ANGELINA JOLIE WRAPS PRODUCTION ON BY THE SEA IN MALTA

ANGELINA JOLIE WRAPS PRODUCTION ON BY THE SEA IN MALTA

Starring Jolie and Brad Pitt, the Upcoming Drama Serves as Jolie’s Directorial Follow-Up to Christmas 2014’s Unbroken

Gozo, Malta, November 16, 2014—Universal Pictures today announced the end of principal photography on By the Sea, Academy Award^® winner Angelina Jolie’s directorial follow-up to Universal’s epic drama Unbroken, which arrives in theaters beginning December 25, 2014. By the Sea was lensed over the course of nine weeks in the town of Mġarr ix-Xini on the island of Gozo in Malta.

Written, directed and produced by Jolie, By the Sea is a dramatic film that draws us into a moving and intimate portrayal of a marriage in apparent crisis. Set during the 1970s in a quiet French seaside town with its lifetime residents and itinerant visitors, By the Sea explores timeless themes that accompany a life fully lived—loss and grief—and our indomitable ability to repair and recover.

“It has been such a fulfilling experience to shoot By the Sea in Malta, and I am honored to have spent time on this beautiful island learning about its rich history and fascinating culture,” said Jolie. “I am deeply grateful to all those who worked so hard on the film and the endless hospitality and generosity of the people of Gozo.”

In the drama, we meet an American writer named Roland (Brad Pitt) and his wife Vanessa (Jolie), a former dancer, who are traveling through France. When he befriends the village’s bar/café-keeper (Niels Arestrup) and hotel owner (Richard Bohringer), the couple discovers locals who appear to embody the village’s provincial culture…and the inherent wisdom that comes from this way of life.

In style and content, By the Sea—which co-stars Melvil Poupaud and Mélanie Laurent—calls to mind European cinema and theater of the ’60s and ’70s: classic stories set in this particular time and place, but whose depictions of character and emotion are universal.

Jolie is supported behind the scenes on By the Sea by a key crew that includes cinematographer Christian Berger (The White Ribbon), who used his Cine Reflect Lighting System to shoot the film; production designer Jon Hutman (Unbroken); editor Patricia Rommel (The Lives of Others); and costume designer Ellen Mirojnick (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps). Pitt joins her in production duties, while Chris Brigham (Inception), Holly Goline-Sadowski (Unbroken) and Michael Vieira (Unbroken) serve as executive producers.

Universal will release By the Sea worldwide.

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