Published: 4 August, 2009, 16:59
Edited: 4 August, 2009, 16:59
The Finnish director of “Die Hard 2” Renny Harlin will make a film based on last August’s dramatic events in South Ossetia, during which Georgia launched a military offensive against the republic.
According to Variety, Harlin is getting ready to start shooting the film based on actual events in mid September in the region where the conflict took place.
The Georgian attack lasted five days and resulted in numerous casualties. Shortly after the fighting ended, despite international criticism, Moscow recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The Finnish filmmaker made a name for himself as the director of such action adventures as “The Long Kiss Goodnight”, “Deep Blue Sea” as well as “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”.
However, according to Variety, his new film’s budget will be far less than Harlin is accustomed to. While the plot is kept in secret, so far it has only been announced that the drama focuses on an American journalist who comes under fire with his cameraman in Georgia. There are only two questions on the agenda for both journalists: to stay alive and be objective.
“When I got this script two weeks ago, it was exactly what I had been looking for, a great human story with tragic, serious overtones. I saw it as my opportunity to use my experience in action films to tell the story of a complex conflict that is impartial, but makes a strong antiwar statement,” Harlin told Variety.
It is not the first film to be inspired by the tragic events in South Ossetia. Earlier this year, Russian director Igor Voloshin released a drama about the conflict in the Caucasus titled “Olympius Inferno”.