Through the Looking-Glass…Top 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2018: #7. Abel Ferrara’s Siberia

Siberia

Director: Abel Ferrara
Writer: Abel Ferrara

After a prolific return to form in 2014 with his Willem Dafoe starring Pasolini and one of the best films of his career with Welcome to New York (which was unfortunately shut out of Cannes 2014 for obvious political considerations), Ferrara has been attempting to mount a new feature, Siberia, for the past two years. After a failed attempt at raising funds via Kickstarter in 2015, Ferrara secured funding a year later for this adaptation of Red Book by Carl Jung. Ferrara’s regular collaborator Willem Dafoe has been on board since the initial announcement, with Nicolas Cage joining during negotiations at Cannes 2016, while excitingly, Isabelle Huppert (who will complete her latest collaboration with Benoit Jacquot just in time to join this production) was announced as a cast member in various Italian trades in December 2016.

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Nicolas Cage, Isabelle Huppert

Production Co./Producer(s): Film Investment Piedmont (Paolo Tenna), Turin Piedmont Film Commission.

U.S. Distributor: Rights available.
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Release Date: With filming rumored to take place in the mountains of Piedmont in March 2017, Siberia could very well be a 2018 feature (with Ferrara still supposedly collecting additional funding). However, considering Ferrara’s relationship with the Venice Film Festival (he’s competed six times, the last being with Pasolini in 2014), this could turn up on the Lido, or maybe secure him his first comp slot at Cannes since 1993’s Body Snatchers. Needless to say, it will be another considerable year for Huppert, who has a number of new projects in the can (from Michael Haneke, Hong Sangsoo, Anne Fontaine, Serge Bozon to name several), as well as filming a new project with Benoit Jacquot.

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