Directed by Pollack, whose classic thrillers "Three Days of the Condor," "Absence of Malice" and "The Firm" have set the standard for the genre, the film stars Nicole Kidman as African-born U.N. interpreter Silvia Broome, who inadvertently overhears a death threat against an African head of state scheduled to address the United Nation's General Assembly. Realizing she's become a target of the assassins as well, Silvia's desperate to thwart the plot ... if only she can survive long enough to get someone to believe her. Sean Penn is Tobin Keller, the federal agent charged with protecting the interpreter, who nonetheless suspects she may not be telling the whole truth. Silvia and Tobin, by nature, see life from different points of view: one, a U.N. interpreter, believes in the power and sanctity of words; the other, a Secret Service agent, believes in reading people based on their behavior, no matter what is said.
"The Interpreter" marks the first time a motion picture has been granted permission by the United Nations to film inside its historic headquarters in New York. U. N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, after meeting with Sydney Pollack, was instrumental in leading the decision of officials from both the General Assembly and the Security Council to consider allowing unprecedented access to the production.
"Although 'The Interpreter' is first and foremost a suspense thriller," stated Sydney Pollack, "the film is in sync with the values of the U.N. and its policies, in that it is against using violence to settle problems between people and countries."
With full U. N. cooperation, and because of efforts made on behalf of the film by the New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture and Television Development, the Empire State Development Corporation, the Film Office of the City of New York, unions, local vendors and Universal Pictures, the filmmakers are pleased that "The Interpreter" will shoot the entire production in New York City.
"We are thrilled to have the production of 'The Interpreter' shoot entirely in our great state," said Governor Pataki. "I would like to thank Universal; director Sydney Pollack; Charles Gargano, Chairman of Empire State Development Corporation; and the entire New York production community for pulling together to keep this project in New York."
"By extending the number of production weeks from three to sixteen, 'The Interpreter' will mean hundreds of additional jobs for New Yorkers and millions more for our local economy," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "I thank Sydney Pollack and Universal for agreeing to film their entire feature here in New York City, and our valued neighbor, the United Nations, for providing N.Y.C. with this unprecedented opportunity. When labor, government and the film industry work together, anything can happen, and in this case, it is something truly spectacular for all involved."
From Universal Pictures, "The Interpreter" -- a Working Title Production in association with Misher Films and Mirage Entertainment -- is a suspenseful thriller of international intrigue set inside the political corridors of the U.N. and on the streets of New York. "The Interpreter" is produced by Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and Kevin Misher and is written by Charles Randolph ("The Secret Life of David Gale"), Scott Frank ("Minority Report") and Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List," "Gangs of New York"). Academy Award(R) nominee Catherine Keener ("Being John Malkovich") co-stars. Executive producers are Pollack, Anthony Minghella ("Cold Mountain") and G. Mac Brown. Liza Chasin and Debra Hayward co-produce.
Joining Pollack behind the camera are: director of photography Darius Khondji ("Delicatessen," "Seven," "Evita"), production designer John Hutman ("Something's Gotta Give," "The Horse Whisperer"), costume designer Sarah Edwards ("Uptown Girls," "Igby Goes Down"), and editor William Steinkamp (Pollack's collaborator on such films as "Tootsie" and "Out of Africa").
Helping to define the thriller genre with such landmark films as "Three Days of the Condor," "Absence of Malice" and "The Firm," lauded filmmaker Sydney Pollack has directed 18 films which have received a total of 46 Academy Award(R) nominations. Pollack himself has been nominated three times, winning the Best Director Oscar(R) for "Out of Africa," which won seven Academy Awards(R), including Best Picture. Pollack won the 1982 New York Film Critics Award for his film "Tootsie."
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