RT announces Julian Fellowes-scripted Motherland

Ambitious Brazilian production outfit RT Features, which is developing films in the US and Latin America, has announced further details of some of its European projects.

Among these is a new Julian Fellowes-scripted feature set in Russia and about a mother/daughter relationship called Motherland. It is based on a novel of the same name that RT Features, founded by Rodrigo Teixeira, commissioned from Brazilian writer Bernardo Carvalho.

Fellowes, whose credits include Gosford Park and Downton Abbey, adapted the screenplay.

“We thought that Julian was the perfect writer for it,” commented Fernando Louriero of RT Features. “He handed us a script even better than we ever imagined.”

The intention now is to make a film in the vein of The Hours or The Reader.

“The idea is to finance Motherland out of Europe,” said Louriero. “We financed development for this project and we will also finance equity for it.”

Both Fellowes and RT Features are represented by talent agency UTA.

The news of the Fellowes-scripted project follows on from the announcement earlier this year that David Seidler (The King’s Speech) was to work on another RT Features project, Games Of 1940, which Kennedy/Marshall is producing. RT Features is also pushing ahead with the South African-set Memory Wall, to be directed by Daniel Barber (Harry Brown).

Here in Cannes, RT Features’ Brazilian drama The Silver Cliff is screening in Directors’ Fortnight.