Thanks
to amazing support from friends old and new, we passed the 100% mark
with a few hours to go. But don't let that discourage you from
contributing!
We're now 'In Demand' which means our fund is still open. We now need help to get the film seen so any further funds we
raise will benefit the film's festival and distribution - to help us promote the film and reach an audience!
we had our World Premiere at SXSW Film Festival (South By South West) in 2016, and our European Premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival, but we are continuing to tour festivals with Papagajka so every bit helps us get it seen.
Here is the film's website with some behind the scenes pics and sneak peek stills from the footage: www.emmarozanski.com/Papagajka
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Short Synopsis
A stranger arrives in
Sarajevo and barges into Damir's reclusive world. Little by little she colonizes his life, even absorbing his dreams, until finally she threatens his very existence.
The Story in brief
Damir is an insecure
car-park attendant living a reclusive life. Tasya, a tourist, has her handbag
and passport stolen and shows up, disoriented, on Damir's doorstep. He takes
pity on her and offers her a bed for the night. She becomes ill overnight and is
feverish and incomprehensible for a day, waking unable to remember who or
where she is. Damir lets her stay while they try to solve this riddle. She
spends her days in his flat while he continues his routine. However, instead of
trying to find her own life again, she begins to impose herself into his world
in an increasingly forceful way.
Damir cannot summon the
courage to confront Tasya and she becomes progressively more comfortable and
controlling. Damir’s sleep is broken by disturbing dreams as Tasya becomes more
embedded in his life. She becomes aggressive and he feels his space invaded. He
catches Tasya doing odd things, but begins to doubt his own perception of
reality.
One day Damir arrives home
from work to find Tasya has moved into his room and moved out all his
belongings. He gathers all his strength to assert himself and make her leave,
but she manipulates him into accepting the situation. Damir is left feeling
helpless and that night becomes delirious with a fever, which may actually be
Tasya’s doing. She nurses him but he suspects she has a darker agenda and is
deliberately keeping him incapacitated. His dreams escalate and cross into his
waking life, and Tasya dreams the same dreams, as if she has also taken over
his unconscious.
Can Damir find it in
himself to struggle out of this trap and regain control of his life, or will
Tasya take him over completely, leaving no trace of Damir in the world.
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*NOTE - The following information is from pre-production, kept here for interest and posterity*
The Location – Papagajka
Papagajka is an oddity, almost a space
oddity, coiled in the middle of Sarajevo like an alien organism colonising a
small plot of mother earth whose intentions are inscrutable. You can't tell if
its garish colours and bold collisions of angles and protuberances are a
wide-eyed pep talk for a better post-communist future or some darker
metastasis. It perfectly echoes Tasya's part in the story and makes the shutter
fingers of all who visit the city itch.
Influences
Papagajka takes inspiration
from a rich range of psychological thriller and arthouse cinema. Films that
mine deep into the psyche without becoming drab long-winded humourless
indulgences. Movies that are rich in metaphor and originality without losing
the sense of a strong and compelling story. Think The Tenant, Single White
Female, Posession, L'Appartement, 3
Women…
A word from our director
Papagajka
is a cautionary tale about apathy. Thematically I’m interested in exploring how
people transform under psychological conflict, and how the mind adapts to
survive in different environments. We all change in fundamental ways under
society's scrutiny.
The
film will explore these aspects of humanity by taking two characters
representative of different states of mind. One is an ‘outsider’ who is
completely unfamiliar with the surroundings she finds herself in, and the other
is so familiar with his world that it has become monotonous and inflexible.
These conflicting points of view will create the dramatic situation that
enables us to explore psychological transitions on different levels as these
two differing minds cope with their adaptation.
I push
this thought further, into the realm of magic realism, to represent the
unconscious by allowing dream worlds to rub against conscious minds,
manipulating the characters’ perception of reality. This will also function as
a suspension of disbelief when the film takes a turn towards the surreal nature
of human identity and memory. We will always be grounded in reality, but will
never lose a slight sense of the ‘otherworldly’.
