DEVELOPMENT
20-23.11.23 | KRAKÓW, POLAND
CELLAR WORKSHOPS
Our primary actors Arlo, Kamil and Małgorzata joined Laurence and Judyta in Kraków to workshop selected scenes from the screenplay. The sessions involved line-readings and improvisation which allowed the characters to face each-other for the first time and deepened a collective process with the film.
31.10.23 | KRAKÓW, POLAND | RIGA, LATVIA
CASTING ELMA | MAŁGORZATA APSE
Judyta and Laurence met Małgorzata through an open casting call. Following an audition, Małgorzata read with Arlo where a fascinating chemistry developed. Małgorzata quickly came on board and engaged with the process of finding Elma.
In 2023, Małgorzata began her first season as an actress of the Latvian Puppet Theatre, Riga, and appeared in My Freedom (Dir. Ilze Kunga-Melgaile) this year’s Latvian candidate for the Academy Award for best international feature film.
15.09.23 | RZESZÓW, POLAND
KAMIL DOBROWOLSKI | CASTING DAFFSKI
Judyta and Laurence held a meeting with Kamil at the Maska Theatre, Rzeszów where the three spoke for hours about the project, approach to performance, and their lives. Kamil's experience with the Meisner acting method provided the foundation for a rich interpretation of the character and a great place to begin working together.
In addition to performing plays at Teatr Maska, in 2023 Kamil featured in the films Imago (Dir. Olga Chajdas) and Konski ogon (Dir. Justyna Luczaj).
19.03.23 | KRAKÓW, POLAND
MONOLOGUE
Arlo worked with Judyta and Laurence to perform a monologue inspired by a scene in the screenplay. The location, a barren abandoned house, was an evocative environment to give a sense of the film's dream-like atmosphere. The process was a useful experiment to enhance our understanding of the character and tonal approach.
10.22 | SUBCARPATHIA, POLAND
LOCATION SCOUTING
The first round of scouting in Subcarpathia (Podkarpackie) began in autumn, 2022, the season in which the film's story takes place. A second round of scouting will resume there in early 2024, wherein we will settle the film's primary locations.
02.22 - | KRAKÓW, POLAND | LONDON, UK
PRODUCTION DESIGN MEETINGS
Developing productive methods of communication with Andie Scott, our production designer based in London has been essential in establishing a design direction for the film. The essence of BABA's aesthetic has evolved through development, beginning closer to a theatrical root and leading to organic minimalism.
15.02.22 | LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
FIRST TABLE READ
At Zone One Studios, London, we brought together collaborators and actors to read through and discuss the first refined draft of BABA. This meeting marked the beginning of a process which would refine the writing through countless future drafts and inform our approach to casting.
01.01.22 | LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
CASTING MONTY | ARLO CARTER
The character of Monty was written to be played by Arlo Carter who first worked with Judyta and Laurence on their previous film The Wind and the Whimpering (2023). Arlo works closely with the film in its development, contributing to the processes on many levels of production from design to writing, epitomising the team's approach to collaborative development.
Arlo most recently played Logan in Julian Sands' final film The Last Breath (Dir. Joachim Hedén) which will be released worldwide in 2024.
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