Thanatos Press Kit

BURY MIS FILMS PRESENTS
THANATOS
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY MAX STURGEON
CO-DIRECTED BY ADAM JOYCE
Running Time: 117 min.
Genre: Drama/Film Noir
Date of Completion: April 2015
Countries of Production: Poland - USA
Language: Polish w/English Subtitles
Max Sturgeon
+1.512.626.5172
CONTACT
Bury Mis Films
e-mail: burymisfilms@gmail.com
Agnieszka Cynkowska
+1.512.358.4571
SYNOPSIS
Lives of three strangers, each holding a dark secret, spiral out of control.
A broken man craving pain and punishment, a woman consumed by a life of reckless promiscuity, and
a husband whose picture perfect life comes crashing down. When paths collide, it will either lead to
their ultimate downfall or unexpected salvation.
The film is a dark drama not unlike Leaving Las Vegas or 21 Grams.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
"Thanatos” is a film 15 years in the making. I wrote a first draft of the script while studying film and
video production at the University of Kentucky. The intertwining stories of 3 characters evolved over
the years through multiple rewrites for a production company that optioned the script. Once the
option expired I did the final rewrite setting the film in Poland to direct myself. The film ultimately
found a voice thanks to 3 young, gifted Polish actors beautifully portraying their characters’ dark and
often disturbing impulses borne out of love, loss, and desire.
The experience gained shooting my first feature “The BLOC,” which premiered at 2013 Austin Film
Festival, helped me plan for the challenges of shooting in a foreign country. Old Warsaw’s decaying,
post-industrial areas were the perfect backdrop to my character’s self-destructive actions. Thanks to
the connections and crew already established on "The BLOC," it was an easy decision to go back to
Poland for the shoot.
For my second feature I was able to get more comfortable with the filmmaking process and focus more
on telling the difficult, harrowing story and getting the desired performances from my actors. I leaned
on the organic, improvised directing style I picked up AD-ing alongside David Gordon Green on "Joe"
and "Manglehorn" as well as Richard Linklater on the yet-unreleased "That’s What I’m Talking About".
The actors ultimately brought the experience together. Unlike my first film which featured a cast
weathered by years of oppressive totalitarian government rule, I sought out fresh and vibrant Polish
talent to tell the intimate and often carnal story. The young actors inadvertently helped create media
attention for the film and generated a lot of interest for the final product.
With my post-production team spanning US, Poland, Spain, and Mexico, I've been shuttling the
continents on a shoe-string budget to complete coloring, sound, and music while taking jobs as an
assistant directors on studio projects to finance the finishing touches on my film. I'm very proud of the
completed work, gracious to have worked with the amazing actors and filmmakers in US and abroad,
and incredibly lucky to have overcome obstacles on a path that made this film possible.
- Max Sturgeon
Director / Writer / Producer
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Max Sturgeon was born in Louisville Kentucky. From early on in his life, Max knew he wanted to study
film and eventually make his own movies. After graduating from University of Kentucky with a
Telecommunication degree focused on video production, Max moved to Austin TX in 2002 in pursuit of
a career as filmmaker.
Max quickly got a flavor of filmmaking when he was selected from a long list of applicants to intern at
the Austin Film Society. The connections made there led to his first PA gig on a $100 million John Lee
Hancock directed feature, "The Alamo". Within a few years, Max joined the DGA and began working as
an assistant director on large-scale film productions with intense directors—most notably Michael Bay
on "Transformers 4". Between the big-budget projects, Max actively pursued working with creative and
original directors, seeking to expand on new and unique filmmaking techniques. Most recently, Max
AD’d for David Gordon Green on "Joe" and "Manglehorn" and well as Richard Linklater on the yetunreleased "That’s What I’m Talking About".
The knowledge and connections gained while AD-ing film and television projects allowed Max to take
the leap into development and production of his own projects. Seeking an original setting for a
decaying world of his first film "The BLOC", Max settled on Poland and sought local talent and crew for
the full-length feature. The challenge and (often) frustration of directing a self-written script in a
foreign language ultimately paid off. "The BLOC" made its premiere at the 2013 edition of Austin Film
Festival and after the US festival circuit, was distributed on Polish cable television.
A year later, Max was ready to take the experience of shooting a low-budget feature to the next level.
The dark, dramatic story of "Thanatos" took Max many years to write, and needed a director with a
sense of maturity and intimate understanding of its characters. The script had been optioned and rewritten many times, with notable director and actors attached. When the option expired due to lack of
funding, Max took the opportunity to build on his first filmmaking experience to make the film that he
always envisioned "Thanatos" to be. Going back to Poland to shoot "Thanatos" was an easy decision as
the now difficult to find decaying locations served as the perfect backdrop and accompaniment of
character’s self-destructive desires.
IMDB Link:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1826815/
ABOUT THE CO-DIRECTOR
Adam Joyce is a Polish-born writer, producer and director, known for Woman
Plus Tree (2012), Rubika Part One: The Relic (2008), The Bloc (2013), and most
recently Thanatos (2015).
He has spent several years acquiring movie-making knowledge and experience
in the US working as a production assistant and a stand-in alongside talented
individuals such as Peter Weir, Russell Crowe, Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Bettany,
K.C. Hodenfield, and Tommy Lee Jones.
After completing his debut thriller, Woman Plus Tree, Adam teamed up with
Max Sturgeon, with whom he co-directs and sometimes co-writes feature films.
