Ulrich Seidl’s controversial drama Sparta is understood to be going ahead as a San Sebastian Competition screening on September 18 despite being pulled late last week by TIFF over allegations of impropriety.
The Toronto festival made its move after an article in German publication Der Spiegel alleged child actors were insufficiently protected on set; in particular that the filmmaker did not tell the youngsters or their guardians of the film’s themes before they were exposed to nudity, alcoholism and violence.
Seidl took to his website to refute the claims and said the article, published on September 2 following a months-long investigation, was a distortion. His lawyers reportedly added no children were filmed naked or exposed to potential harm.
Sparta centres on a German man starting over in Romania who resists paedophile urges and enlists the help of young boys from the area to turn a decaying school into a safe hang-out. Georg Friedrich stars.
San Sebastian said people with knowledge of impropriety should contact the authorities and added the only thing that would prevent the screening from going ahead was a court order.
When TIFF pulled the film on Friday it issued the following statement: “New information has been presented to TIFF about Sparta, directed by Ulrich Seidl. A recent investigative article published in the German magazine Der Spiegel has raised concerns that official guidelines established to protect children and keep their guardians informed when making films were not followed.
“Sparta had been scheduled to premiere in TIFF’s Contemporary World Cinema section, but given these allegations, we will no longer present the film. We consider Mr. Seidl to be an important contemporary filmmaker and we look forward to further clarity being brought to the issues of the film’s production raised by Der Spiegel.”
France’s Co-Production Office handles sale on Sparta.
No comments yet