27–29 july 2016 - Nowe Horyzonty

Transcription

27–29 july 2016 - Nowe Horyzonty
polish days
27–29 july 2016
Polish Days are part of the 16. T-Mobile New Horizons IFF
festival organizers:
Roman Gutek – Festival Director
Joanna Łapińska – Artistic Director, Head of Polish Days
Monica Semczyk – Polish Days Coordinator
Jan Naszewski – Programming Advisor
Urszula Pogorzelska, Franz Jud, Filip Grabowski – Guest Services
Lila Feduniak – Hospitality
Polish Days Co-Organizers (Polish Film Institute):
Magdalena Sroka – General Director of Polish Film Institute
Katarzyna Mazurkiewicz – Head of International Relations, Polish Film Institute
Olga Domżała – Film Sales Support & Pr Manager, Polish Film Institute
special thanks to:
Tomasz Dąbrowski, Anna E. Dziedzic (Film Commission Poland), Anna Spisz,
Michał Kosmala (Mazovia-Warsaw Film Commission), Natalia Stysło, Rafał Bubnicki
(Wrocław Film Commission), Paweł Potoroczyn, Grzegorz Skorupski (Adam Mickiewicz
Institute), Malwina Czajka (Toya Studios), Wojciech Kabarowski, Magdalena Widuch
(ColorOffOn Film), Marlena Łukasiak (Polish Cultural Institute London), Anna MacDonald
(London Film Academy), Nadia Dresti, Markus Duffner (Locarno Film Festival),
Kristina Trapp (EAVE), Irena Gruca-Rozbicka, Małgorzata Stasiak (FilmPro),
Michał Klimkiewicz, Katarzyna Grynienko, Anna Franklin (Film New Europe),
Jolanta Tokarczyk, Ewa Kowalska (Film & TV Kamera), Michał Weksler, Anna Kaczmarek,
Katarzyna Kucia, Joanna Staros (SNH).
thank you!
contact details:
t-mobile new horizons international film festival
1 zamenhofa str.
00-153 warsaw
poland
tel.: +48 22 530 66 40
www.nowehoryzonty.pl
contact during polish days:
Monica Semczyk
monica.semczyk@snh.org.pl
tel. +48 536 179 204
www.nowehoryzonty.pl/polishdays
Polish Days Programme
wednesday, 27 july 2.30 pm – 5.30 pm
2.30 pm – 5.30 pm
7.00 pm
8.00 pm
participants arrivals
Study Trip in Wrocław organized by the Wrocław Film Commission
(foreign producers and film funds have priority – please sign up at guests@nowehoryzonty.pl by the 25th July 12:00 noon)
LEAVING FROM PURO HOTEL AT 2.30 PM SHARP!
Pitching Training (for Polish participants of Pitching and Works in Progress) – with David Pope, Patrick Fischer and Aleksandra Leszczyńska
(Puro Hotel, 6 Włodkowica St.)
Producers Meeting (Garden of Ossolineum, 37 Szewska St.) by invitation only
Welcome Grill Party (Garden of Ossolineum, 37 Szewska St.)
thursday, 28 july
9.00 am 10.45 am – 1.45 pm 1.45 pm 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm 3.00 pm 5.00 pm 3.30 pm – 7.00 pm 8.00 pm 11.30 pm friday, 29 july
9.00 am 10.45 am – 1.45 pm 1.45 pm 3.00 pm 5.00 pm 3.30 pm – 7.00 pm 8.00 pm 11.30 pm Screening of Knives Out, 90’ – New Horizons Cinema 5
Pitching (10 projects) – New Horizons Cinema 5
Lunch hosted by Gdynia Film Festival (Puro Hotel’s Garden, 6 Włodkowica St.)
Sound design workshop. Case study: All These Sleepless Nights and TOYA Studios (Puro Hotel conference room)
– limited space – please sign up at guests@nowehoryzonty.pl
Screening of Photon, 107’ – New Horizons Cinema 5
Screening of The Last Family (Ostatnia Rodzina), 124’ – New Horizons Cinema 5 – FOR FOREIGN GUESTS ONLY
One-on-One Meetings (Puro Hotel’s Garden, 6 Włodkowica St.)
Reception (Uff, 1a Nankiera St.)
Happy Hours (Industry Section – Arsenal Festival Music Club, 9 Cieszyńskiego St.)
Screening of Communion (Komunia), 72’– New Horizons Cinema 5
Screening of Works in Progress – New Horizons Cinema 5
Lunch (Puro Hotel’s Garden, 6 Włodkowica St.)
