Italian broadcaster RAI 1 is currently shooting L’olimpiade nascosta (Hidden Olympics) on location at Terezín, Doksany and other nearby locations. Production on the two-part television film began September 5 and will wrap October 30.
The film’s story is based on actual events which took place during the Second World War. In 1944, POWs in a German prison camp decided to organize a version of the Olympic Games, even as the war continued around them. The prisoners’ plan would give them opportunity to celebrate their respective nationalities in the Olympic spirit – and provide cover for an escape.
The Italian producers chose to shoot in the Czech Republic because of the country’s excellent locations and highly skilled and experienced film crews. A crew of just 15 Italian crew members is assisted in the Czech Republic by 70 local film professionals and several dozen more service providers.
“We’ve returned to the Czech Republic after shooting our mini-series Zodiaco 2 here last year,” said Italian producer Claudio Gaeta. “The main reason is our very positive experience the last time and of course the opportunity to access the production incentives.”
L’olimpiade nascosta is a co-production between Casanova Multimedia (Italy) a Milk and Honey Pictures (Czech Republic). Alfredo Peyretti directs. The two-part film has a relatively big budget for a television production.
“We’ve cooperated with Italian producers in the Czech Republic before. Unlike those previous Italian productions, however, L’olimpiade nascosta is being filmed directly in English,” said Milk and Honey producer Radomír Dočekal.
“We are using the Terezín fortress for the set of the prison camp and the Olympic stadium,” Dočekal said. “Since the sets represent the historic reality, we agreed with the municipality that we won’t tear the sets down after filming, so they can be used afterward.”
The cast is international, the biggest name certainly being Gary Lewis. The Scottish actor is known for his roles in Gangs of New York, Billy Elliot, Eragon, My Name is Joe and other films. Local actors include Marek Vašut, Jakub Zindulka, Václav Jiráček and Karel Dobrý.
