Els Vandevorst of N279 Entertainment has worked with Sokurov before (on Father And Son in 2003) and knew exactly what to expect when she joined his latest project Francophonia as Dutch co-producer. “I think every director has to be demanding, otherwise he is not a real director,” Vandevorst declares. “I have no complaints.” It helped that she has also worked several times with Thomas Kufus of Zero Film, the German producer of Francophonia.

After her experiences on Father And Son, Vandevorst had been very keen to collaborate again with the Russian director. She asked Kufus last year at the Berlinale if she could come aboard Francophonia. At that stage, the film was being put together as a French-German co-production and there wasn’t space for a Dutch collaborator. However, as the project evolved and the budget rose, an opportunity opened up for Vandevorst. She was asked to join the production in August last year, only a month or two before shooting was due to begin.

Vandevorst may have been a latecomer but she has still had a major influence on the project. Some of the shooting was done in the Netherlands, at Rotterdam harbour, and Dutch musicians and post-production technicians were closely involved in the production. Dutch distributor Contact Film is already aboard Francophonia, which is sold by Films Boutique.

Sokurov’s famous one-shot film Russian Ark was made inside The Hermitage in St Petersburg. This time round, the Russian master was partly shooting in the Louvre. No, Vandevorst acknowledges, it is not easy to persuade one of the world’s most celebrated museums to open its doors to a film crew. “That was, of course, a very special thing and I don’t know if the Louvre will do it again,” the Dutch producer states. “Pierre-Olivier [Bardet, producer] made a deal with the Louvre and they were a partner from the start. They are investing money in it and so it became their film as well.” Sokurov was allowed to shoot in the museum when it was closed to the public and he also shot at night. The crew was there working next to the Mona Lisa not just on a single occasion but on eight or nine days.

The project was originally conceived by Sokurov as a documentary. In the course of working on the film, Sokurov introduced more and more fictional elements.

There were obvious linguistic and cultural obstacles to overcome. This was a case of a Russian director working in Paris on a film with Dutch and German collaborators. In the event, shooting went smoothly enough. Sokurov may have a very strong artistic vision but he is also used to working with European partners. It reassured him that he was surrounded by producers he already knew and trusted.

The movie, which features Napoleon briefly, is a meditation on art, war and national identity. In one interview, Sokurov suggested it looks at the “theme of World War II from a humanitarian perspective.” The story deals with the rescue of the masterpieces from the Louvre during the German occupation.

Having finished one hugely ambitious project, Vandevorst is at work on another, producing Martin Koolhoven’s US-set but European-filmed thriller/western Brimstone, supported by both the Film Fund and the Film Incentive.

^{Alexander Sokurov © Bruno Delbonnel}

Script: Aleksander Sokurov Production: Ideale Audience (FR) Co-production: N279 Entertainment (NL), Zero One (DE) Sales: Films Boutique