Iron Sky
Encyclopedia
Iron Sky is an upcoming Finnish
science-fiction comedy film from the makers of the Star Wreck
series Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning
. The film is directed by Timo Vuorensola
and produced by Tero Kaukomaa of Blind Spot Pictures
production company. The film stars Udo Kier
and Tilo Prückner
. Samuli Torssonen
, the creator of the Star Wreck series and the producer of Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, is responsible for the computer generated effects of the film. The screenwriters aboard Iron Sky are the Finnish author Johanna Sinisalo
and Michael Kalesniko (Howard Stern's Private Parts
, How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
). The film is being created by Energia Productions, Blind Spot Pictures, New Holland Pictures and 27 Films production companies. The film is scheduled to be released on April 4, 2012.
As a dark science fiction that plays with Finland's history of being oppressed by Sweden, Russia, and Nazi Germany, Iron Sky is a deliberate thematic throwback, a modern implementation of once-popular science fiction
tropes
that have fallen into disuse, such as Nazis in space
.
comes to an end in 1945, Hans Kammler
and other German scientists make a breakthrough in anti-gravity
research. From a secret base in the Antarctic, Nazi spaceships
are sent to the "dark side" of the Moon
to establish the military base "Schwarze Sonne". Their plan is to build a powerful fleet and return to conquer Earth. The film is set in the year 2018 when their descendants finally return.
, the same crew began formulating ideas about a new science-fiction motion picture. Production of Iron Sky began in early 2006, and the production team took their teaser trailer of the film to The Cannes Film Festival
in May 2008 seeking co-financiers and signed a co-production agreement with Oliver Damian’s 27 Films Prods for Iron Sky. The teaser trailer
was then released on 6 May 2008 with a completely re-vamped Iron Sky Website. During the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
Iron Sky signed a co-production agreement with the Australian production company New Holland Pictures, which brought Cathy Overett and Mark Overett as co-producers of the film.
Iron Sky is one of a new wave of productions, including The Cosmonaut
, A Swarm of Angels
and RiP!: A Remix Manifesto
, produced in collaboration with an on-line community of film enthusiasts, that are creating a new kind of participatory cinema
. At Wreck-a-Movie, a collaborative film-making web site, the producers have invited everyone interested in "chipping in" with their ideas and creativity to read the tasks given to the community and to take a shot (write an entry). Collaborators can also attach media to their shots.
On 11 February 2009 it was announced that the film will star German actress Julia Dietze
. In an interview with Mark Kermode
, Timo Vuorensola
confirmed that the Moon Nazi Führer would be played by Udo Kier
and that Slovenian industrial music
group Laibach
would be recording the soundtrack.
Filming began in November 2010 in Frankfurt for location shooting
, and after that in January 2011 in Australia for studio shooting
. Iron Sky was filmed in Red camera format. On 6 February 2011, the filming of Iron Sky concluded in Australia and entered a 10 week post-production process.
and other systems.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
science-fiction comedy film from the makers of the Star Wreck
Star Wreck
Star Wreck is a series of Finnish Star Trek parody movies started by Samuli Torssonen in 1992. The first movie, simply named Star Wreck, was a simple Star Control-like animation with three ships shooting at each other, but later movies featured 3D CGI, animated characters and, in the latest films,...
series Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning
Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning
Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning is a 2005 motion picture produced by five friends in a two-room flat with a small budget and the support of a few hundred fans and dozens of acquaintances. Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning is the seventh production in the Star Wreck movie series, the first of professional...
. The film is directed by Timo Vuorensola
Timo Vuorensola
Timo Vuorensola is a Finnish film director and actor. He has directed Star Wreck movies Star Wreck V: Lost Contact, and Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, created by Samuli Torssonen. Vuorensola plays Lieutenant Dwarf in the films, and is currently directing the film Iron Sky...
and produced by Tero Kaukomaa of Blind Spot Pictures
Blind Spot Pictures
' is a Finnish production company established in 1997 by ACE-producer Tero Kaukomaa. They produce and co-produce Feature-films for international markets....
production company. The film stars Udo Kier
Udo Kier
Udo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
and Tilo Prückner
Tilo Prückner
Tilo Prückner is a German television and film actor. His career has spanned five decades and more than 100 films. He is the uncle of actor Christoph Prückner.-Selected filmography:* Apokal * John Glückstadt...
