Majestic announced today that principal photography is about to begin on thriller COLONIA, from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Florian Gallenberger (JOHN RABE). The film stars Emma Watson (HARRY POTTER, NOAH, THE BLING RING) in her first lead role since Harry Potter and Golden Globe® nominee Daniel Brühl (RUSH, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, THE FIFTH ESTATE). The film will shoot in Luxembourg, Munich, Berlin and South America, until the end of the year.
COLONIA tells the story of Lena and Daniel, a young couple, who become entangled in the Chilean military coup of 1973. Daniel is abducted by Pinochet’s secret police and Lena tracks him to a sealed off area in the South of the country, called Colonia Dignidad. The Colonia presents itself as a charitable mission run by lay preacher Paul Schäfer but, in fact, is a place nobody ever escaped from. Lena decides to join the cult in order to find Daniel.
Gallenberger is directing COLONIA from a script he and Torsten Wenzel wrote, inspired by true events. Benjamin Herrmann is producing the feature through his Majestic banner (DESERT FLOWER, JOHN RABE, TOUR DE FORCE). Nicolas Steil will serve as co-delegate producer through Iris Productions (SUNSET SONG).
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes cinematographer Kolja Brandt (HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS, NORTH FACE), production designer Bernd Lepel (DOWNFALL, THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX), costume designer Nicole Fischnaller (A MOST WANTED MAN, THE COUNTERFEITERS), makeup designers Waldemar Pokromski (THE WHITE RIBBON, THE PIANIST) and Claudine Moureaud (MERCHANT OF VENICE), sound recordist Carlo Thoss (THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING) and editor Hansjörg Weissbrich (NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON).
Commenting on the creative team behind the project producer Benjamin Herrmann said: “With Florian’s visionary directing style, and two of the most diverse and gifted young actors working today leading our cast, COLONIA is set to become a powerful and important dramatic production.”
COLONIA is a production of Majestic Filmproduktion and co-delegate producer Iris Productions, co-produced by Rat Pack Filmproduktion, in association with ProSieben and Sky, supported by FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, FFA German Federal Film Board, German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), Luxembourg Film Fund and the MEDIA program of the EU.
Emma Watson is represented by Markham, Froggatt & Irwin (UK) and WME (US). Daniel Brühl is represented by Players (Germany), Tavistock Wood (UK) and WME (US).