About the Film
"Imagination is more importan than knowledge" - Albert Einstein
A dramatic, romantic comedy, "Mozard and the Whale" is inspired by the lives of two people with Asperger“s Syndrome, a form of autism, whose emotional dysfuntions threaten to sabotage their budding romance. Donald (Josh Hartnett) is a good-natured but happless taxi driver with a love of birds and superhuman knack for numbers. Like many AS sufferers, he likes patterns and routine. But when the beautiful but complicated Isabelle (Rahda Mitchell) joins the autism support group he leads, his life and his heart are turned upside down.
The screenplay is by Academy Award winner Ron Bass. The film is directed by Petter Nęss. Executive producers are Andreas Thiesmeyer, Josef Lautenshlager, Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort and Trevor Short. Producers are Robert Lawrence, Frank DeMartini and James Acheson. The creative team includes director of photography Svein Kroevel, editor Miklos Wright, production designer Gary Steele and costume designer Ha Nguyen.
The film, an equity Pictures Mediafonds/Robert Lawrence Production in association with Millenium Films and Swingin Productions Inc. stars Josh Hartnett, Rahda Mitchell, Gary Cole, Allan Evangelista, Sheila Kelly, Erica Leerhsen, John Carrol Lynch, Nate Mooney and Robert Wisdom.
About the Prodcutions
"The most beautiful thing we can experince is the mysterious" - Albert Einstein
Principal photography began on "Mozart and the whale" in Spokane, Washington on March 2, 2004. Spokane, the heart of the Inland Northwest-a region that encompasses Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Western Montana- is Washinton“s third largest city. Built along a scenic river valley on the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, with rolling prairies to the south and the west, it servers as the backdrop for this unique love story between two people who discover they have as many special gifts as special needs.
The film is directed by Oslo, Norway native Petter Nęss, whose previous credits include the Academy Award-nominated "Elling," a Norwegian fable which celebrates the friendship between two eccentric middle aged-men. Last year, Nęss signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to direct three films for the studio. "Mozart and the Whale" is Nęss American feature film debut.
Ron Bass is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter for his script for "Rain man," which dealt with the relationship between a man and his autistic brother. His other scripts have included "My Best Friends Wedding," "Sleeping with the Enemey," "Waiting to Exhale," "How Stella got her Groove back," "Stepmom," "Entrapment," and "Snow falls on Cedars".
http://www.mozartandthewhale.com/