On March 15 in Paris, additional filming for Polina, a family fantasy movie directed by Olias Barco and co-produced by Ukraine, Belgium and France, took place. The final scenes were episodes with the participation of Jean Reno, a famous French actor (Léon: The Professional, Le Grand Bleu, Nikita, Les Rivières Pourpres, Mission: Impossible, Ronin, The Da Vinci Code).
"I was delighted to participate by friendship for the director Olias Barco and cinematographer Thierry Arbogast in this Ukrainian/Ukrainian adventure that this film "Polina" is, - says Jean Reno. - I was very happy to work with this young Ukrainian actress Polina Pechenenko. Shy and fragile at the same time!»
Video with Jean Reno on a film set for Polina
Polina tells about an 11-year-old girl who doesn’t know anything about her past and the fates of her parents. She lives with her evil aunt and cousin. They are secretly planning to get rid of the girl on her birthday to obtain a mysterious inheritance, the film studio. Polina manages to escape and sets out on a magic journey looking for the truth about her family.
The film’s DOP is Thierry Arbogast (Lucy, Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets). “With Jean Reno, I made three great films, including Léon: The Professional. I was incredibly happy to see Jean on the set again,” says Thierry Arbogast.
“Jean Reno is a real senor, a contemporary samurai. It was a great honor for me to work with him on Polina project,” says Olias Barco, director, screenwriter and co-producer of the film (also awarded a prize from Cannes International Film Festival (International Film Critics Week, Poubelles short film) and a Marc'Aurelio d’Oro for the Best Film of Roma International Film Festival, Kill Me Please, 2010).
Apart from Jean Reno, such famous actors were involved in the film as Virginie Ledoyen (The Beach, 8 Women), Edouard Baer (Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia), a Ukrainian strongman Vasily Virastyuk and a Belarusian actress Yana Novikova (The Tribe). The leading role was played by Polina Pechenenko, Ukrainian.
Just a reminder: the filming of Polina fantasy movie took place in Kyiv, in FILM.UA studio which became not just a set but a full-fledged character of the story.
Polina is a co-production of WILD TRIBE FILMS (Belgium, France) and FILM.UA (Ukraine), with the support of Ukrainian State Film Agency. The film’s release was postponed to 2018, and UFD will be its Ukrainian distributor.
Director: Olias Barco
DOP: Thierry Arbogast
Producers: Olias Barco, Yegor Olesov, Denis Ivanov
