EXCLUSIVE: Here’s an exclusive first clip from Miguel Angel Jimenez’s upcoming Willem Dafoe-led drama The Birthday Party, which is set to premiere at the Locarno Film Festival on August 7.
The film, which is based on the novel of the same name by Panos Karnezis, also stars Vic Carmen Sonne (The Girl With the Needle), Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders) and Emma Suárez. Supporting cast includes Carlos Cuevas, Christos Stergioglou, Antonis Tsiotsiopoulos, Pelle Heikkìlä, Fransesc Garrido, Maria Pau Pigem and Elsa Lekkakou.
Story is set in the late 1970s, somewhere in the Mediterranean, where Marcos Timoleon (Dafoe), an Onassis-like tycoon throws a lavish, extravagant birthday party for Sofia, his daughter and sole heiress on his exclusive private island. Marcos, used to ruthlessly controlling everything and everyone around him whatever the cost, is also secretly plotting a big decision on his daughter’s behalf. As guests start pouring in and the night moves on, the party grows rowdier and more decadent, while the inevitable clash between Marcos and Sofia thunders towards its shocking conclusion.
Jimenez writes and directs The Birthday Party, while Heretic’s Giorgos Karnavas produces. Karnavas and Nikos Panayotopoulos have additional writing credits on the film.
Co-producers are Adria Mones for Fasten Films, Kurban Kassam for Rowdy Entertainment and Erik Glijnis and Leontine Petit for Lemming Film. The project is a Greek, Spanish, Dutch and UK co-production and was shot in Corfu and Athens, Greece. The film is funded by Greek Film Center, ICEC, The Netherlands Film Fund & the Global Screen Fund BFI. Backers are Ekome, ERT, Kalamata Films, Eolo Films, Hopeless Romantic and Front Stage.
Executive producers are Ginevra Bulgari, Alexandra Daskalopoulou, Ivan Samokhvalov, Ioanna Stais, Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Mohamed Hefzy, Lee Broda, Alexander Tsekalo, Shane West, Richie Walls, Jeff Rice, Gabriel Kaplan, Bruno Lowagie, Ingeborg Willaert, Martien Uyttendaele, Dirk De Lille, Edgar Daarnhouwer, Olivier Mortagne and Dries Phlypo.
Bankside Films and Heretic are co-repping worldwide sales for the project.
Dafoe is represented by WME and Circle Management and Production. Carmen Sonne is represented by Stella Härnström at Luz Eterna & Kurt Selling at Behind The Scene. Cole is represented by WME and B Side management. Suarez is represented by Majós for Amarion Pro.
‘The Birthday Party’ poster