07/10/2022 - Katarina Stegnar, Marko Mandić, Mila Bezjak and Aliocha Schneider will star in the family-themed dark comedy-drama, which is also written by Prosenc

Sonja Prosenc and Kristoffer Joner on the set of Redemption (© David Haskaj)

Slovenian helmer Sonja Prosenc started shooting her third feature-length film, Redemption, in Ljubljana in early October. Genre-wise, it marks a departure from her two previous features, The Tree [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and History of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sonja Prosenc
film profile], which were chamber dramas. Both of Prosenc’s previous films were successful on the festival circuit as well as on home turf, where they were submitted as the national entries for the US Academy Awards.

According to the synopsis, Redemption will be a family-themed dark comedy-drama revolving around a seemingly perfect family consisting of Olivija, Aleksander and their daughter, Agata. When Julian comes to their home, their lives are turned upside-down, unveiling the dysfunctional relationships lying under the façade. Using humour, the film explores the topic of emotionally vacuous elites, but in the context of contemporary social issues.

The cast and crew of the film come from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, France and Norway. The cast is led by Katarina Stegnar (who collaborated with Prosenc on The Tree), Marko Mandić (a prolific actor in the realms of Slovenian and German cinema), Mila Bezjak and French thesp Aliocha Schneider (glimpsed in Stephen Dunn’s Closet Monster), while the star of Prosenc’s previous film Kristoffer Joner, Judita Franković Brdar, Jure Henigman, Matija Vastl and Serbian music star Ana Đurić/Konstrakta have notable supporting roles.

In terms of the talent behind the camera, Prosenc has chosen Mitja Ličen as her cinematographer once again, while the editing is handled by Ivana Fumić, the production design by Tajana Čanić Stanković, and the costume design by Gilda Venturini and Dubravka Skvrce. Tina Šubic and Lija Ivančič are overseeing the make-up.

The main production company involved is Zavod Mono o, with Rok Sečen as the main producer. The co-production companies are Incipit Film from Italy, Wolfgang&Dolly from Croatia, Incitus Film from Norway and Living Pictures from Serbia. Sonja Prosenc developed her script for the film at the Pop Up Film Residency in Paris, and the project received the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Slovenian Film Centre, the Norwegian Rogaland Filmkraft and Mediefondet Zefyr regional funds, the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Film Commission and the Film Fund of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia and RTV Slovenia.