The Aspern Papers tells a story of obsession, grandeur lost and dreams of Byronic adventures.

The 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will open with the World Premiere of ‘The Aspern Papers’ with international star cast.

The whole cast will be present for its premiere at the festival. Golden Globe winner Mr. Jonathan Rhys Meyers (lead actor), Golden Globe nominated actress Ms. Joely Richardson (lead actress), Ms. Julia Robins (actress), Ms. Morgane Polanski (actress ) – daughter of Roman Polanski, Mr. Nicolas Hau (actor) Mr. Julien Landais (director) will be present at the screening.

The Aspern Papers tells a story of obsession, grandeur lost and dreams of Byronic adventures.

The Aspern Papers is the first feature from director Julien Landais and is adapted from the novella by Henry James, which is based on the letters Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to Mary Shelley’s stepsister Claire Clairmont. The film stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Joely Richardson and her mother – six time Oscar nominee and Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave.

A still from ‘The Aspen Papers’

The Aspern Papers stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in a lead role. The Irish actor is known for his roles in films such as Velvet Goldmine (1998), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Match Point (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis (2005), which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, and as King Henry VIII in the historical drama The Tudors (2007–10).

The film’s lead actress Joely Richardson is an English actress, known for her role as Julia McNamara in the FX drama series Nip/Tuck (2003–10) for which she twice received Golden Globe nomination. She has also appeared in films such as 101 Dalmatians (1996), Event Horizon (1997), The Patriot (2000), Return to Me (2000), Anonymous(2011), the Hollywood film adaptation The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and the remake of Endless Love (2014).

 

The film also stars Morgane Polanski – the daughter of French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski and French actress Emmanuelle Seigner. Morgane Polanski made her acting debut in her father’s 2002 film The Pianist, which was nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture. She appeared in two more of his films, Oliver Twist (2005) and The Ghost Writer (2010), in which she had her first speaking role. In 2015, Polanski appeared in the British independent film Unhallowed Ground and began portraying Princess Gisla in the History Channel series Vikings.

Synopsis of The Aspern Papers:

Set in Venice in the late 19th century, it tells the story of an American editor determined to get his hands on the letters his icon, the Romantic poet Jeffrey Aspern, wrote to his beautiful lover and muse, Juliana Bordereau. Juliana lives in a Venetian palazzo with her niece Miss Tina, who she seems to control and Morton tries to manipulate. But when the ambitious adventurer trifles with Miss Tina’s affections she learns to see through his scheme.

The film was shot where Henry James actually wrote it – on original locations in Venice. James Ivory, an old India hand and a recent Academy Award winner is one of the Executive Producers on the film.

The 49th International Film Festival of India begins on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 and ends on Wednesday, 28 November 2018, in Panaji, Goa.