CHINA Edition
Hungarian Edition
tags: Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi, Kornél Mundruczó, Kata Wéber, Place to Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó has brought together two acclaimed actors, Ellen Burstyn and Taika Waititi, for his latest feature, Place to Be. Written by his regular collaborator Kata Wéber, the film follows an elderly woman and a middle-aged man on a journey from Chicago to New York, united by a mission to return a lost racing pigeon.
Shooting has begun at Disney Studios Australia in Sydney, with Jomon Thomas (“Hotel Mumbai”), Megan Wynn (“Poker Face”), and Alexander Rodnyansky (“Loveless”) producing.
Mundruczó, known for “White God” and “Pieces of a Woman”, called the film “about the absurdity of how, over time, a person becomes invisible in their own life,” adding, “losing visibility does not necessarily mean losing oneself.”
The director said it was his “desire to direct the legendary Ellen Burstyn in a leading role” and noted that with Waititi onboard, he found “the perfect accomplice” for this emotional road story.
Burstyn expressed delight at the collaboration: “It still surprises and delights me to be working at my age and I am thrilled to be going on this ‘road trip’ with Taika and Kornel.”
For Waititi, the project felt personal: “All of us are just navigating this weird journey of getting older,” he said, adding that the script “deeply moved” him and reminded him of growing up in New Zealand with his mother. “It’s like me and mum all over again, except we’ve both aged several decades overnight and Ellen gets to be the Thelma to my Louise.”
