“The Possessed,” the third feature by Bosnian-Dutch writer/director Ena Sendijarević, has completed casting as the film moves toward principal photography, with a trio of hot talents boarding the project. Suzy Bemba, Khalil Gharbia and Ji-Min Park, whose credits span the spectrum from festival favorites to prestige television and commercial English-language projects, have signed on to join the previously announced Ariane Labed for “The Possessed.”
The film is set in 17th-century Europe, where two women fleeing the witch hunts create a refuge at the edge of the world, until a man becomes their unwilling captive and sparks a dangerous love triangle.
“The Possessed” is being pitched as a wildly sensual, feminist drama carried by the chemistry of its ensemble, with contemporary political implications that transcend its period setting. Story details remain under wraps, but Variety can reveal that Labed will incarnate the role of “The Midwide,” Bemba will play “The Baroness,” Garbia “The Shepherd,” and Park “The Director.”
The shoot will take place in Spain, between the Barcelona area and the raw, spectacular landscapes of the Teruel region and Bardenas Reales. Based on the casting and the chemistry of early rehearsals, Sendijarević has reworked the script and will now shoot “The Possessed” in the French language.
