UK/Russianco-production In Transit started productionin St Petersburg yesterday.

TomRoberts, who has directed dozens of documentaries for BBC, PBS, and Channel 4,will make his narrative directorial debut.

Thecast features John Malkovich, Thomas Kretschmann, Daniel Bruhl, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Eugene Mironov, Vera Farmiga, and JohnLynch.

TheThema Productions project will shoot for five weeks. Thema's Michael Dounaev, Jimmy DeBrabant, and Kami Naghdiare producing.

In Transit,set in 1946, is about German soldiers who are sent to a transit camp intendedfor Russian women prisoners.

"Thisis a story of forgiveness and the triumph of the human spirit," Dounaev said. "I think it is very relevant today as itshows us that war is not a solution to conflict."

Sergei Asktakhovis the director of photography.

Luxembourg-basedThema Productions, with offices in London,Moscow,and St Petersburg,is a subsidiary of Russian financial services giant AFK Sistema.Thema previously worked on films including WoodyAllen's Match Point and Mike Barker's A Good Woman.

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