Hungarian director Bela Tarr spoke to journalists at the 37th Hungarian Film Weekin Budapest about the revival ofhis project, The Man FromLondon, which was stalled last winter after the death of French producer Humbert Balsan.

The film, which is to begin shooting in March, is now aFrench-German-Hungarian co-production featuring an international cast. Tilda Swinton will star oppositeCzech actor Miroslav Krobot.The cast also features British actress Leah Williams and Hungarian stars Janos Derzsi and Istvan Lenart. German cameramanFred Kelemen is the Director of Photography. Tarr and Laszlo Krasznahorkaiwrote the script based on a novel by Georges Simenon.

Co-production companies are T.T. Filmmuhelyfrom the Hungarian side, 13 Productions from Franceand Von Vietinghoff Filmproduktionfrom Germany.Tarr said a U.K.producer was dropped from the project when the producer was unable to fulfilthe conditions of sale and leaseback and after the U.K. Film Council rejectedthe proposal.

The film will shoot in Corsica and inHungary. Tarr and Hungarian producer GaborTeni said they hoped to conclude shooting thiscalendar year and take two to three months for post-production work. Tarr said he would like to release the film before Cannesin 2007.

The producers hope the names of Swinton,Simenon and Tarr will helpsell the film at the box office. The project does not yet have a globaldistributor.

The film will be shot in English, French and Hungarian.Support from the French National Film Centre requires that 51% of the dialoguebe in French.

Tarr told journalist that hereceived word of Balsan's suicide two days before hewas to begin shooting in Corsica in February 2005. Uponthe French producer's death, French bank Coficinefroze the disbursement. Using the project's Hungarian funds, plus extra supportfrom Eurimages and ARTE, Tarrshot for nine days on the sets he had built for $2.3m (Euros 2m.)

Tarr returned to Hungaryto reorganise. He said was obliged to strike a new deal with Coficine, which held all rights to the film via itscontract with Balsan's company, OgnonPictures.

Tarr has cut the project's budget,originally $5.9m (Euros 5m), by $838,494 (Euros 700,000) and cut thenumber of shooting days.

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