THEME
Passed down from generation to generation, stories are ingrained into us from an early age. They serve as memoirs and anecdotes, the best of them are often life lessons that we hold dear. Some stories, no matter how farfetched in originality, are often exaggerated, misremembered or misinterpreted. What little truth that still resonates inspires us to investigate further. It keeps us engaged and entranced, especially those stories locked deep into the past.
SYNOPSIS
Our story begins when four grandchildren arrive at their 93-year old grandmother’s country house. Their job is to pack up all her belongings before she makes the final move into the nursing home. While deciphering through the boxes, they find an authentic Swastika SS armband. Each one of them claims to know how their grandmother got it, giving a detailed rendition of the day.
Their renditions bring us back to 1942, where we follow the grandmother, now an eighteen-year-old resistance member living in Czechoslovakia during the height of German occupation. Her day begins by meeting friend and resistance member, Lucie, to show her the new anti-Germany poster she has worked on. However, as the day progresses, she’s caught in a deathly situation with patrolling SS troops. Each rendition details a different outcome. Only one grandchild knows the truth behind the armband, but will the other grandchildren be able to handle the shocking revelation?
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
During the 1920s, Czechoslovakia became one of the most industrially advanced and politically progressive states in all of Europe. Adolf Hitler wanted this heavy industrial power for the German Reich. In March 1938, following the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany, the capture of Czechoslovakia became Hitler’s next target.
In defiance to the Munich Agreement, Hitler ordered his forces to invade and occupy Czechoslovakia. That evening, on March 15th, 1939, he declared his bloodless victory at Prague Castle, proclaiming the country as the “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”.
Czechoslovakia was treated no differently to other occupied countries. With the oppression at its peak and national pride at stake, a resistance movement was inevitable.
The Czech resistance against German occupation has given us countless tales of courage and sacrifice that have inspired a generation. Our short film is a tribute to the men and women who laid down their lives for their nation.
CORE CAST AND CREW
CREW
Director - Arjun Sarabhai Verma
Arjun Sarabhai Verma is a Prague and Milan based filmmaker. His debut short film "Before We Left" won three awards and was screened at many festivals across the globe. Proficient in five languages, he is a very detail-oriented, visionary and hard-working filmmaker. Apart from filmmaking, he is also studying medicine in Milan, Italy.
Screenwriter - Matthew Lyne-Watt
Matthew strives to write good quality scripts that reflect strong and current themes presented in society. Keeping production in mind, Matthew understands the importance of writing for budget and using it as a tool to create the best story possible with relatable and colorful characters.
Director of Photography - Ratul Lysine
Ratul Lysine is a freelance cinematographer based in Prague, Czech Republic. While studying in Prague Film School, he got a chance to work in indie feature films. Since the last four years, he has worked in multiple shorts, indie films and documentaries with local and foreign filmmakers. He has worked in commercial & music videos within the camera & electrical department.
Editor & VFX Supervisor - Tomas Pokorny
Tomáš Pokorný is a Prague based producer and VFX Artist. During his career, he worked on multiple projects such as commercials, music videos and lately he found interest in short movies. As a VFX artist, he worked on films like WONDER WOMAN, ALLIED and many TV shows. But his biggest passion is producing short, interesting movies and work with amazing filmmakers from all over the world.
CAST
Martina Babisova
Martina graduated in 2018 from Bow Street Academy of Screen Acting in Dublin. She studied under Gerry Grennell, who has been an acting coach for Heath Ledger, Johny Depp, Natalie Portman, and Oscar Isaac for example. She acted there and in England in a few feature films, TV series and theatre plays. Martina moved in September 2018 back home to Prague and has done a few tv series and feature films since then. Her last projects were TV series Dáma a Král, Ordinace, Ulice and French feature film Coup de foudre a St. Petersbourg. She speaks several languages and is certified in stage combat. She loves swimming in the sea, adventures, mountains, coffee, and writing.
Michael Pitthan
Michael is a performer who relishes challenges, whether on stage, screen or in voice-over. He has played roles working in three languages, loves stage combat and is an experienced improviser. He is comfortable with playing comedy and serious roles and loves the process of building characters, finding what makes them tick and how to bring them alive.
Cristiano Donati
Cristiano is an actor, known for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018), Canal: Kitchen (2016) and Fifty and Embarrassing (2017). Proficient in 3 languages, he is highly trained in combat and is a very versatile actor.
OUR AIM
We have estimated that we require a total of 15,000 EUR for the production and post-production stages of the film. All the funds raised will be used to cover the following:
- The hiring of professional cast and crew.
- Production design in accordance with the 1940’s time period.
- Costume and prop rental in accordance with the 1940’s time period.
- Camera and sound equipment rental.
- Transportation and catering.
- Post-production costs that include VFX, color grading and Foley.
It’s vital that we respect the time period by keeping the costumes and props as authentic as possible. Although this raises the budget, we are striving for accuracy on all scales of the production.
YOUR IMPACT
Each contribution, no matter how big or small, will bring us closer to creating a film for a global audience, which will tell the story of exceptional courage and sacrifice.
As a token of gratitude for your generous support, we offer a variety of perks in accordance with the level of contribution.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
We understand that not everybody can afford to offer us monetary support, but don’t worry as there are many ways in which you can help us make a difference in putting our project out there. Help us spread the word by sharing our campaign link to your family, friends or any potential contributor.
You can also follow and share our Facebook page (link below) to keep yourself updated with all the news and developments of the film.
https://www.facebook.com/mygrandmasskiller/
SPECIAL THANKS
We would like to thank these organizations for providing us with the necessary support during the production of our trailer.
Thank you very much for taking the time to go through our page. Any form of support and encouragement from your side will mean a lot to us.
Lots of love,
My Grandma, SS Killer Team.