The first thoughts for the project go back to the year 2000. Andrzej Klamt developed the idea and wrote the treatment with the temporary title „At the edge of Europe“.
In May 2001 the former Filmbüro NW (now Filmstiftung NRW, Förderung 2) granted the necessary funds for the further development of the script.
In September 2001 Andrzej Klamt and Ulrich Rydzewski went for a research journey of several weeks through the five countries of the Carpathian Mountains: Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Hungary.
In January 2002 the script was finally completed: the text was written by Andrzej Klamt and Ulrich Rydzewski contributed a selection of his photos.
The complete financing of the project was finished by the end of 2002. Apart from the production companies 'halbtotal Filmproduktion‘ and 'Hektor + Rydzewski GmbH‘ the 'Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion‘ located in Vienna could be won as a co-producer. Also the channel ZDF/3sat went into the project.
Three shooting trips and another intermediate investigation in the Carpathian Mountains were distributed over the whole year 2003. After sifting the material and other preliminary work throughout the year, the hot phase of the postproduction began in autumn of the same year.
The Pre-Premiere (still on video) of Carpatia was on March 4 2004 during the DIAGONALE in Graz, Austria.
Ulrich Rydzewski
Andrzej Klamt
