Gaming options: love in smartphones;

there is no sadder story in the world;

Shakespeare in a new way

The film "R # D", produced by Kazakh and Russian cinematographer Timur Bekmambetov, was included in the Sundance Film Festival program.

The plot of the picture is based on the famous tragedy by William Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet".

The creators of the tape decided to show the story of forbidden love in a modern setting.

Filming took place in Los Angeles shortly before the restrictions were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Montagues and Capulets of Gen Z capture the outbreaks of feud with their smartphone cameras.

Romeo meets Juliet at a party, but first sees the work of art she created, and only then falls in love with its author.

According to the organizers of the festival, the fresh film adaptation "gives a new - stylish and lyrical - reading of the imperishable love story so beloved all over the world."

The project was directed by Carey Williams.

In 2018, he received the Sundance Special Jury Prize for his short film Emergency.

R # D is his feature debut.

Williams also co-wrote the new tape with Ricky Castaneda and Alex Sobolev.

Francesca Noel (Pretenders, 30 Crazy Wishes) and Cameron Angels (Rescuers Malibu: The New Wave) starred.

Tybalt is played by Diego Tinoco (On ​​the District), and Siddiq Saunderson (Wu-Tang: The American Saga) is Mercutio.

RJ Sailer (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl) as Benvolio.

"R # D" will be the first major project of Interface Films, which was founded by producers Timur Bekmambetov and Igor Tsai (they previously worked together on the tapes "Profile", "He is a Dragon" and others).

  • © Manufacturing Company Interface Films

For the film, we chose the screenlife format, known for such films as "Search" and "Remove from Friends".

They were also produced by Bekmambetov.

“By combining text messaging and Shakespearean dialogue, R # D immerses us in the rebellious language of modern love, where GIF messages, Spotify playlist exchanges and Instagram profiles ignite a spark of love and unexpectedly reveal vulnerable sides of personality,” reads the feed's description on Sundance Festival website.

According to the organizers of the show, new technologies highlight the "enduring essence of things."

As Timur Bekmambetov noted in an interview with Variety, the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally affected the perception of the screenlife format.

“A few years ago, the screenlife format seemed to be a kind of exotic, artistic search.

But now we can say that this is the only way to make a movie.

And who knows, maybe in six months it will already become the new norm, ”said the producer in April.

Igor Tsai adheres to a similar opinion.

“It is a reflection and characteristic of today's reality ... Given the unprecedentedness of the current circumstances ... we need to look for creative ways of working to ensure safety.

Screenlife is now the best way to tell stories in the language of cinema, ”he says.

In addition to transferring the action to modern times, the tape will have another fundamental difference from Shakespeare's play: now the main characters belong not only to warring families, but also to different races.

Romeo and his relatives will be played by African Americans.

  • © Manufacturing Company Interface Films

For the production of screenlife projects in 2020, Interface Films budgeted $ 10 million. Earnings of previous films, "Remove from Friends" and "Search", filmed under the auspices of the studio Bazelevs, amounted to almost $ 63 million and $ 75.5 million, respectively.

Timur Bekmambetov emphasizes that the company uses a "business accelerator model", thanks to which it became possible to "create a competitive and favorable environment for the development of film production, inspire novice film producers and radically change the situation with the creation, financing and distribution of new digital films during the crisis" ...

The release date of the tape "R # D" in wide distribution has not yet been announced.

The Sundance Festival will premiere on January 31, 2021.

A place under the sun

Like many cultural events, Sundance has undergone changes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In February 2020, even before the restrictions were imposed, it was held in the traditional format, but in 2021 the organizers will not be able to adhere to the usual schemes.

Sundance 2021 will run for seven days, from January 28 to February 3, which is four days shorter than usual.

According to media reports, the cinema halls will be occupied by 25% at the venues.

The tapes are expected to air in over 20 US states.

In 2021, the festival will be held simultaneously in a traditional format and online for the first time.

Some of the films will be shown in car cinemas.

The show included 72 paintings - one third less than last year (118 projects).

R # D is featured in the Next section, which brings together films featuring innovative storytelling.