A group of Italian filmmakers is currently touring southern Poland in search for location sites for an international project of RAI Television, provisionally entitled The Battle of Vienna.

The central character of the film is Marco d'Aviano, a wandering preacher for the Capuchin monastic order, who is credited with rallying Catholics and Protestants on the eve of the Battle of Vienna of 1683.

The practical result of this alliance was the relief of Vienna, in which King Jan III Sobieski of Poland led an army of 70 thousand troops (Poles and Germans) against 100,000 Turks sieging the capital of the Habsburg Empire. This military success was crucial to halting the advance of Turkish soldiers into Europe.

The character of Marco d'Aviano is to be played by Adrien Brody (who won an Oscar award for his role in Roman Polański’s The Pianist). Harvey Keitel is to portray King Jan Sobieski. The cast is also to include Polish actors - Piotr Adamczyk, Borys Szyc, Tomasz Karolak and Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.

The Italians are also holding talks on hiring Polish companies to cooperate in the production process, such as construction firms. The tour is organised by the local government of the Podkarpacie Province, which sees the production as a major chance for the promotion of the region and a boost to its economy.

The team includes the film’s producer Alessandro Leone and director Renzo Martinelli. (mk/jb)

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