Screening of The Erlprince (Królewicz Olch), 101’ – New Horizons Cinema 5 – FOR FOREIGN GUESTS ONLY
Screening of Waves (Fale), 78’ – New Horizons Cinema 5
One-on-One Meetings (Puro Hotel’s Garden, 6 Włodkowica St.)
Closing Reception (Muzeum Architektury / Museum of Architecture, 5 Bernardyńska St.)
Happy Hours (Industry Section – Arsenal Festival Music Club, 9 Cieszyńskiego St.)
New Horizons Cinema is located on 19a-21 Kazimierza Wielkiego St.
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polish days
Polish Days Partnernship with First Look of Locarno IFF /
EAVE scholarship /Toya Studios Sound Design Workshop
Polish Days Partnership with First Look of Locarno International Film Festival
Locarno’s works in progress sidebar, designed as a springboard for the films of the
future, will be focusing this year on Polish Cinema, one of Eastern Europe’s most thriving
film industries. The producers of the selected projects will attend the Festival and
present their work to industry professionals, with the aim of facilitating completion and
distribution of their product.
During the Industry Days the films in post-production will be screened for sales agents,
buyers, programmers and postproduction support fund representatives attending
Locarno.
The initiative, organized in collaboration with the Polish Film Institute and with the
support of Fundacja Polskie Centrum Audiowizualne boasts, this year, a jury composed by
Kerem Ayan (Istanbul International Film Festival), Cameron Bailey (Toronto International
Film Festival) and Bero Beyer (International Film Festival Rotterdam) that will hand out
the First Look award on August 8 sponsored by Cinelab Romania worth 65,000 euros in
post-production services, and an award offered by Le Film Français in advertising worth
5,500 euros.
Polish Days Partnership with EAVE scholarship
EAVE and the Polish Film Institute are joining forces for a new partnership that will offer
a scholarship for one Polish producer and project for the EAVE 2017 Producers
Workshop, presented during the Polish Days awards ceremony on July 29th 2016. Recent
Polish projects developed at EAVE such as United States of Love (directed by Tomasz
Wasilewski) received a Silver Bear at Berlinale 2016 and The Here After by Magnus
von Horn screened in Directors Fortnight in Cannes 2015. EAVE is extremely delighted
and could not imagine a better platform for this cooperation than the New Horizons
International Film Festival, renowned for presenting uncompromising, innovative and
original cinema from all over the world.
13 Summers Under the Water – Wiktoria Szymańska
Birds are Singing in Kigali – Joanna Kos-Krauze,Krzysztof Krauze
Toya Studios Sound Design Workshop.
All These Sleepless Nights and TOYA Studios.
The Butler (Kamerdyner) – FIlip Bajon
Day of Chocolate – Jacek Piotr Bławut
I’m a Killer (Jestem Mordercą) – Maciej Pieprzyca
Zgoda – Maciej Sobieszczański
“Locarno’s First Look joins forces with Polish Days in Wrocław, to highlight one of Eastern
Europe’s most thriving film industries on both of these springboards for the newest
productions and launching their international careers. The 2 events will present a total of
13 works in progress with only 2 being presented in both Festivals, aiming to attract the
attention of Sales Agents and Festival Programmers.”
Nadia Dresti, Locarno’s Vice Artistic Director and Head of International
First Look on Polish Cinema (August 6 – 8)
Locarno’s works in progress sidebar, designed as a springboard for the films of the future,
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polish days
Jan Passeman (sound designer), Katarzyna Szczerba (set sound / sound editor) and the
director Michal Marczak will explain their creative thought process of using extensive ADR,
full sound reconstruction and over ninety tracks of music to create a unique soundscape
that seamlessly blends in from the subjective to the objective and from dream to reality.
Date: 28 July 2016, Thursday
Hour: 3 p.m.
Place: Hotel Puro
Guests: Jan Passeman (sound designer), Katarzyna Szczerba (sound editor),
Michal Marczak (director), Marta Golba (producer)
welcome
Joanna Łapińska
Head of Polish Days, Artistic Director of T-Mobile New Horizons IFF
fot. Ania Jochymek
Welcome to Polish Days!
For several years now, we’ve shared with you different faces of Polish cinema and established a networking forum for Polish
and international film industry professionals. Each year, we hear how important Polish Days has become for many of you,
which obviously delights us. It also reinforces our belief that we make a genuine contribution to helping you, which is the
greatest compliment of our efforts. It is with great pleasure, then, that I invite you to this year’s screenings of Polish films
and meetings with filmmakers. I expect you are familiar with some of the directors presenting their films at Polish Days 2016
because they have been with us before. We’re thrilled to see their latest projects. Polish cinema has recently experienced
dynamic growth, and we’re happy to also present new directors to you.
