FIRST TAKE

The formal opening of the 4th One Take Film Festival on Thursday, November 20th 2008, at 8 pm at Zagreb’s Europa theatre will be marked by the world premiere of a feature fiction film Penelope directed and written by the Australian Ben Ferris.
The film was created in the Australian-Croatian co-production, and its world premiere is right here in Zagreb, where it was filmed in November and December of 2007.
The film is screened out of competition. It is a result of a cooperation of the Croatian production company Focus Media from Zagreb and the Australian company Artemis Projects Pty Ltd. from Sydney. The entire filming took place in Croatia, in Zagreb and its surrounding area (the Castle of Brezovica), and some scenes were filmed in Dubrovnik.
There are 34 Croatian actors in the film, while the leading part, Penelope, is played by the Australian actress Natalie Finderle. The leading actor is Croatian Frano Mašković who plays Odysseus.

DIRECTOR ABOUT THE FILM

"The idea for this film was born in Croatia. I fell in love with the mythical landscapes and the people. Each time I would return to Zagreb, over the last few years, the project would develop spontaneously. Now I feel like Odysseus, finally coming back home. At the same time, I was interested in portraying Penelope both as an archetype (e.g. when she addresses her suitors in the beginning of the film) and as a human being (in tender moments between her and Odysseus). I believe that by alternating those two things we could keep the biggest suspense in the audience. Indeed, my personal opinion is that filmmaking is an exploration of suspense: long episodes with silent suspense that grows until the moments of dramatic action, which is followed by quiet moments once again. This suspense sets forward a series of structural choices that I made to replace a standard, narrative reflection. Penelope has a few levels of meaning (both instinctive and academic) and therefore can be subject to numerous interpretations. However, underneath all of this is my wish to witness the return of different values in this world. The model of Odysseus leads the world into inevitable destruction and chaos. It is time to tell a different story: Penelope’s rise. The glory of her value system: virtues, patience, firm faith in love for another person. Through worshipping these values, she is capable of bringing back the order into the world, but not without a fight, not without chasing away the repulsive suitors and getting her husband back."