Gabriele Salvatores begins filming ‘La variante di Lüneburg’

Filming has commenced in Trieste and Rome for ‘La variante di Lüneburg’, the new film written and directed by Oscar winner Gabriele Salvatores. Based on the novel by the late Paolo Maurensig, the film is described as a noir set within the world of chess.

The narrative follows a duel lasting over forty years between two chess masters—one Jewish and the other a Nazi officer—using the chessboard as a metaphor for their struggle through the Second World War. The cast includes Toni Servillo, Sebastian Koch, Damian Hardung, Eduardo Scarpetta, and Thomas Prenn.

Production is a collaboration involving Lotus Production, Leone Film Group, Rai Cinema, Vice Pictures, Indiana Production, and MDE, with support from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission. Filming is expected to last nine weeks.