Polish Days would not be possible without the help of our partners. Thank you all for being with us. The Polish Film Institute
has been with us from the start. We are grateful for the support of the city of Wrocław, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute,
T-Mobile, as well as the National Audiovisual Institute, Film Commission Poland, Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, Wrocław
Film Commission, Coloroffon Film, Toya Studios, First Look of Locarno Film Festival, EAVE and Festivalscope. What a pleasure
and privilege it has been to prepare this event in such great company.
I hope you’ll enjoy this celebration of Polish cinema, filled with excellent, intense and fruitful sessions at Polish Days!
I wish you all a great time during our Polish Days!
Joanna Łapińska
Head of Polish Days / Artistic Director of T-Mobile New Horizons IFF
Magdalena Sroka
General Director of the Polish Film Institute
fot. Marcin Kułakowski
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This year marks the fifth edition of Polish Days, the top industry event of the T-Mobile New Horizons IFF. This joint initiative
of the Polish Film Institute and the festival team has become one of the most interesting events dedicated to promoting
Polish cinema and showcasing film projects at all stages of production. The importance of Polish Days for the international
promotion of Polish cinema cannot be overstated. We are happy to see so many of you attend this event every year and
participate in screenings of Poland’s latest film projects. I hope that Wrocław, the European Capital of Culture 2016, along
with Polish filmmakers will encourage you to return next year.
The fifth edition of Polish Days will feature special screenings of several completed Polish films, as well as over a dozen
projects currently in development or in production. The Polish film industry is developing rapidly thanks to the energy of
young and emerging filmmakers. I encourage you to discover new talented Polish film artists and discuss the projects with
their respective creators. I hope that you find the films screened in Wrocław appealing on both the artistic and the production
level.
Enjoy your experience with the latest in Polish cinema.
Magdalena Sroka
General Director of the Polish Film Institute
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completed films
Knives Out
Przemysław Wojcieszek
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Communion
Norman Leto
Ostatnia Rodzina
8
The Erlprince
Komunia
Anna Zamecka
The Last Family
Photon
Kuba Czekaj
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Waves
Królewicz Olch
10
Jan P. Matuszyński
Fale
11
Grzegorz Zariczny
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GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Przemysław Wojcieszek
PRODUCER: Agata Walkosz
PRODUCTION COMPANY: CHŁOPIEC PTAK I ANIOŁ
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 20 000 EUR
WORLD PREMIERE: T-Mobile New Horizons IFF WORLD SALES: Open
Knives Out
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Przemysław Wojcieszek
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Przemysław Wojcieszek, tel. + 48 513 067 333
Six twenty something year olds meet at a lakeside summer house. This is their first time getting together
since high school. Some of them have started careers, while others have not. Some of them enjoy the
pleasures in life, while others vent their hidden frustrations. The seventh character is a young Ukrainian
named Solomia who works at the same company as one of the evening’s protagonists, Igor. Solomia is an
outsider and is at times an object of hatred on the part of Hubert, who persuades others, drunk and lost, to
take part in an act of violence against the girl.
Director’s statement:
It’s the only film dealing with the rise of nationalism and xenophobia in today’s Poland. It was produced independently as all
film institutions in Poland are already taken over by the far right. The New Horizon screenings are the film’s world premiere.
Przemysław Wojcieszek
Polish film and theatre director and
screenwriter. He studied Polish at the
Jagiellonian and Wrocław Universities.
Wojcieszek authored the script to Witold
Adamek’s film Monday, as well as all of
his own films; his directorial debut came
in 1999 with Kill Them All. He received
the ‘Polityka’ magazine Passport (promising young artist award) in the
film category. In 2004 he debuted as a playwright and theater director
with the play Made in Poland. His films The Perfect Afternoon, Made in
Poland and Secret screened at Berlinale.
CHŁOPIEC PTAK I ANIOŁ – The company was established in 2015 It’s aim is to independently produce feature films with a strong political and social context.
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GENRE: Docudrama DIRECTOR: Norman Leto
PRODUCER: Daniel Markowicz
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Lightcraft
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 1 600 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open WORLD PREMIERE: Open
Photon
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Daniel Markowicz, Norman Leto, Piotr Galon
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Daniel Markowicz, daniel@lightcraft.pl
Photon is inspired by David Deutsch’s bestseller, “Beginning of Infinity” which is a summary of the human knowledge of
life and evolution. The film shows what we know about the creation of matter. The first part (The Beginning) focuses on
the creation of matter, stars and the planets. Next, the story goes on to the second part (Life). The narrator explains what
we know about the creation of life. Thanks to an eloquent example of a pensioners family (Emilia and Wojciech), the film
explains causes of such phenomena as alcoholism or domestic violence. The last chapter is the story of a TV channel which
is being watched by the mentioned family (with astonishment because of the topics). The TV channel is about the future
of human kind. The extremely plastic story ends with a physician’s predictions about the apocalypse. This gives perfect
symmetry to the first scenes of the film that show today’s model of the big bang at the beginning of time.
