American Film Market Dailies

Caption: Oleg Ivenko as Rudolf Nureyev (Credit: Larry D. Horricks)

London, Monday 30 October…Principal photography has now wrapped on Ralph Fiennes’ THE WHITE CROW which has been shooting in locations across France, Russia, Croatia and Serbia since August. A new image has been released, featuring lead actor Oleg Ivenko as the legendary ballet star Rudolf Nureyev.

THE WHITE CROW was developed by BBC Films and Gabrielle Tana (The Duchess, Dancer, Philomena) who also produces with Carolyn Marks Blackwood through Magnolia Mae Productions together with Ralph Fiennes through Lonely Dragon Productions, and François Ivernel (The Queen, Slumdog Millionaire, The Iron Lady) through the French branch of his company, Montebello Productions. American artist and filmmaker Andrew Levitas (Lullaby, Georgetown, The Art of Getting By) is a producer and financier through his companies Metalwork Pictures and Rogue Black respectively. 

Hanway Films is handling worldwide sales on the project. BBC Films, Hanway Films and The Fyzz Facility co-financed the film.

THE WHITE CROW is Fiennes’ third film as an actor/director, and his third partnership with producer Gabrielle Tana, following the award-winning Coriolanus and The Invisible Woman. The internationally-acclaimed cast also includes dancer Oleg Ivenko as Rudolf Nureyev, Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Colour), Louis Hofmann (Land of Mine, Alone in Berlin), Olivier Rabourdin (Of Gods and Men), Raphaël Personnaz (The Princess of Montpensier, Anna Karenina), Calypso Valois (Personal Shopper, Summertime), world-renowned dancer Sergei Polunin (Dancer, Murder on the Orient Express), distinguished Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova (Good bye Lenin!) and ballet stars Anastasia Meskova, a First Soloist for the Bolshoi, and Anna Polikarpova, Senior Principal Dancer for Hamburg Ballet.

Written by two-time Academy Awardâ nominated David Hare (The Hours, The Reader), and based on the book “Rudolf Nureyev: The Life” by Julie Kavanagh, THE WHITE CROW delves into the most cinematic, cultural and politically charged chapter in the life of Russian dancer Rudolph Nureyev, a fearless, explosive personality both on and off the stage.

With a magnetic presence, Nureyev was the embodiment of balletic magnificence and by the 1950s had emerged as a young star in Leningrad. Ralph Fiennes intimately captures the raw physicality and brilliance of Nureyev, while David Hare's script delivers a tight and thrilling insight into his dangerous defection to the West in 1961 Paris, choreographed by the dancer's great friend, 21-year-old Parisian Clara Saint. In a finale at Le Bourget airport in Paris, THE WHITE CROW climaxes with that global event, re-enacting a day that captivated and stunned the world over and proved to be one of the West's greatest propaganda coups during the Cold War.

Academy Awardâ  nominated Production Designer Anne Seibel (Midnight in Paris) and choreographer Johan Kobborg, former Principal of the Royal Ballet, round out the key production team that also includes: BAFTA Award winner and Academy Awardâ nominated Costume Designer Madeline Fontaine (Jackie, Amélie); BAFTA Award nominated Director of Photography Mike Eley (Marley, Touching the Void); and BAFTA Award nominated Composer Ilan Eshkeri (Dancer, Still Alice).

HanWay Films is selling the film at AFM where their slate also includes Alistair Banks Griffin’s The Wolf Hour starring Naomi Watts, James D’Arcy’s Made In Italy starring Bill Nighy and Jack Lowden, and Sebastian Schipper’s Caravan starring Fionn Whitehead and Stéphane Bak.

Ralph Fiennes is represented by Simon Beresford at Dalzell & Beresford and Bryan Lourd and Joel Lubin at CAA.

Ends.

For further information, please contact:

Claire Gascoyne: claire@clairegascoyne.com / +44 7771 735 117

Elizabeth Taylor: Elizabeth.taylor@premiercomms.com / +44 7803 877 453

ABOUT HANWAY FILMS

HanWay Films is a UK based international sales company specializing in quality, high-profile and commercially driven films from visionary and unique filmmakers around the world. Established in 1998 by producer Jeremy Thomas, HanWay offers full service solutions; arranging financing, sales, marketing and distribution. HanWay has long-term global producing partnerships and represents films from Recorded Picture Company along with projects from third party producers as well as the rights to an extensive film catalogue of over five hundred feature films.

HanWay’s slate includes; James D’Arcy’s heart-warming comedy Made In Italy starring Bill Nighy and Jack Lowden, Alistair Banks Griffin’s psychological thriller The Wolf Hour starring Naomi Watts, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Farming starring Damson Idris, Kate Beckinsale and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård and Salma Hayek, Ralph Fiennes’ Nureyev thriller The White Crow, Sweetness in the Belly from director Zeresenay Mehari starring Saoirse Ronan, and Sebastian Schipper’s Caravan starring Fionn Whitehead and Stéphane Bak. HanWay also represents; Haifaa Al Mansour’s Mary Shelley starring Elle Fanning which had its World Premiere as a Gala Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell which had its World Premiere In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival and screened as a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival, Takashi Miike’s Blade of the Immortal, John Cameron Mitchell’s How to Talk to Girls at Parties, and Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s A Prayer before Dawn all which will screened Out of Competition at Cannes, Stanley Tucci’s Final Portrait which received its World Premiere at the 2017 Berlinale; and, coming up; Matteo Garrone’s Pinocchio starring Toni Servillo, Oliver Parker’s Swimming With Men, and Wash Westmoreland’s Colette, starring Keira Knightley and Dominic West.

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ABOUT BBC FILMS

BBC Films is at the forefront of independent filmmaking in the UK, developing and co-producing around twelve films a year. In 2015 BBC Films was awarded the Michael Balcon BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Rose Garnett is the Director of BBC Films.

Currently in release in the UK through STXinternational is Andy Serkis’ directorial debut, Breathe, starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, which opened the BFI London Film Festival and Trafalgar Releasing's documentary Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami. 

Upcoming releases include Lionsgate's On Chesil Beach starring Saoirse Ronan which made its world premiere in Toronto, Apostasy, directed by first time filmmaker Daniel Kokotajlo, to be released by Curzon following autumn festival debuts in Toronto, San Sebastian and most recently the BFI London Film Festival and eOne's The Children Act featuring Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci. 

Currently in production are The White Crow directed by Ralph Fiennes, Denmark starring Rafe Spall and Out of Blue directed by Carol Morley and starring Patricia Clarkson.

Their films in post-production include Yardie, Idris Elba’s directorial debut, Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Stan & Ollie starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, The Aftermath with Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgård and VS. starring Screen’s Star of Tomorrow, Connor Swindells.

Their pre-production slate includes Peter Strickland’s ghost story In Fabric starring Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Gypsy Boy with Benedict Cumberbatch, set to shoot in 2018.  

bbc.co.uk/bbcfilms

Twitter @BBCFilms