Varadi, Bercovici launch BlueDanubeFilms

MOSCOW -- Film biz vets Gabor Varadi and Luca Bercovici have teamed up to launch Budapest shingle BlueDanubeFilms, which will produce a slate of micro-budget English-language pics. Varadi, who has nearly 20 years' experience as a producer with Budapest's Eurofilm, has restructured the shingle and partnered with Luca Bercovici, who for the past two years was head of production for Raleigh Film Budapest, to launch the new venture. The first film to go into production is "Lord of the Block," a thriller about a young man who discovers a parasitical humanoid living in his apartment block that feeds off the negative emotions of residents. It stars Eric Roberts, who played Maroni in Batman movie "The Dark Knight." Shooting is due to start in Hungary next year. Bercovici said: "We're making world-class quality, genre-driven films -- for a price. These films have the best of all possible worlds, talented local writers writing in English, spectacular locations that fit the genre, and put tremendous value up on the screen, excellent crews and management to keep costs as low as possible." The company, which will also offer production services to foreign films and co-productions lensing in the region, has opted to go the micro-budget route partially in response to the crisis in public funding for Hungarian filmmakers. The company will use mostly local or regional crew, talent and assets, "while avoiding the vagaries of dependence on local direct subsidies," Bercovici said. The slate -- with budgets of between $700,000 and $1.4 million -- will "rely more on conservative free market distribution strategies" to get a return. Cost savings will be found through strategic alliances, such as a partnership with Raindance, a U.K.-based organization that promotes independent filmmaking. Raindance is to provide crew as unpaid interns to "Lord of the Block" as part of their training courses. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com