Director’s statement:
Photon will summarize human knowledge of the universe. I do not care about excessive poetic pathos (like Tree of Life)
or about achieving the warm documentary tone of the BBC series Life, which is packed with special effects foreshadowing
the contents. The story will conclude by showing the currently operating predictions about the end of time and space as we
know them today. This will create a fine symmetry with the first part dealing with the space-time origins.
Norman Leto
An artist, self-educated in the field of
video, film and new media. Norman Leto’s
debut solo exhibition took place in the
Centre of Contemporary Art in Warsaw
in 2007. He worked with the director
Krystian Lupa on Factory Two, where
his job was to prepare video sequences
shown during the performance. From 2009-2010, Norman Leto
devoted himself to residency in New York in order to complete his
autobiographical novel “Sailor”. Simultaneously, he completed a fulllength film with the same title. Fully financed by the author, the film
was well received at the 10th Era Nowe Horyzonty Film Festival.
Lightcraft – commercial, broadcast and feature film production and post-production company founded in 1997. We have worked successfully on more than 1500 commercials,
300 music videos and over 15 feature films for international clients and some of the world’s biggest film studios, including 20th Century Fox and Lions Gate. Our core strengths are
complemented by a solid 3D department and unique in-house high-end graphic tools.
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GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Jan P. Matuszyński
PRODUCERS: Leszek Bodzak, Aneta Hickinbotham
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Aurum Film PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 1 400 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: New Europe Film Sales WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno IFF 2016 (Main Competition)
The Last Family
Ostatnia Rodzina
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Jan Naszewski, Leszek Bodzak, Jan P. Matuszyński
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Jan Naszewski, jan@neweuropefilmsales.com, +48 600 173 205
Leszek Bodzak, bodzak@aurumfilm.pl, +48 504 275 800
Beksiński is a gentle man with arachnophobia, despite his hardcore sexual fantasies and his fondness for
painting disturbing dystopian works. Beksiński is a family man who wants only the best for his loving wife
Zofia, neurotic son Tomasz and the couple’s aging mothers. His daily painting to classical music eventually
pays off and he makes a name for himself in contemporary art. Good Catholic woman Zofia tries to hold
the family together, but troubled son Tomasz proves to be a handful with his violent outbursts and suicidal
threats. Their relief is brief when he starts dating women and becomes a radio presenter and movie
translator, and the concerned parents must be on constant watch to prevent their son from hurting himself.
But Beksiński never believed that family life would always be sunshine and rainbows. As he tapes everything
with his beloved camcorder, the 28-year Beksiński saga unfolds through paintings, near-death experiences,
dance music trends and funerals...
Director’s statement:
Far from being a classic biopic, The Last Family is a darkly humorous story about strong family ties. About peculiar love,
marked by death, which lurks everywhere – it is present through Zdzisław’s paintings; through music, beloved by his son
Tomasz; the disease, which afflicts his wife Zofia.
It is also a story about people who experience their lives as an explosive
mix of ideas taken from cinema, art, music and everyday reality. It shows how disappointment with life can become the
worst nightmare. Finally, it is a movie about artistic nonfulfillment – about a family formed and destroyed by art. Having full
access to Beksiński family archives allowed us to create a movie that will paint an extremely realistic picture of the family.
I wanted to shoot a complete film, meaningful and significant, unforgettable thanks to the utterly realistic performances by
best Polish film actors with international experience.
Jan P. Matuszyński
Born in 1984. Jan graduated in Film
Directing from the Radio and TV
Department of the University of
Silesia in Katowice and completed the
Documentary Course at the Wajda School.
His films such as 15 Years of Silence,
Afterparty, and Heaven have been
screened and won prizes at numerous festivals in Poland and abroad.
Jan P. Matuszyński is most recognized for his documentary Deep Love
(Best Documentary Award at the 36th IFF in Moscow, the Silver Horn
award for Best Feature Documentary Film at the 54th Kraków FF and
more). The Last Family will be his feature film debut.
