The historical film production The Weight has two big Hollywood stars, Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, in its favour. The story is set in Oregon in 1933, where Hawke takes on the role of Samuel Murphy, who is sent to a labour camp run by the unscrupulous warden Clancy (Crowe) after the death of his wife. Murphy attempts to regain custody of his daughter, but becomes embroiled in a dangerous gold smuggling business that puts him in danger both in the wilderness and within his own group.
The film is directed by Padraic McKinley, known from TV productions such as Kingdom and Debris. What is particularly exciting is that The Weight will be produced with a grant of 2 million euros from the Bavarian Film Fund (FFF Bayern). This is a sign of the Bavarian film industry's strong support for international projects. Filming will begin this summer in Bavaria, where nature and scenery will be used for the story.
augenschein Filmproduktion and the Munich-based production company Construction Filmproduktion GmbH are in charge of production management. Fields Entertainment and Under The Influence Productions from the USA are involved. German distribution is being handled by Capelight, while world sales are being handled by WME International.
