Experiencing Interruptions?

The Cost of Loving

A couple’s daughter is abducted by a human trafficking organization, forcing Alex and Lukas to confront the harrowing truth that her adoption was based on forged documents.

  • Anton Cobb
    Director
  • Todor Barganov
    Director
    In Her Skin
  • Patrick Christopher Ehler
    Writer
  • Paul Williams Donovan
    Writer
  • Inga Fabian
    Producer
    Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Murder on the Orient Express, House of the Dragon, Fall Risk,
  • Patrick Christopher Ehler
    Producer
  • Gray GRAY MA
    Producer
    Secretly Married to My Boss, Foget Me Not: Omega's Return,
  • Patrick Christopher Ehler
    Key Cast
    "Alex Zeitler"
    Storm of Love, Davos 1917, The Signal, Herrhausen
  • Paul Williams Donovan
    Key Cast
    "Lukas Zeitler"
    Abandonados, Remote Work
  • Zoe Pönisch
    Key Cast
    "Sofia Zeitler"
  • Chrisna Lungala
    Music
    Truth, Get Home Safe
  • Katharina Morhankova
    Supporting Cast
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, For All Mankind, Ambrosio
  • Michelle Shapa
    Supporting Cast
    The Palace, Sacha
  • Vanessa Nottingham
    Supporting Cast
    Till Death, Dhar Mann
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Human Trafficking, Documentary, Docufiction, Queer, Family, Psychological Thriller, LGBTQ
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 30, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany, United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, Germany, United States
  • Language:
    English, German, Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Anton Cobb, Todor Barganov

Anton Cobb, born in New York City, currently lives and works as a Creative Director in Berlin. He has established himself in the fashion industry through styling and creative direction for international publications ranging from Vogue to Interview Magazine. He has collaborated with a wide array of celebrities, including Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe, Whitney Houston, and Matthias Schweighöfer. Anton shapes visual identities, characters, and spaces for motion pictures that explore themes of identity, culture, and time.

Todor Barganov is a bulgarian filmmaker who lives in Munich, and Sofia. He studied at Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’. He is the Managing Art Director of Studio Karakashyan, where he produces and directs films and artistic projects to develop rising artists.

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Director Statement

'The Cost of Loving is an investigation of how much we are willing to pay for love, to pay to be able to love someone, or even to receive. It is a reflection on the bonds we build and the unexpected ways our fragile nature can be tested. We wanted to question if what we do is too much or sometimes not enough. Telling it through a story that captures not only the gentle moments but also the shadows it casts when truth and morality come into conflict. With The Cost of Loving we decided to call attention to these real, documented, and painful truths in a fictionalized and stylized short film.'

Anton Cobb & Todor Barganov