Project Detail

Secret Passage

Synopsis

Spain 1492. Inseparable sisters Isabel and Clara have their privileged lives torn apart by the arrival of the Inquisition, which decrees that all Jews must either convert to Catholicism or be banished into exile. The sisters flee to Holland, where Isabel assumes the role of head of the family and arranges for Clara to marry Alfonso Salvador, with whom Clara has a daughter, Victoria. Alfonso's trading activities amass a fortune for the family, and he and Isabel use their influence to help other Jews escape the Inquisition. Despite their fortune, the threat of discovery is always nearby; tragedy strikes again when Alfonso's activities are discovered and he is executed. Isabel, Clara and Victoria must flee once again. This time their destination is the great maritime empire of Venice, from where they plan to make a final escape to the safety of Turkey.

On arrival in Venice, Isabel tries to negotiate their passage to Istanbul, but the Turks insist that as payment they want to learn the secrets of Venetian glassmaking - a national treasure, the details of which are guarded under death penalty. Isabel realises that she and Clara will have to penetrate Venetian society if they are to learn the secrets of glass and achieve their escape to Turkey.

Details

Year
2002
Type of project
Features
Running time
100 mins
Format
35mm
Director
Ademir Kenovic
Producer
Jimmy de Brabant, Chris Curling
Editor
Robin Sales
Screenwriter
Dominique Bursztein, Ademir Kenovic
Director of Photography
Vilko Fivac
Sound
Carlo Thoss
Composer
Ranko Richtman
Principal cast
Catherine Borowitz, John Turturro, Tara Fitzgerald

Genre

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Zephyr Films and Delux Productions

Contact: Chris Curling, Jimmy de Brabant
48a Goodge Street
London W1T 4LX
UK

T 00 44 (0) 20 7255 3555

chris@zephyrfilms.co.uk

Sales Company

IAC Films

Greencoat House
15 Francis Street
London
SW1P 1DM
UK

T 00 44 (0) 20 7592 1620

general@iacholdings.co.uk

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Bertie Taylor-Smith, Alex Paper Cut

Director: Jack Sain

Year: 2026

Long-lost siblings meet for dinner. They end the night in drag. By sunrise, a shocking revelation tests the limits of love and acceptance. PAPER CUT is a debut feature from queer British writer-director Jack Sain. Alex has just found Alice - the birth sister he never knew existed - living four tube stops away. He invites her and her boyfriend over for dinner at the comfortable London home he shares with his boyfriend Sasha. Everyone is on their best behaviour. Everyone has rehearsed. By midnight, all four of them are in drag at a queer nightclub. By 5am, something comes to light that none of them can take back. The film puts social satire through an experimental lens, with a propulsive original score and formally adventurous set pieces, including a split-screen sequence. It asks what happens when people who pride themselves on openness are confronted with something they cannot absorb. The cast includes legendary trans actress Adèle Anderson, Olivier Award nominee and longtime member of cabaret trio Fascinating Aïda, and Barney White of ITV's Professor T - pairing established stage and screen talent with brilliant newcomers.

Jaydeep talking in the bedroom Life Is 4 ½ Metres

Director: Jeevan Singh

Year: 2026

A coming-of-age drama exploring identity, faith and belonging. What begins as an internal conflict develops into an emotional journey that forces the central character to confront what his faith, family and heritage truly mean to him. Inspired by true events, Life Is 4½ Metres is an intimate and heartfelt story about growing up, the bonds between father and son, and the quiet struggles that can shape a young person’s identity. At its heart, the film explores how the traditions we sometimes question can ultimately become the things that connect us most deeply to who we are.

Elenya, the self-proclaimed Elvish Princess, sitting at Hackney Marshes. The Lost Princess of Hackney

Director: Fenton Dyer

Year: 2026

A self-proclaimed Elvish Princess finds herself stranded on our world in the Hackney Marshes. Without any magic to return home, she searches for purpose but develops an unlikely friendship with a sceptical student filmmaker.