CAST BIOS
Anna Prus (‘Kasia’) is a Polish actress. She started to play on stage when
she was 12 years old. She was nominated for best actress award at Gdynia
Film Festival. Last year Anna played in two international productions leading roles in an American movie directed by Max Sturgeon and in a
Russian historical drama directed by Kiril Belevich. She is a member of SCI Volunteering For Peace.
Jacek Rys (‘Jerzy’) is a theater and film actor from Poland. For 15 years,
Jacek has been working with New Theater in Słupsk. His latest plays include
Ray Cooney's "Out of Order", William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the
Shrew" and most recently a premiere of Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and
Margarita.” Jace has also performed in many Polish movies and television
programmes. "Thanatos" is his second collaboration with Max Sturgeon
after starring in 2013's "The BLOC." Jacek is an avid traveller, loves boxing,
and riding his motorcycle.
Michal Wojciula (‘Marek’) is a Polish actor. Amongst his film credits, Michał
is known for his work on Iron Cloud (2014) Woman Plus Tree (2012), and
various polish television series including, among others, “Prawo Agaty”.
Michał is a lecturer and, whenever possible, devotes his free time to his
longtime passion—sailing.
MEDIA NEWS
Headline:
“Joanna Majstrak nago w filmie Thanatos”
(trans. Joanna Majstrak naked in film "Thanatos")
Publication: Fakt
Date:
August 30, 2014
Notes:
The article published on newsstands of a widely popular celebrity magazine, Fakt. With
every edition, the tabloid prints over 4 million copies, reaching the hands of over 10
million Poles each week. The article highlights the "shocking" nature of an on-screen
relationship between Joanna Majstrak and Anna Prus in "Thanatos". It credits Max
Sturgeon as the director, and highlights his recent work as the assistant director for
Michael Bay's Transformers 4 film.
URL:
http://www.fakt.pl/gwiazdy/joanna-majstrak-nago-w-filmiethanatos,artykuly,477822.html
Headline:
"Anna Prus: uroda bywa przeszkoda”
(trans. Anna Prus: looks can be an obstacle)
Publication: Onet.pl
Date:
June 30, 2014
Notes:
Anna Prus was interviewed for one of the most popular online news portals in Poland. In
the in-depth interview, Anna discusses the physical and mental challenge of playing a
HIV victim for Max Sturgeon's film "Thanatos." Anna praises working for an American
filmmaker who took a different approach to the Polish feature production.
URL:
http://film.onet.pl/artykuly-i-wywiady/anna-prus-uroda-bywa-przeszkodawywiad/wg4hx
Headline:
“Sherlock Holmes spotyka sie z polska aktorka”
(trans. Sherlock Holmes seeing a polish actress)
Publication: wPolityce
Date:
June 01, 2014
Notes:
Tabloid article published during principal photography covers Anna Prus' time at Cannes
with Benedict Cumberbatch. The article highlights Anna being fully engrossed in her role
as HIV victim on Max Sturgeon's "Thanatos".
URL:
http://wpolityce.pl/gwiazdy/198640-sherlock-holmes-spotyka-sie-z-polska-aktorka-nieprzeszkadza-mu-ze-brala-narkotyki
Headline:
"Anna Prus z wirusem HIV w filmie "Thanatos"
(trans. Anna Prus with HIV in film "Thanatos")
Publication: Interia Film
Date:
May 30, 2014
Notes:
Warsaw press was allowed on set of one of the last days of principal photography.
Photos from the visit were picked up by a number of Polish film portals and celebrity
publications. Some detailed plot twists were inadvertently mentioned in the coverage
but, as an upside, managed to create word-of-mouth and interest among Anna and
Joanna's many fans and followers.
URL:
http://film.interia.pl/wiadomosci/film/news/anna-prus-z-wirusem-hiv-w-filmiethanatos,2021312,38
CREDITS
CAST – PRIMARY
PRUS, Anna as Kasia
RYŚ, Jacek as Jerzy
WOJCIULA, Michal as Marek
CAST – SECONDARY
BOGUSZEWSKA, Edyta
BYTNIEWSKI, Marcin
DLUZEWSKI, Dariusz
JAKUBIUK, Klaudia
JANIK, Anna
JOYCE, Sylwia
JOZIKOWSKI, Bartek
KLUCZEK, Bogdan
KOWALCZYK, Mariusz
KRUPA, Przemysław
KUREK, Marcin
LESNIAK, Natasza
MAHLIK, Piotr
MAJSTRAK, Joanna
MARTIN, Bo
MLODZIANOWSKI, Mateusz
OLSZOWKA, Lucjan
OSIŃSKI, Mikolaj
PATER, Zdzisław
RUDZINSKI, Krzysztof
ŚRODA, Kamil
TOMCZAK, Sławomir
TRZOCH, Patrycja
WIETESKA, Dariusz
WOWER, Artur
FILMMAKERS
Director
Co-Director
Screenplay
Producers
Cinematographers
Camera Operators
Hair and Makeup
Production Designer
Editor
Composer
Sound Editor
VFX
Sound Mixer
Boom Operators
STURGEON, Max
JOYCE, Adam
STURGEON, Max
CYNKOWSKA, Agnieszka, JOYCE, Adam, STURGEON, Max
CAL, Gwidon, SOBCZYK, Piotr
CAL, Gwidon, SOBCZYK, Piotr, STURGEON, Max
GRONEK, Beata
USZYNSKA, Monika
STURGEON, Max
DE LACROIX, Minuit
CZAYKOWSKI, Rafal
WARREN, Justin
WALCZYŃSKI, Michał
ABRAMOWICZ, Kaja, WALCZYŃSKI, Michał, WARGOCKI, Łukasz