Amplify has boarded “The Blood Countess,” a vampire thriller film starring Isabelle Huppert as Countess Elizabeth Báthory, a Sixteenth-century Hungarian serial killer.
Directed by famend German New Wave artist and filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, the film is impressed by the life and legend of Countess Elizabeth Báthory. The screenplay was penned by Ottinger and Elfriede Jelinek, the Nobel Prize in Literature winner and acclaimed writer of “The Piano Instructor.”
Huppert stars within the movie reverse Birgit Minichmayr (“Daughters”), Lars Eidinger (“Dying”), Thomas Schubert (“Afire”) and André Jung (“The Forger”).
“The Blood Countess” is without doubt one of the hottest European initiatives to move to the EFM subsequent week the place Amplify’s gross sales group, led by Lorna Lee Torres, can be introducing the film to consumers.
Huppert performs the Countess Elizabeth Báthory (aka ‘The Blood Countess’), as she awakens from her lengthy magnificence sleep and emerges from the underworld. “She and her devoted maid (Birgit Minichmayr) embark on a baroque quest by Vienna to recuperate the crimson elixir of life. The ebook, if discovered and browse by the vampire’s enemies, threatens their vampire realm. Sizzling on their heels are a vegetarian nephew (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector, and extra energetic characters on this twisted and humorous vampire story,” the synopsis reads.
“”The Blood Countess’ is an immersive and delightfully eccentric vampire thriller with a vibrant solid of characters, led by the charming Blood Countess herself,” stated Amplify in an announcement, including that “The story unfolds as a extremely visible, narrative scavenger hunt — taking part in with historical past, modernity, humor, and elegance. It’s the excellent reintroduction of Ottinger’s work to a worldwide viewers that has grown in urge for food for visually placing, daring and sensible style cinema.”
Producers are Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu (“Ingeborg Bachmann” – Journey into the desert”) of Amour Fou Vienna, Bady Minck (“Hinterland”) of Amour Fou Luxembourg, and Bettina Brokemper of Heimatfilm (exec producer on “The Satan’s Bathtub”).
The important thing crew is lead by cinematographer Martin Gschlacht who notably labored on “The Satan’s Bathtub” which gained the Silver Bear on the Berlinale final 12 months; costume designer Jorge Jara (“Freak Orlando”) and manufacturing designer Christina Schaffer (“The Lady With a Pearl Earring”).
Ottinger, whose finest recognized movies embody “Madame X – An Absolute Ruler,” “Ticket of No Return” and “Freak Orlando,” stated “That is the correct time for the Blood Countess to get up from her deep sleep and savor the current” as a result of “The world is the wrong way up and occasions are repeating themselves in an eerie means.”
“Vienna, with its historic buildings and timeless aptitude, is the right crime scene. Together with her sophistication, magnificence, and calculation, the Blood Countess casts a spell over all those that serve her, flee from her, or pursue her,” Ottinger continued.
The filmmaker has obtained accolades for her work, together with on the Berlin Movie Competition the place she received a lifetime achievement nod in 2020.
Amplify’s sturdy lineup additionally contains Berlin Era Kplus choice “The Botanist;” Albert Birney’s Sundance sci-fi stunner “Obex;” Sundance animated movie “Countless Cookie” by Seth and Peter Scriver; Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana,” in partnership with Film4, at present in post-production; and Bretten Hannam’s upcoming style thriller “Place of Ghosts,” at present in post-production.