. Samuli Torssonen
Samuli Torssonen
Samuli Torssonen is a Finnish film writer, director, actor and producer, best known as the creator of the viral Star Wreck sci-fi series.He is currently producing the movie Iron Sky.-Torssonen's film career:...
, the creator of the Star Wreck series and the producer of Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, is responsible for the computer generated effects of the film. The screenwriters aboard Iron Sky are the Finnish author Johanna Sinisalo
Johanna Sinisalo
Aila Johanna Sinisalo is a Finnish science fiction and fantasy writer. She studied comparative literature and drama, amongst other subjects, at the University of Tampere...
and Michael Kalesniko (Howard Stern's Private Parts
Private Parts (1997 film)
Private Parts is a 1997 American biographical comedy film produced by Ivan Reitman and released by Paramount Pictures. Written by Len Blum and Michael Kalesniko, the film is an adaptation of the 1993 best-selling book of the same name by radio personality Howard Stern, who stars as himself. It...
, How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael Kalesniko and produced by Michael Nozik, Nancy M. Ruff and Brad Weston.- Plot :...
). The film is being created by Energia Productions, Blind Spot Pictures, New Holland Pictures and 27 Films production companies. The film is scheduled to be released on April 4, 2012.
As a dark science fiction that plays with Finland's history of being oppressed by Sweden, Russia, and Nazi Germany, Iron Sky is a deliberate thematic throwback, a modern implementation of once-popular science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
tropes
Trope (literature)
A literary trope is the usage of figurative language in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning...
that have fallen into disuse, such as Nazis in space
Space Nazis
Space Nazis is a recurring theme among many science fiction works dealing with World War II or World War II like situations.-Novels:The theme is already evident in Robert A...
.
Plot
As World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
comes to an end in 1945, Hans Kammler
Hans Kammler
General Dr Ing. Hans Friedrich Karl Franz Kammler was a civil engineer and high-ranking officer of the SS. He oversaw SS construction projects, and towards the end of World War II was put in charge of the V-2 missile programme.He is most commonly referred to as Heinz Kammler or Hans...
and other German scientists make a breakthrough in anti-gravity
Anti-gravity
Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
research. From a secret base in the Antarctic, Nazi spaceships
Nazi UFOs
In science fiction, conspiracy theory, and underground comic books, stories or claims circulate linking UFOs to Nazi Germany. These German UFO theories describe supposedly successful attempts to develop advanced aircraft or spacecraft prior to and during World War II, and further claim the...
are sent to the "dark side" of the Moon
Far side of the Moon
The far side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned away, and is not visible from the surface of the Earth. The far hemisphere was first photographed by the Soviet Luna 3 probe in 1959, and was first directly observed by human eyes when the Apollo 8 mission orbited the Moon...
to establish the military base "Schwarze Sonne". Their plan is to build a powerful fleet and return to conquer Earth. The film is set in the year 2018 when their descendants finally return.
Cast
- Julia DietzeJulia DietzeJulia Dietze is a German actress.-Biography:Dietze is the daughter of the German artist, illustrator and painter Mathias Dietze. Her mother is from Marseille...
as Renate Richter - Götz OttoGötz OttoGötz Otto is a German actor known for his very tall stature. He is 198 cm tall and is often characterised by bleached blonde hair in his films....
as Klaus Adler - Christopher Kirby as James Washington
- Tilo PrücknerTilo PrücknerTilo Prückner is a German television and film actor. His career has spanned five decades and more than 100 films. He is the uncle of actor Christoph Prückner.-Selected filmography:* Apokal * John Glückstadt...
as Doktor Richter - Udo KierUdo KierUdo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
as Wolfgang Höss - Peta SergeantPeta SergeantPeta Sergeant is an Australian actress best known for her lead role in the Australian television series Satisfaction.Peta graduated from NIDA in 2000....
as Vivian Wagner - Stephanie Paul as President of the United States
Production
After the success of Star Wreck: In the PirkinningStar Wreck: In the Pirkinning
Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning is a 2005 motion picture produced by five friends in a two-room flat with a small budget and the support of a few hundred fans and dozens of acquaintances. Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning is the seventh production in the Star Wreck movie series, the first of professional...
