After seven years of development, Jeremy Podeswa is ‘thrilled’ to be finally making the page-to-screen adaptation of Anne Michaels’ award-winning novel Fugitive Pieces.

‘I was incredibly moved by the story of this character, the tragedy in his childhood that haunts him, and this woman who transforms his life in adulthood,’ says Podeswa, the filmmaker behind Eclipse and The Five Senses.

The story concerns a seven-year-old boy who witnesses the murder of his parents by the Nazis in World War II Poland. The lad then escapes to Greece, where he grows into adulthood. In the ’70s, he moves to Toronto to teach at a university and embarks on a soul-saving romance.

The US$9.5-million production kicks off in Toronto on April 24, before moving to Greece for three weeks in June. It is produced by Robert Lantos of Serendipity Point Films.

‘This is a demanding shoot,’ notes Lantos. ‘We are shooting in three periods in two countries. I have seen Jeremy’s other work and know he is up to the challenge.’

‘He managed to write this screenplay, based on a book that seemed to defy adaptation. I am very impressed with what he’s done,’ he adds.

Lantos has delved into Holocaust-themed material before, with mixed results. The Statement, starring Michael Caine, cost $27 million and only took in about US$1.5 million in international box office, according to Variety. The earlier Sunshine, however, fared better and won the 1999 Genie Award for best picture. Lantos has a busy dance card this year, as he is also going forward with the David Cronenberg satirical drama Maps to the Stars.

Podeswa concedes that there have been a great number of films made about the Holocaust, but says he saw something different in Michaels’ work.

‘When I read this, it felt completely fresh… It does belong in the realm of Holocaust survivor literature, but it also transcends that genre. There’s a universality to the story; it has profound things to say about trauma, memory and the redemptive power of love.’

He adds that he felt ‘a very strong connection’ to the material, in part because his own father is a Holocaust survivor.

The L.A.- and Toronto-based director has re-teamed with DOP Greg Middleton, who lensed The Five Senses, and editor Wiebke von Carolsfeld (The Bay of Love and Sorrows). Podeswa’s cast includes star Stephen Dillane (The Hours), Rosamund Pike (Pride & Prejudice) and Rade Serbedzija (The Fog, Batman Begins).

Sandra Cunningham (Where the Truth Lies) coproduces with Julia Rosenberg (Lie with Me) and, on the Greek side, Takis Veremis (Real Life) and Dionyssis Samiotis (A Sea Apart). Andras Hamori (Owning Mahowny, The 51st State) is exec producer. Fugitive Pieces will be distributed in Canada by ThinkFilm.

Podeswa – who has been working almost non-stop for the past four years on TV shows such as Queer as Folk, Six Feet Under and Nip/Tuck – says he worked on revising and polishing the Fugitive screenplay whenever he had a spare moment.

‘The language Anne uses is so poetic, it was a tricky adaptation to approach,’ he says. ‘I am so happy that Anne has been so generous and has given her approval to this adaptation.’

He says his recent spate of TV work brought him new skills as a filmmaker.

‘You get very, very used to shifting gears,’ he notes. ‘I’m now used to going from one kind of project to another very quickly. The difference with doing this film is that I’m doing something that’s more my own. I’m not stepping into a well-oiled machine, as you are when you move into an already-established TV show. We’re building the machine from scratch.’

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