The producer of “Ida” and “Cold War” was introduced to James Wilson – a British producer working closely with Jonathan Glazer – during the Cannes festival in 2018. Glazer and Wilson then decided to shoot for “Zones of interest” in Poland. Ewa Puszczyńska was responsible for organizing the shooting in a country foreign to the British, as well as the role of a creative producer, who was responsible for finding – on the Polish side – the right people to cooperate with. However, before the meeting on the French Riviera took place in 2018, Jonathan Glazer had already prepared for several years, collecting materials for the script. A co-producer was associated with this stage of work Bartek Rainski, whom the director of “Under The Skin” met years ago on one of the advertising sets. Rainski has been regularly visiting Oświęcim since 2016, intensively participating in the process of meticulous research. This stage would not be so fruitful without the involvement and support of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. The museum participated in the film-making process for almost a decade.
“9 years to make a film is an extremely long process. Usually, when projects about Auschwitz were being created, someone came to us with a practically completed script. So we could just take a look and decide to cooperate. Usually, the creators are amazed when they hear that we would not cooperate due to numerous historical shortcomings. In this case, I remember our first conversation with Jonathan Glazer. He told me that he didn’t really know what kind of film it would be yet, that he wanted to learn as much as possible. I don’t remember ever having anything something like that happened. I then had the impression that the person on the other side wanted to really explore this topic and came to talk at the very beginning. This doesn’t happen,” said Piotr Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, during a Q&A after a special screening of “Strefa of Interest ” in museum.
“We hired people who came to the archives every day for over a year and searched sheet by sheet for absolutely everything that concerned the commander, his family and those closest to him. It was practically detective work. (…) Determining where the end of this research was, “it was difficult because new threads were constantly emerging. It lasted practically until the very end of work on the film,” said Bartek Rainski in one of the interviews. Employees and historians cooperating with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum were involved in this stage of work on the “Zone of Interest”. One of such people was Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz – author of the book “The Private Life of SS Men in Auschwitz”.
“Our historians received hundreds, if not thousands, of questions. Through e-mails, conversations, telephone calls, and text messages, they were asked about the thickness and height of the wall, the swimming pool, its size, and about a particular tree in the area. Should this model of radio be on the shelf or another, whether it had already been produced or not yet? At one point, the precision bordered on madness. No one had ever asked us about anything in such detail,” recalled Piotr Cywiński.
Jonathan Glazer, together with production designer Chris Oddy, created a 3D computer model of the Höss house, which allowed them to carefully plan how the audience – through the placement of cameras – would follow the everyday life of the main characters. These tests led to the decision to simultaneously shoot scenes in several rooms at the same time. An experienced cinematographer was needed for such a demanding undertaking in terms of camera skills and technology.
During the Q&A after the special screening of “Stream of Interest” at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, Jonathan Glazer talked about the fact that after deciding to shoot in Poland, the choice Łukasz Żal on the cinematographer was obvious. At the same time, he emphasized that the cooperation between the director and the cinematographer is very intimate and before starting the project together, he had to be sure that he and Łukasz shared the same sensitivity. Before they met on the set of “Business Zone”, they shot an advertising spot for the Alexander McQueen collection together in London. The first joint project was supposed to be a test that ended in success. The entire camera and technical department accompanying Łukasz Żal on the set of “Strefa Pracy” consisted of Polish creators.
Ewa Puszczyńska describes her role in the project as that of a midwife who creates conditions for the director to realize his vision as faithfully as possible. The producer’s role was to provide Jonathan Glazer with the most comfortable working conditions by collaborating with the most outstanding in their fields. He was responsible for the make-up on the set of “Strone of Interest”. Waldemar Pokromski (“Katyń”, “Revenge”, “The Pianist”, “Oliver Twist”, “Chłopi”). The leadership of the costume department was entrusted Małgorzata Karpiuk (“Quo Vadis, Aida”, series: “Warszawianka”, “Absolutni debutanci”).
Most of the photos were taken right next to the wall of the former camp. The house that plays the Höss estate is located close to the real – inhabited today – house of Rudolf and Hedwig. Interestingly, the vacant house converted into the commandant’s villa was the first house the team saw. Due to the adaptation difficulties of the facility and unexplained ownership rights, the search for a house was continued and lasted for as long as a year. After this time, the team returned to the starting point – the owner of the house was found, and the set design team could start the process of faithfully adapting the space. The main production designer of the film was Chris Oddy, his close collaborators were Joanna Maria Kuś and Katarzyna Sikora – all three of them received a nomination for the British Academy Film Academy BAFTA award for their set design in “Strefa Biznesu”.
In addition to Oświęcim, photos were also taken in Książ Castle in Wałbrzych and in Silesia. The film’s co-producer is the Silesia Film Film Institution in Katowice – a cultural institution of the Silesian Voivodeship Self-Government, which deals with activities in the field of cinematography, protection of film heritage and the promotion and dissemination of film art, primarily related to the region. The Silesian locations that viewers can see in the film are the interiors of the Silesian Provincial Office and the interiors of the Silesian Safes. The person responsible for the locations was the Location Manager Michał Śliwkiewicz.