director and screenwriter marleen gorris envisioned the story as distinct from her previous work, such as "a question of silence" (1982), which she referred to as "indictments against society". she referred to "antonia" as "a celebration of life", incorporating fairy tale elements and cruel details. gorris finished the screenplay in 1988. however, making the film took three attempts, with challenges stemming from putting together a large cast and finding a village that could be portrayed as realistic for a 50-year period. it was eventually filmed in belgium.