Shekhar Kapur Takes on ‘Foreign Bodies’: A Film About Vaccine Pioneer Waldemar Haffkine at Cannes Market
EXCLUSIVE: Acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, known for his BAFTA-winning work on Elizabeth, is set to direct Foreign Bodies, a historical drama centered on the life of vaccine pioneer and bacteriologist Waldemar Haffkine.
Haffkine, who is relatively unknown to the broader public, was a Ukrainian-Jewish scientist whose groundbreaking work on cholera and plague vaccines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries saved millions of lives. Appointed as the State Bacteriologist by the British Raj in India, Haffkine faced false accusations of causing the deaths of nineteen individuals from tetanus, a scandal that was dubbed “the Second Dreyfus Affair.”
Set against the backdrops of Odesa, Paris, London, Mumbai, and Kolkata, the film will follow Haffkine as a talented outsider molded by persecution, exile, and personal loss, who repeatedly risks his health and reputation in the quest for scientific truth.
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The project is being produced by Helen Hadfield of Snapper Films, Alexandra Stone of Streetcar Productions, Egor Olesov of United Heroes, and J.D. Zacharias of Curiosity Rights.
Currently, casting discussions are in progress, with producers actively participating in conversations at the Cannes market to engage potential partners for the film.
The screenplay is written by British screenwriter Paul Twivy, who has dedicated the past three years to uncovering Haffkine’s story with access to family records.
Twivy stated, “Shekhar’s extraordinary skill and insight when directing biopics such as Elizabeth, makes him a perfect fit for a story that blends in-depth character study with scientific discovery, romantic obsession, and sweeping historical upheaval.”
