann's GO FURTHER, a road documentary following
Woody and friends on their bicycle journey down the Pacific Coast
Highway from Seattle to Santa Barbara.
Along with being a father to his three beautiful daughters, closest to
his heart is www.voiceyourself.com, a website Harrelson co-created with
his wife Laura Louie which promotes and inspires individual action to
create global momentum towards simple organic living and to restore
balance and harmony to our planet.
EMILY MORTIMER / Jessie
Emily Mortimer’s many film credits include her break-out role in the
critically-acclaimed “Lovely & Amazing,” a comical, bittersweet
tale of four hapless, but resilient, women and the lessons they learn
in keeping up with the hectic demands of their individual neuroses. The
film brought Mortimer great critical acclaim and a 2003 Independent
Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Mortimer most recently starred in a diverse range of films including
the widely acclaimed, touching comedy “Lars and the Real Girl,”
starring opposite Ryan Gosling and Patricia Clarkson; and in David
Mamet’s “Redbelt,” set in the west-side Los Angeles first world. Her
other recent film credits include Woody Allen’s “Match Point,” which
she received glowing reviews starring alongside Scarlett Johansson,
Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Matthew Goode; and the hit comedy “The Pink
Panther,” playing Nicole, Inspector Clouseau’s hapless secretary,
alongside Steve Martin.
Mortimer’s other film credits include starring in Shona Auerbach’s
“Dear Frankie,” earning a London Film Critics Award nomination as an
impoverished single mother who has moved to a seaside Scottish town
with her deaf child; acclaimed filmmaker David Mackenzie’s first film,
“Young Adam,” starring Ewan McGregor, for which Mortimer earned a
nomination as Best British Actress at the 2004 Empire Awards and a
nomination for Best British Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2004
London Film Critics Circle Awards; leading the ensemble cast in Stephen
Fry’s directorial debut, “Bright Young Things”; Kenneth Branagh’s
“Love’s Labour’s Lost”; Shekhar Kapur’s award-winning “Elizabeth”; “The
Ghost and the Darkness” with Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer; and Wes
Craven’s “Scream 3.” She also voiced the character of young Sophie in
Walt Disney Studios’ English language version of “Howl’s Moving
Castle,” directed by the renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
Over the last year, she has worked continuously on a wide range of
upcoming projects including: currently shooting Martin Scorsese’s
mystery drama with a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark
Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, and Max von Sydow; and “The
Pink Panther 2,” reprising her role opposite Steve Martin.
In addition to her several film projects, Mortimer has also starred in
a range of television projects for the BBC and played the recurring
role of Phoebe, as Alec Baldwin character’s love interest, during the
2007 season of the hit NBC series “30 Rock.”
Mortimer’s theatre credits include making her off-Broadway debut at the
Atlantic Theater (February, 2008 – April, 2008) in the World Premiere
run of acclaimed playwright Jez Butterworth’s “Parlour Song.” Directed
by Neil Pepe, the play looks at what happens when two ordinary people
discover they hate what they have become. The story revolves around
Dale (Chris Bauer), a demolitions expert, who comes to believe that his
wife (Mortimer) is stealing from him. The play also starred Jonathan
Cake.
Prior to “Parlour Song,” her other theatre credits include productions
of “The Merchant of Venice” for the Lyceum Theatre and “The Lights” for
the Royal Court. While studying English at Oxford University, Mortimer
had starring roles in numerous stage productions including: Ophelia in
“Hamlet” at Oxford Shakespeare Festival, Gertrude in “Hamlet” and Lady
Nijo/Winn in “Top Girls” at the Edinburgh Festival, Miss Burstner/Leni
in “The Trial” at the Oxford Playhouse, and Helena in “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream” at the Old Fire Station, Oxford. She also devised,
directed and acted in a production of “Don Juan,” which was a Drama
Cupper’s Winner.
Mortimer was born in London, England. She is the daughter of famed
writer Sir John Mortimer and Penelope Glossop. Mortimer attended the
highly respected St. Paul’s Girls School in Barnes, London. She then
studied English and Russian at Oxford University from 1990 - 1994. She
married actor Alessandro Nivola in 2002, and their first child was born
in 2003.
KATE MARA / Abby
Kate Mara continues to emerge as one of the brightest young actresses in Hollywood.
Audiences will next see her star in Transsiberian alongside Sir Ben
Kingsley, Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson. The film, which is
directed by Brad Anderson, premiered at the 2008 Sundance and Berlin
Film Festivals.
