USA: Rachel Weisz celebrates the opening of her new film "The Whistleblower" at a New York screening
Record ID:
218777
USA: Rachel Weisz celebrates the opening of her new film "The Whistleblower" at a New York screening
- Title: USA: Rachel Weisz celebrates the opening of her new film "The Whistleblower" at a New York screening
- Date: 29th July 2011
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 27, 2011) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) ACTRESS RACHEL WEISZ POSING FOR PICTURES ON RED CARPET WEISZ SPEAKING WITH REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL WEISZ, ACTRESS, SAYING: "It haunted me I suppose, I couldn't get it out of my mind. It's my favorite genre of film, the thriller which is about the ordinary woman who does an extraordinary thing and kind of David and Goliath style goes after a big corporation or a big organization. And you know, one lone woman against a huge corporation it's makes for a very thrilling edge of your seat thriller." PAN UP OF WEISZ ON RED CARPET WEISZ, ACTRESS ANNA ANISSIMOVA, DIRECTOR KATHY BOLKOVAC AND LARYSA KONDRACKI POSING ON RED CARPET WITH FILM PRODUCERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL WEISZ, ACTRESS, SAYING: "It was really helpful spending time with Kathy because I could ask her lots of questions about what would she say in this kind of situation or that kind of situation and - it was very helpful to have her there." CAMERA OPERATORS FILMING RED CARPET KATHY BOLKOVAC, REAL LIFE WHISTLEBLOWER, SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) KATHY BOLKOVAC, DIRECTOR, SAYING: "She was really quite adaptable and I really loved the way that she really wanted to get to know who I was. She wanted to visit with me, she wanted to ask me questions on the side: Kathy is this how you would have done that, or how would a cop do this and that made me feel pretty good." BOLKOVAC POSING FOR PICTURES ON RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) KATHY BOLKOVAC, DIRECTOR, SAYING: "I'll never be sure of that until I see actual law changes and I see some prosecutions and investigations being done and convictions of not only human traffickers but when I see the United Nations, our State Department, government contractors being held accountable for their actions not in a general sense but in an individual sense." ACTRESS ANNA ANISSIMOVA SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNA ANISSIMOVA, ACTRESS SAYING: "You know, it's definitely a political intense thriller. I think that - you know when I read the script it's very compelling and it's very important to get a message - it sort of creates awareness that this still exists. Sex trafficking is out there and you can't stop it overnight but I think this film is really important to tell the story of these young girls." DIRECTOR LARYSA KONDRACKI SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) LARYSA KONDRACKI, DIRECTOR, SAYING: "In a weird way, you know the Hollywood treatment, ours is the reverse, we had to tone things down. We compressed a lot of characters but we didn't - we tried not to sensationalize things, but it was much more widespread then the film shows. And I think in a way early scripts were a little more true to that, that didn't create the sort of sense of discovery for the audience, people just flat out thought we were terrible writers and didn't buy the story, so we had to kind of make it I think digestible for audiences."
- Embargoed: 13th August 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA10FB3VZ5A25HNSVM24G3WODJS
- Story Text: Girl power ruled the red carpet on Wednesday (July 27) night at a New York screening of "The Whistleblower." Actresses Rachel Weisz and Anna Anissimova posed with the film's female producers, director and real life 'whistleblower' Kathy Bolkovac before a screening of the movie.
Based on true events, Weisz plays an American police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Shortly after she begins work helping to restore the devastated country, her character, Kathy, uncovers a child sex-slave and human-trafficking scandal involving U.S. military contractors and the U.N. Weisz, who first read the script in 2006, said it had haunted her every sense.
"I couldn't get it out of my mind. It's my favorite genere of film, the thriller which is about the ordinary woman who does an extraordinary thing and kind of David and Goliath style goes after a big corporation or a big organization. And you know, one lone woman against a huge corporation it's makes for a very thrilling edge of your seat thriller," said Weisz.
Anna Anissimova, who plays Weisz's roommate Zoe in the film, agreed.
"It's very compelling and it's very important to get a message - it sort of creates awareness that this still exists. Sex trafficking is out there and you can't stop it overnight but I think this film is really important to tell the story of these young girls," Anissimova told Reuters.
In preparing for the role, the British born actress, who recently married actor Daniel Craig, spent time with real life whistleblower Kathy Bolkovac, which she said helped with her performance.
"I could ask her lots of questions about what would she say in this kind of situation or that kind of situation and - it was very helpful to have her there," said Weisz.
Blokovac, said Weisz was very adaptable.
"I really loved the way that she really wanted to get to know who I was. She wanted to visit with me, she wanted to ask me questions on the side, Kathy is this how you would have done that, or how would a cop do this, and that made me feel pretty good," said Blokovac.
First time director Larysa Kondracki had to tone down the actual abuses in order to make the story believable for viewers.
"We tried not to sensationalize things, but it was much more wide spread then the film shows. And I think in a way early scripts were a little more true to that, that didn't create the sort of sense of discovery for the audience, people just flat out thought we were terrible writers and didn't buy the story, so we had to kind of make it, I think, digestible for audiences," said Kondracki.
Blokovac has been commended for her bravery and speaking out against human trafficking, but she said there was still a long way to go.
"Until I see actual law changes and I see some prosecutions and investigations being done and convictions of not only human traffickers - but when I see the United Nations, our State Department, government contractors being held accountable for their actions not in a general sense but in an individual sense, said Blokovac.
"The Whistleblower" opens in New York and Los Angeles on August 5. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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