BRAMA, Mar 24, 2004, 2:00 pm ET
Press Release
UPDATED 3/26/2004 1:15pm
SEEKING FLUENT UKRAINIAN SPEAKERS TO STAR IN INDEPENDENT FILM
"EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED" (TELEGRAPHFILMS)
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER
DIRECTED BY LIEV SCHREIBER
STARRING ELIJAH WOOD
ALEX: Roughly 19 years of age, skinny with a small frame (not too tall) yet possesses a tremendous amount of energy which serves him well as an eternal optimist and dreamer. A very confident, albeit naïve, wordsmith; charming in his off-centered-ness, bold although awkward.
GRANDFATHER: (60s and older) Essentially the much-older extreme polar opposite of his Grandson Alex. Grandfather possesses a dark, intimidating and almost scary demeanor and look. Slow, irritable and heavy in his approach with occasional bursts of almost childlike optimism of his own. Most of all he is a survivor and carries the mark of that guilt with him.
LISTA (60s and older): Similar to Grandfather in age and appearance. Lista has sterling crystal blue eyes (contacts possible) that carry an intensity that hints at madness. Like Grandfather, she is a survivor. Her behavior is somewhat quixotic and she is clearly struggling with some kind of dementia.
PLEASE CALL JESSICA AT AVY KAUFMAN CASTING (212) 620-4256 or e-mail jessica@avykaufman.com
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From the Editor:
The call for actors to star in the independent film Everything is Illuminated is based on a fictional account about a trip to Ukraine written by Jonathan Safran Foer.
Briefly, the story is about a Jewish traveler who hires a driver (the grandfather) and a translator/guide (Alex Perchov, the grandson) from Odesa, Ukraine. They drive with the author to a town near Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine where years ago a Ukrainian woman saved the author's grandfather from the Nazis. The script just as the book contains adult language throughout.
Roman Senkus, director of publications, CIUS Toronto Office, University of Toronto, found that the book made him laugh. "Certain parts of the novel dealing with the Holocaust in Ukraine were quite moving and brought tears to my eyes," he added. Overall, Mr. Senkus feels that Everything is Illuminated is well written and very entertaining.
The casting director has indicated that the call is time sensitive, and anyone who is interested is urged to respond immediately.
For further reading
Interviews with author Jonathan Safran Foer:
Jewish Rochester
Harper Collins
Her Weirdest
Book Reviews:
Book Finder
Mostly Fiction
Salon
Amazon
Austin Chronicle
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