Most recently Kate completed shooting Open Road in which she stars
alongside Justin Timberlake, Jeff Bridges and Mary Steenburgen and
Stone of Destiny in which she stars opposite Billy Boyd for director
Charles Martin Smith.
Last year Kate starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in the Paramount Pictures
film Shooter. Prior to that she starred with Matthew McConaughey,
Matthew Fox and Ian McShane in the Warner Bros. film We Are Marshall
and she portrayed Heath Ledger's daughter in Ang Lee’s Academy Award
winning drama Brokeback Mountain.
Kate began acting at the age of 14. She first appeared in Sydney
Pollack’s romantic drama Random Hearts. She went on to co-star in Gary
Winick’s coming-of-age film Tadpole, for which the director and the
film earned Sundance Film festival honors and she co-starred in the
independent feature The Californians.
On television, Kate co-starred in a five-episode arc on the Fox Television Emmy Award winning series 24.
An accomplished singer, she made her professional debut at the
Williamstown Theatre Festival in Landscape of the Body, with Lili
Taylor.
Eduardo Noriega / Carlos
Early in his home town of Santander, Spain, Eduardo Noriega began
studies in music and piano. In 1990, while still at school, Noriega
appeared in his first play, Lorca's Yerma. In 1992, he moved to Madrid,
Spain to begin drama studies at the Royal Spanish School of Drama.
Shortly after, Noriega began working for his friends, including amateur
directors Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil in their first short films.
In 1994, he appeared in his first feature film, Armendáriz’s Kronen
Stories.
Noriega has won several awards for his acting work including Best Actor
in 1994’s AICA Contest and Best Actor in the Alcalá de Henares Festival
for Luna, directed by Alejandro Amenábar; a Goya nomination for best
leading actor for 1998’s Abre los Ojos; Best Actor in A. De Campóo for
Allanmiento de morada; Best Actor in the 1999 Menorca Festival for La
Fuente Amarilla; and in 2001, Noriega was named the European Revelation
actor for Le Studio in Cannes. In 2005, Noriega was nominated for
another Goya for best leading actor for his work in El Lobo.
Ben Kingsley / Grinko
After earning an Academy Award, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards
for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi, Sir
Ben Kingsley continues to bring unequaled detail and nuance to each
role. In 1984, Kingsley was awarded the Padma Sri by Indira Gandhi and
the government of India. Kingsley went on to earn three additional
Oscar nominations for Bugsy (1991), Sexy Beast (2000) and House of Sand
and Fog (2003), his roles have been as diverse as his talents, from a
sturdy vice president in Dave to the scheming Fagin in Oliver Twist.
Since being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Eve Honors
List 2001, Kingsley has continued to earn honors as a truly
international star.
Two films recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival give further
perspective to his work: The Wackness, in which he plays a drug-addled
psychiatrist opposite Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby and
Mary-Kate Olsen; and the crime thriller Transsiberian, as a mysterious
traveler opposite Woody Harrelson, Eduardo Noriega and Thomas
Kretschmann. He is the star of the sexually charged Elegy which will
premiered at the Berlin Film Festival.
Kingsley verifies his comedic chops opposite Mike Meyers, Jessica Alba
and Justin Timberlake in Paramount’s The Love Guru, slated for Summer
2008. Two other completed films include Man on the Run, a thriller set
against the dangerous backdrop of 1980s Ireland, and the more
lighthearted crime comedy War, Inc. Currently in production is Martin
Scorsese’s 1950s drama Shutter Island, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark
Ruffalo and Michelle Williams.
Steeped in British theatre, Kingsley marked the beginning of his
professional acting career with his acceptance by the Royal Shakespeare
Company in l967. From roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest,
Brutus in Julius Caesar and the title roles in Othello and Hamlet,
among others, his more recent and diverse stage roles include those in
The Country Wife, The Cherry Orchard, A Betrothal and Waiting for Godot.
Kingsley’s film career began in l972 with the thriller Fear Is the Key,
but his first major role came a decade later in the epic Gandhi,
directed by Richard Attenborough. He followed this Oscar-winning
performance with such early films as Betrayal, Turtle Diary, Harem,
Pascali’s Island, Without A Clue (as Dr. Watson to Michael Caine’s
Sherlock Holmes) and The Children opposite Kim Novak. During the ‘90s
Kingsley distinguished himself through such roles as Mayer Lansky in
Bugsy, Sneakers, Searching For Bobby Fischer and Dave. In 1994 he was
nominated for a BAFTA Award for his memorable supporting role as Itzhak
Stern in Steven Spielberg’s seven-time Oscar winner Schindler’s List.
