Russian film and theater director Kirill Serebrennikov will film an adaptation of La Disparition de Josef Mengele, Variety reports. It is also noted that Serebrennikov, with the participation of the author of the book, Olivier Geza, developed an adapted script for the film.
The production is headed by producer Charles Gilibert, whose most famous works include such films as “Scam in Miami” by Olivier Assayas, “Still Laurence” by Xavier Dolan and “Rumba” by Domenic Abdel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy. It is known that the new film will be shot under the auspices of the Parisian studio CG Cinéma, which is headed by Gilibert.
Ilya Stewart also takes part in the project as a producer. He had already worked with Serebrennikov more than once and had a hand in creating the films “Summer”, “The Apprentice” and the upcoming film “Petrov in the Flu”. In addition, Stuart produced the work of such Russian directors as Roman Volobuev, Alexander Molochnikov and Yegor Abramenko.
It is reported that Julio Chavezmontes, co-founder of the independent Mexican studio Piano, will also be involved in the project. He has already worked with Ghiliber on such international projects as Bergman Island with Mia Vasikovskaya and Tim Roth, as well as Annette with Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver. The premiere of these two films is scheduled for 2020.
Charles Giliber has already appreciated the work of Cyril Serebrennikov in terms of writing an adapted script. According to the producer, the director "was very impressed with the novel and presented a very unusual and ambitious interpretation of it."
"To tell the story of Mengele in the first person is a difficult task, but Cyril managed to find the right angle," Zhiliber emphasized.
Runaway killer in literature
The central character in the novel of the journalist and writer Olivier Gez “The Disappearance of Joseph Mengele” is one of the most brutal Nazi criminals, known for being monstrous experiments on concentration camp prisoners as Auschwitz doctors.
- Olivier Gez
- AFP
- © Eric FEFERBERG
The book, however, deals mainly with the post-war period of Mengele's life. Having managed to leave Auschwitz before the arrival of Soviet troops, he eventually ended up in Argentina, where many Germans fled after World War II. The criminal was tracked down, however, due to bureaucratic delays, he again disappeared from the field of view of the authorities and lived under different names in Paraguay, and then in Brazil. In total, Mengele has been hiding from prosecution for more than 30 years and yet has escaped responsibility for the crimes he committed.
Trying to analyze the psyche of the character, Gez leads the story on behalf of Mengele himself. Among the central themes of the work is the change in the world after World War II and the exposure of the crimes of the Nazis. Also, the author makes you think about aiding South America to fugitive Nazis.
In 2017, Gez received the Renaudot Prize for the “Disappearance of Joseph Mengele," the second most important French award for writers. Also, the novel was included in the long list of the Goncourt Prize of the same year, but did not reach the final.
Speaking of a special interpretation of the plot by Serebrennikov, Charles Gilibert noted that the script describes "the metaphysical flight of a person consumed by guilt and the secret pages of European history that wonderfully resonate with modernity."
In addition to preparing for the film adaptation of “The Disappearance of Joseph Mengele” (so far nothing is known about the cast and other filming participants), Serebrennikov is busy creating the film “Petrov in the Flu”, which is currently at the post-production stage. The premiere is scheduled for 2020, but the exact release date for the film has not yet been set.