, the same crew began formulating ideas about a new science-fiction motion picture. Production of Iron Sky began in early 2006, and the production team took their teaser trailer of the film to The Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in May 2008 seeking co-financiers and signed a co-production agreement with Oliver Damian’s 27 Films Prods for Iron Sky. The teaser trailer
Teaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
was then released on 6 May 2008 with a completely re-vamped Iron Sky Website. During the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
2010 Cannes Film Festival
The 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 12 to May 23, 2010, in Cannes, France. The Cannes Film Festival, hailed as being one of the most recognized and prestigious film festivals worldwide, was founded in 1946. It consists of having films screened in and out of competition during the...
Iron Sky signed a co-production agreement with the Australian production company New Holland Pictures, which brought Cathy Overett and Mark Overett as co-producers of the film.
Iron Sky is one of a new wave of productions, including The Cosmonaut
The Cosmonaut
The Cosmonaut is an upcoming Spanish science-fiction feature film directed by Nicolas Alcala and produced by Carola Rodriguez and Bruno Teixidor. The first feature-length project of Riot Cinema Collective, it is notable for its use of crowdfunding techniques and Creative Commons license in its...
, A Swarm of Angels
A Swarm of Angels
A Swarm of Angels is an open source film project and participatory film community, whose aim is to make the world’s first Internet-funded, crewed and distributed feature film. The collaborative project aims to attract 50,000 individual subscribers , each contributing £25 to the production...
and RiP!: A Remix Manifesto
RiP!: A Remix Manifesto
RiP!: A Remix Manifesto is a 2008 open source documentary film about "the changing concept of copyright"directed by Brett Gaylor.Created over a period of six years, the documentary film features the collaborative remix work of hundreds of people who have contributed to the Open Source Cinema...
, produced in collaboration with an on-line community of film enthusiasts, that are creating a new kind of participatory cinema
Participatory cinema
Participatory cinema tries to involve a film's community in the process of making movies, rather than interaction being left to cinema viewers at the end of the process...
. At Wreck-a-Movie, a collaborative film-making web site, the producers have invited everyone interested in "chipping in" with their ideas and creativity to read the tasks given to the community and to take a shot (write an entry). Collaborators can also attach media to their shots.
On 11 February 2009 it was announced that the film will star German actress Julia Dietze
Julia Dietze
Julia Dietze is a German actress.-Biography:Dietze is the daughter of the German artist, illustrator and painter Mathias Dietze. Her mother is from Marseille...
. In an interview with Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode is an English film critic, musician and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He contributes to Sight and Sound magazine, The Observer newspaper and BBC Radio 5 Live, where he presents Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews with Simon Mayo on Friday afternoons...
, Timo Vuorensola
Timo Vuorensola
Timo Vuorensola is a Finnish film director and actor. He has directed Star Wreck movies Star Wreck V: Lost Contact, and Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, created by Samuli Torssonen. Vuorensola plays Lieutenant Dwarf in the films, and is currently directing the film Iron Sky...
confirmed that the Moon Nazi Führer would be played by Udo Kier
Udo Kier
Udo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
and that Slovenian industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
group Laibach
Laibach (band)
Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
would be recording the soundtrack.
Filming began in November 2010 in Frankfurt for location shooting
Location shooting
Location shooting is the practice of filming in an actual setting rather than on a sound stage or back lot. In filmmaking a location is any place where a film crew will be filming actors and recording their dialog. A location where dialog is not recorded may be considered as a second unit...
, and after that in January 2011 in Australia for studio shooting
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
. Iron Sky was filmed in Red camera format. On 6 February 2011, the filming of Iron Sky concluded in Australia and entered a 10 week post-production process.
Iron Sky: Operation Highjump
Iron Sky: Operation Highjump is an official video game being developed by SilverQuill and set in the same universe as the upcoming film. The game will be ported to GNU/LinuxLinux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and other systems.