During the past decade, Ben Kingsley has remained a coveted and
ubiquitous talent. Beginning with such films as Rules of Engagement,
What Planet Are You From? and an Oscar-nominated role as a brutal
gangster in Sexy Beast, he received his most recent Oscar nomination in
2004 for his performance as a proud Iranian emigrant in the highly
acclaimed House of Sand and Fog. Among his films in the last several
years are Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist, the crime drama Lucky Number
Slevin, John Dahl’s You Kill Me and the Roman empire saga The Last
Legion.
ABOUT FIRST LOOK STUDIOS
First Look Studios is a leading independent studio which includes its
theatrical, home video and television operations. The studio’s CEO is
Trevor Short and Dean Wilson is COO. The company is owned and operated
by First Look Holdings, LLC.
FILMAX GROUP
As one of Spain top film producers, Julio Fernández heads the Filmax
Group, one of the country’s major audiovisual companies. With
headquarters in Barcelona, the company holds an ideal position to fully
respond to the opportunities and needs of the European and
International entertainment markets.
In recent years, Julio Fernández has made enormous developments in
production as head of Castelao Productions. These developments were
made possible by consistently producing film works that have not only
been very well received by the viewing audience, but have also enjoyed
excellent critical acclaim.
FILMAX GROUP - FEATURE FILM SELECTION
Some internationally acclaimed Filmax titles:
• The Hairy Tooth Fairy (2006) –animation- by Juan Pablo Buscarini.
• KM31 (2006) by Rigoberto Castañeda.
• Fragile by Jaume Balagueró (2005), starring Calista Flockhart and Richard Roxburg.
• Tapas (2005) by José Corbacho and Juan Cruz.
• The Machinist (2004) by Brad Anderson.
• Darkness by Jaume Balagueró (2002), a box-office smash in the USA.
Recently Completed Titles:
• Transsiberian (2008) by Brad Anderson (The Machinist). Features an
exciting international cast including Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer,
Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega and Sir Ben Kingsley (2008).
• Donkey Xote (2007), animation, by Josep Pozo.
• Nocturna (2007), animation, by Victor Maldonado and Adrián García.
• REC (2007), by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza.
• The Last of the Just (2007) by Manuel Carballo.
In Post-production:
• The Sultans of The South (2008) by Alejandro Lozano.
• Cobardes (2008) by Juan Cruz & Jose Corbacho.
• Love, Pain & Vice versa (2008) by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa.
In Production:
• Diary of a sex-addicted woman, by Christian Molina.
In Development:
• The Hairy Tooth Fairy II, animation, by Andrés Schaer.
• Paintball, by Daniel Benmayor (“Claustrophobia”, Fantastic Factory).
• Circus, by Paco Plaza (“Claustrophobia”, Fantastic Factory).
UNIVERSUM FILM
A brief introduction: Universum Film as Distributor, Buyer of all-rights deals and Co-Producer.
The Munich based company has been in the home entertainment business
since 1979 and is one of the market leaders in Germany at present. In
2002, Universum Film founded its theatrical entertainment department
and has since then evolved into an important independent film
distributor in the German market. Universum Film is a subsidiary of the
RTL Media & Marketing Group, which is part of the Bertelsmann Group.
In 2008 Universum Film will release exciting mainstream films such as
the fascinating BBC nature documentary “Earth” on February 7th. Another
highlight in the 1st half of 2008 will be “Hardcover” on March 27th, a
German comedy written and directed by Christian Zübert. The
“Dragonhunters” will commence their exciting quest on April 24th in an
adventurous European 3D animated production.
Since 2005, Universum Film has been active in the co-production of
feature films. The thriller “Open Water 2” was Universum Film’s first
successful co-production. Universum Film is currently involved in Brad
Anderson’s latest thriller “Transsiberian”, starring Woody Harrelson,
Emily Mortimer, Sir Ben Kingsley and Eduardo Noriega. Other upcoming
projects include family entertainment titles such as “Prinzessin
Lillifee”, “Der Mondbär” and “Niko & The Way to the Stars”.
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