The
film will be set in Sarajevo (mostly in English) but will have an ethereal
feeling of being in no particular time or space. This will play on the fact
that the two main characters are going through a crisis of identity and a
struggle for power over their own existence. This struggle turns inward and we
realise that despite their differences, they could be opposing facets of the
same person fighting with the same problems. I want the audience to have the
space to use their imagination, so I will carefully balance naturalism with the
metaphysical so as not to overwhelm either, and let the film maintain varying
levels of enjoyment- from drama to black comedy, visual spectacle to
philosophical thought.
Timeline of the production
The script is ready, logistics are well under
way, and the film shoot will last for three weeks from mid January 2015. We
have locations, lead actors and key crew, along with many supporting crew.
We are getting a huge amount of value for
FREE from our lovely cast and crew. This is one of the reasons we know we have
the right people involved! Our cast and crew believe in the project so
strongly that they have agreed to be paid as and when the film makes a profit. Some
lights and other equipment we can borrow from film.factory in Sarajevo (where
the Director is currently doing her MA), and we are talking to various
companies about sponsorship. KitBat Productions owns all the sound equipment
and sound post-production facilities so that helps too.
We plan to have a completed film by the end
of 2015, which we believe is a realistic goal for our specific resources and
crew. This will also be timely for submission deadlines for the Cannes Film
Festival 2016.
Where will your money go?
This film has been built from the ground up
as a project that WILL get made. There is no extra fluff, just a very original
script conceived and written in such a way that it can tell an absorbing story
without bells and whistles.
All movie-making entails some basic costs and
every last penny of your support will be seed that grows and multiplies,
covering the costs of camera and extra light rental, food to keep the actors
and crew going on long shoot days, costumes, props and location fees/expenses
to create the films unique world, along with other things that all add up like
hard drives, van hire and fuel, insurance, a smoke machine, admin costs and the
like.
We also have to pay Indiegogo a percentage of
what we raise so we need to account for this so that it doesn’t take away from
the production. If we meet our target the percentage is lower, so more money
can go on screen for you to see.
Can you exceed
your target amount?
YES! This would be wonderful. If we exceed the goal we can make a better film,
with more resources and more flexibility (and less stress), every cent will
still go into making the film great.
Because this matters so much to us, every bit of support you can give
will be transformed into a little more time or that piece of set design or equipment
that really makes a particular scene shine.
The Team:
CAST
Susanna
Cappellaro (LEAD – Tasya):
Susanna
Cappellaro's acting credits include Peter Strickland's "Berberian Sound
Studio", Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" and "Italian Movies" by Matteo
Pellegrini. Her short film credits are numerous and include "L'Assenza"
(nominated for a BIFA) and "Avenue to Nowhere" (currently touring festivals).
Susanna is attached to several shorts and feature films. Before her screen
career, Susanna trained for 2 years with Perennial Theatre Company. She has
also worked as a stylist for the prestigious Flair magazine in Milan and has written
for several Italian publications including Vogue Italia, for which she also
produced video content.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4492084/
Adnan Omerovic (LEAD – Damir):
Adnan Omerovic was
born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia). He is an accomplished actor
and theatre director, known for Tu pa tam (2004), Life is a Miracle (2004) and Djeca
(2012). He
trained at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Tuzla
and since 2006 has been a member of the Ensemble of the
National Theatre Tuzla. Adnan has also received
several Awards for his work over the years.
http://www.imdb.com/name/
See more CAST & CREW Here:
http://www.emmarozanski.com/papagajka/castcrew.html
Other questions you may want answered:
Your target goal is very small for a Feature Film, how will you do it?
We are a very resourceful bunch of people
with a strong network of in-kind helpers and supporters in Sarajevo and London.
Our team has a strong track record for low budget filmmaking that looks good
and we have numerous plans in place for many budget eventualities. Stretch
goals will of course give us more options and resources but we CAN make this
film no matter what.
What if I don’t
want the reward, I just want to support?
You are fantastic! No problem. Once you click on ‘Back this Project’ there is
an option you can select to do this with any amount you choose, big or small.
Can I increase
my pledge once it’s been made?
Of course! You can donate as many times as you want. If you want to add donations together for a larger rewards just get in touch and if the reward isn't taken we'll figure it out for you.
Is my pledge
amount publicly displayed?
This can be private unless you choose to share it. If so, then only you and the
project creator will be able to see the amount you pledge.