UPDATED March 26

Rob Lord is a film and television composer. Regarding I, Anna, he’s just noted on his blog today that:

I worked on music for a scene from the film that was taken to this year’s Berlin Film Festival by the director and producers. The project received more interest than any other film at the festival by quite a large margin and because of this was featured on the front page of Variety Magazine. All is going well with pre production and filming will begin later this year. More news when I have it.

You can read more at the link above but I quoted almost the entire posting already…So, visit his complete website and listen to some of his music (under the heading “Showreel”). His website is small but amazing. And it’s so good to hear this news about the film!

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20100219_IAnna

Director and producer Barnaby Southcombe of Embargo Films is currently seeking financing to co-produce his new project, the film I, Anna, featuring Charlotte Rampling (Southcombe’s mother) and our very own Gabriel Byrne, as previously reported on Byrneholics.

The script, written by Southcombe, is based on the US novel I, Anna, by Elsa Lewin. The book was first published in New York by The Mysterious Press in 1984 and republished in the UK by Serpent’s Tail in 1990. Interestingly enough, Dr. Elsa Lewin is a psychoanalyst in New York.

Gabriel Byrne’s character is Detective Chief Inspector Bernie Kominski, described as “an insomniac dazed by the prospect of divorce”, who will follow Anna Welles, a femme fatale suspect in a brutal murder. Filming locations in London include Vauxhall, Pimlico and Southbank. Read the official synopsis of I, Anna below!

Apparently Southcombe has already filmed a few scenes to showcase I, Anna to potential financial backers. Gabriel Byrne and Charlotte Rampling reportedly filmed a scene together earlier this month in London.

credits

Genre: Noir Thriller
Director: Barnaby Southcombe
Writer: Barnaby Southcombe
Producer: Felix Vossen, Illann Girard
Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Gabriel Byrne
Country: UK
Locations: London, Blackpool
Language: English

synopsis

A man is found bludgeoned to death in a London apartment block. DCI Bernie Kominski, an insomniac dazed by the prospect of divorce, is first on the scene, but distracted from his duties by a brief encounter with a striking and enigmatic woman. Going through the motions of the case, Bernie’s thoughts return to the woman, Anna Welles, whom he tracks down and follows. When they finally meet at a singles’ party, the mutual attraction is instant, though Anna has no recollection of Bernie, or of the night they first met. As Bernie’s professional judgment battles with his desire for intimacy and love, the mystery deep within Anna’s mind finally unravels, revealing a truth too painful to bear.

images

Charlotte Rampling as Anna Welles in “I, Anna”

Anna’s apartment

Police Station – Bernie’s office

More pictures are in the Gallery.

Images and synopsis from the Embargo Films website.

20 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing all this interesting informations about “I Anna”. It sounds like a really fascinating movie, and I am sure Charlotte and Gabriel will be perfect in their roles.Now we just have to hope for that it will not be problems to raise money to produce the film.
    I will try to buy Elsa Lewin’s book on Internet now, so I can read the novel.

    Thanks again to Byrneholics for sharing all this interesting news!

  2. Great reporting, as usual…it’s going to be nice to see his face around a bit more.

  3. From what I’ve read here “I Anna” really appeals to me. What’s the budget, anyone know? The plot sounds a lot more interesting than “At swim-two birds” that’s for sure. I have a difficult time trying to figure out this peculiar title.

    • Hard to know what the budget will eventually be but as a rough guideline, “Leningrad” was made for $13 million, and “Emotional Arithmetic” called in at just under $7 million.

      • “I, Anna” is being budgeted at $4 million!

        “UK distributor Artificial Eye has boarded Barnaby Southcombe’s debut feature I, Anna. The $4m film, presented at the Co-Production Market earlier this week, will star Charlotte Rampling, who is Southcombe’s mother. The noir thriller is the first title from London-based production and financing outfit Embargo Films, headed by Southcombe and producer Felix Vossen. Ilann Girard’s Arsam is co-producing.”

        • iamyuneek

          Gabriel probably got that as a salary for movies like Stigmata and EOD. He must love this project :-)

  4. That’s just over two and a half million Pounds Sterling.

    THAT’S NOTHING! Wow.

  5. I finished reading the novel I Anna today.
    I liked it, but they have to change some things in novel to make
    it fit for Gabriel. In the novel Bernie is a Jew…

  6. lol he’s played a Jew before. He’s been everything, from a Knight to Satan. I think he can play a Jew.

    • Of course he can, no problem. But maybe they will re-write it for an Irish Catholic, who would be just as out of place in the London Metropolitan Police as the original character was as a Jew in the NYPD.

      I guess they might have to change the character name though, if they did that :-D

  7. I don’t care much for the name Kominski. Sounds Polish and I don’t feel that it suits Gabriel. Is this the character’s name in the book? It could be changed in the script. Why not an English or Irish name. I don’t want to sound like a racist, but I just don’t think that the surname “Kominski” fits. Has anyone else thought about this?

    • Joanne, in the book the character’s name is ‘Bernie Bernstein’ and he’s a Jew, thus a Jewish surname makes sense. I don’t see a reason for renaming the character from Bernstein to Kominski, though. The script was probably not written with Gabriel Byrne in mind for the role, so things may change a bit, but I’m ok with any name, really!

  8. Gabriel Byrne is an actor. He can play anything. He’s done just about every accent there is over the years. He is able to use his own accent in In Treatment and he’s playing something Irish in At Swim-Two-Birds (though we know not what!)–maybe playing a Polish Jew would be fun for a change…we’ll just have to wait and see. :-)

  9. I think Gabriel will have to get rid of the Irish accent for “I Anna”.

  10. seen all the on location vans and catering truck sorry never saw the filmin just a lot of arty types millin about we thought it was very intreging sorry i didnt see more , the plot of the film sounds great

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