TAKING SIDES: " ... one of the most spectacular film productions 2000/2001 "

The Cast and the Crew are from 17 different countries.

TAKING SIDES is a gripping Political-Drama, which investigates the responsibility of the individual within a dictatorship.

Hungarian Director and Academy Award Winner István Szabó is directing the film based on a screenplay by Ronald Harwood adapted from his theatre play of the same name.

TAKING SIDES Short-content:

Wilhelm Furtwängler, arguably the most distinguished conductor of his generation, is forced to face the American Denazification Committee. Although he is acquitted of all charges, his name remains tainted by his association with the Nazis.

After Hitler took over power in 1933, many Jewish artists were forced to leave Germany. Others went voluntarily into exile in protest. Furtwängler chose to stay. While helping to secure safe haven for many Jewish musicians, he at the same time served as one of the Nazi's foremost cultural assets.

The question of the artist's political responsibility within a totalitarian regime remains open to this day - whether to stay and serve one's own people or to leave the homeland.



The international star-cast includes Harvey Keitel as Major Steve Arnold and Stellan Skarsgård as Wilhelm Furtwängler. In other roles are to be seen the new sensation of the "Burgtheater" / Vienna Birgit Minichmayr, German Shooting-Star Moritz Bleibtreu and other first class actors as Ulrich Tukur, Hans Zischler, August Zirner and the French actor Robin Renucci.

Production Designer is the highly regarded Ken Adam and Director of Photography is Lajos Koltai. The costume designer is Györgyi Szakács and the editor will be Sylvie Landra.

The shoot takes place in Dresden, Berlin and Babelsberg.

TAKING SIDES is a Little Big Bear Film Production, co-produced by Maecenas, MBP, Paladin Production and Studio Babelsberg in association with Jeremy Isaacs Productions, TwanPix, Satel and France 2 Cinema, with further collaboration from Canal+. The project is sponsored by MDM, Filmboard Berlin/Brandenburg, the FFA and Eurimages. It was developed with the backing Media Programme of the European Union.