Locarno, (UNI) British actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson called her character in Brian Kirk’s film “Dead of Winter” a “real life heroine” during a conversation at Locarno Film Festival today.
“We seem to be telling an awful lot of stories about the super rich or about the dark side of human nature, and this woman’s life, this ordinary humble life, is so beautiful and so rich,” Thompson said of the film.
“She’s able to say: ‘I’m able to let it go to let someone else find herself.’ It’s a story of her love.” reports Variety.
In the action thriller, she plays a widowed woman who just wanted to go fishing in snowbound Minnesota. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a kidnapping plot.
Thompson has also executive produced the film.
Written by Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalton Leeb, both from Minnesota, it pays homage to the “amazing women” who raised them, said Jacobson-Larson, with Leeb mentioning his own grandmother who “would always face adversity face on with humour” as inspiration.
“It feels like a hero you don’t see very often,” he said, with his star agreeing.
The star cast of the film, Laurel Marsden, Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca were also cast in the film, as well as Thompson’s daughter Gaia Wise, who plays her younger self.
“Dead of Winter” was produced by Greg Silverman, Jon Berg, Jonas Katzenstein and Maximilian Leo for Stampede Ventures and Augenschein Filmproduktion, while Leonine Studios and ZDF co-produce. It’s being sold by North.Five.Six. and Augenschein Sales.
