BAFTA-WINNING ACTRESS MIRIAM MARGOLYES IN SERBIAN LOCKDOWN FILM
Star of Harry Potter, Blackadder and Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence joins forces with acclaimed director Stevan Filipovic
BAFTA-winning British actress Miriam Margolyes will make her Serbian debut in a contemporary lockdown thriller Next To You (Pored Tebe) filmed in London and Belgrade.
Written and directed by acclaimed Serbian director Stevan Filipovi? (Skinning, Next to Me), Next to You is a murder mystery set during the Covid-19 pandemic about the emancipation and transformation of a young journalist in her struggle to find morals and integrity in a world that can seem increasingly populist.
Shot within social distancing guidelines in Serbia and the UK, the film embraces the limitations of lockdown to craft a compelling movie in an unconventional way.
Most of the action is seen via computers, mobile phones, tablets, webcams and surveillance cameras and the actors recorded themselves, often in their own homes.
Miriam Margolyes stars as Granny Vera, a British Yugo-phile who lives in Belgrade with her dog, Tito; a role written especially for her by Stevan.
Miriam said: “Making my debut in a Serbian film in my 80th year was just a part of the wonder of this experience. I knew nothing of ZOOM filming techniques, of the Serbian language, of the strangeness of acting with someone I didn’t know and couldn’t look at, of providing my own clothes and props using my home as a location.
“All filming is an act of faith; this film required much more faith than usual. But Stevan directed cunningly; he knew how to coax and encourage. After moments of initial terror, I loved it; I became aware of the politics informing the film, slowly I began to believe that, despite ‘lockdown’, I was really there, and my anxieties were grist to the mill. It’s not comfortable, but it’s authentic and I’d love to repeat the experience.”
Stevan said: “Since we met in London, I have been waiting for the right moment to build a story around Miriam and her remarkable presence. Ironically, it took a global pandemic for it to happen as we could shoot in London and Belgrade without anyone having to leave home.
“Working with Miriam was a dream come true. She brought honesty, depth and raw emotion to a complicated character. She saw the practical challenges as creative adventures and even learned a few lines in Serbian to add authenticity to the role, which was incredible. Everyone had to adapt but that added to the buzz. I am proud of what we have achieved.’
“Thanks to Miriam and the entire cast and international crew. This is so much more than a lockdown movie.”
BAFTA-winning actress Miriam Margolyes
The celebrated actress won a BAFTA for Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence (Best Supporting Actress 1994), played Professor Sprout in two Harry Potter films and starred in Istvan Szabo’s Being Julia, alongside Barbra Streisand inYentl and in Ladies in Lavender with Dames Smith and Dench. She was a mainstay in BBC’s Blackadder and appeared in The Life and Loves of a She Devil and the BBC’s The Real Marigold Hotel.
Set five years on from the school days of Stevan’s previous film Next to Me, a state of emergency exists and politicians are accused of capitalising on public anxiety around Covid-19, which makes the shocking situation that reunites the characters significantly more extreme.
The story centres on Ksenija (newcomer Mina Nikoli?), a driven young woman striving to move from tabloid hack to a career journalist in a world of click-bait headlines and showbiz scandals cooked up to feed the masses.
Ksenija’s personal and professional journey is hampered when Vera tests positive for Coronavirus and Ksenija must question how far she will bend to survive in a climate where political pressure is increasingly overt and can be said to capitalise on fear during the pandemic.
Stevan said: “We wanted to address an acute problem of our time; what it means to be a young woman in Serbia on the eve of journalism as we know it and what it means to maintain your professional voice and freedom of expression in the face of political pressure and populist autocrats around the world.”
Branislav Jevi?, Executive Producer (Hypnopolis) said: “Some of the earliest scenes we shot were with Miriam and her professionalism inspired the cast and crew to rally together in spite of lockdown. She opened her home to us, developed the look of the character and turned what could have been a stressful shoot into a stirring experience. Next to You is a tribute to the professionalism of everyone involved.”
As well as award-winning film and stage work, Miriam Margolyes is renowned for voicing films such as Babe (Fly, the mother dog) and Disney’s Mulan (the Matchmaker) and is recognised as a voice of iconic commercials, including the Cadbury’s Caramel bunny, Dolly the Chimp in PG Tips campaigns and Mama in Dolmio commercials.
Marcus Agar, Associate Producer, said: “Lockdown and social distancing impacted every element of this film. Actors filming themselves had to become well versed in practical sound and lighting, and scenes had to be rejigged to suit changing circumstances. The team found creative solutions daily and, in many ways, that makes our film so special. The need to stretch, to go beyond. That what you’ll see on screen.”
The cast includes veteran Serbian actors Branislav Trifunovi? (Vuk), Goran Jevti?, Isidora Simijonovi?, Tihomir Stani?, Svetlana Bojkovi? and 94-year-old Vlasta Velisavljevic. It also features familiar faces from Stevan’s previous hit films; Darko Ivi? (Tadija), Andrej Pipovi? (Matija), Nikola Glisi? (Strahinja), Milica Majkic (Jelena), Uros Novovi? (Dinkic), Gorica Regodi? (Isidora), Nikola Dragutinovi? (Srba) and Katarina Pesi? (Bojana), Jelena Kesic, Jovan Zdravkovic and Milica Petrovic. Further cast to be announced.
Next To You is written and directed by Stevan Filipovi? and produced by Branislav Jevi? for Hypnopolis, who are at the forefront of independent film producers in Serbia. The film will be released in 2021, set to be distributed by Taramount (Serbia).–
Notes:
Contact: Marcus Agar (Associate Producer), marcus@marcusagar.com / +44 (0)7900 826 483
Stevan Filipovi? is an award-winning director, screenwriter and editor from Belgrade, Serbia. His first feature Shaitan’s Warrior(Šejtanov Ratnik: 2006) marked the beginning of New Serbian Cinema and won Grand Prix at Slovenia’s Grossmann Fantasy Film Festival. Skinning (Šišanje: 2010), a political drama about hooligans, politicians and police, won international awards and was Serbia’s biggest domestic hit that year. Next To Me (Pored Mene: 2015) was the year’s most successful Serbian film and won Best Film at Pula International Film Festival and the Young Audience Award in Sarajevo. Stevan co-wrote A Good Wife (Dobra Žena: 2016) with Mirjana Karanovi?, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. His English-language short was Breaking Point: A Star Wars Story (2019).