Aurum Film – a company specializing in film and television production. Currently, we mainly produce feature films, but also documentary films, commercials, promotional and
educational films. Aurum Film cooperates with nationwide TV stations – public and private. We are developing projects in Poland as well as abroad and working with specialists at all
stages of film production. The company has its own film equipment such as the Arri Alexa RAW XT XR Drive with accessories, Sony PMW-F5 Recorder RAW with accessories, O’Connor
ripods, a set of 9 ZEISS Ultra Prime LDS lenses, Arri Alura 18-80 lens and also Avid 7 Media Composer Nitris DX.
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GENRE: Documentary DIRECTOR: Anna Zamecka
PRODUCERS: Anna Wydra, Anna Zamecka, Zuzanna Król, Hanka Kastelicova, Izabela Łopuch
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Otter Films, Wajda Studio, HBO Europe
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 WORLD SALES: Chat&Doce
WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno IFF 2016 (Semaine de la Critique)
Communion
Komunia
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Anna Zamecka, Anna Wydra CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Anna Wydra,
annawydra@otterfilm.pl, tel. +48 609 841 445, Anna Zamecka, ania.zamecka@gmail.com
When adults are ineffectual, children have to grow up quickly. Ola is 14 and she takes care of her
dysfunctional father, autistic brother and a mother who lives apart from them and is mainly heard the
phone. Most of all she wants to reunite a family that simply doesn’t work - like a defective TV set. She lives
in the hope of bringing her mother back home. Her 13 year old brother Nikodem’s Holy Communion is a
pretext for the family to meet up. Ola is entirely responsible for preparing the perfect family celebration.
Communion reveals the beauty of the rejected, the strength of the weak and the need for change when
change seems impossible. This crash course in growing up teaches us that failure is not final. Especially
when love is in question.
Anna Zamecka
Lives and works in Warsaw, Poland. She
studied Journalism, Anthropology and
Photography in Warsaw and Copenhagen.
She completed the Dok Pro Documentary
Programme at the Wajda School.
Communion is her full-length debut.
Director’s statement:
Having met Ola, Nikodem and their father I knew I wanted to make a film: about the strength of unconditional family love
and the bonds forever securing it. In a cramped flat – where everything gets lost, deteriorates or falls to pieces - I saw three
people so connected that a mere gesture from one of them led to an avalanche of reactions: anger, fear and concealed
emotions. To capture this throng of objects and feelings the camera had to become the fourth family member.
Otter Films – Warsaw-based company producing both fiction and documentary films. Most of projects are international co-productions shot all over the world. Beginning 2016
premiered Zud, fiction debut by Marta Minorowicz on Berlinale. HBO is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. In Europe HBO offers programming to
subscribers in nineteen countries. HBO Europe is an award-winning producer of documentaries and series. Wajda Studio was founded in 2011 by two directors Andrzej Wajda and
Wojciech Marczewski. Thanks to the close co-operation with the Polish Film Institute Wajda Studio produced over 80 documentaries and short features.
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GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Kuba Czekaj
PRODUCER: Ewa Jastrzębska
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Munk Studio-Polish Filmmakers Association
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 WORLD SALES: Open
The Erlprince
Królewicz Olch
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Kuba Czekaj
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Kuba Czekaj, info@kubaczekaj.com
The Erlprince is the story about an exceptionally gifted fourteen-year-old Boy who has just started studying
physics at university. He is working on the theory of parallel worlds, which he initially believes to be linked
by light. He has an extraordinary mind and a wounded soul, which his authoritarian Mother, who steers his
life, is incapable of healing. Then a Man appears in their lives and, as the Boy passes from the hands of the
Mother into his care, a new order is established. Their torturous road forms a bond between the three central
characters, but their shared happiness is not to last long. Approaching a solution to the problem of the
passage between the worlds, the Boy initiates a journey, setting his life on the scales…
Director’s statement:
Like my earlier works, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark Room and Twist and Blood, the story is told from a child’s perspective,
identifying both formally and dramaturgically with the sensitivities of the young protagonist. The road he takes from light
to death will be echoed in the film. Two parts. Bright, with a luminosity encircling the actors the key. With vivid, succulent,
hyperreal nature and interiors permeated by rays of sunshine rebounding from windows and mirrors. With light as the
essence of the first part of the story, another actor, endowing rhythm; from time to time, will veil what is happening as rays
of brightness are released straight into the camera’s eye… All of which will gradually pass over to the dark side, to death, to
the gloom of the forest, the life of the wild animals. In the second half, it is the colors of the earth and of decay which will
predominate, a twilight dimness, the light delicately and subtly handled. The boy’s visions, corresponding to Caravaggio’s
paintings, will anticipate this. The progression through the two parts delineates an interesting and, I hope, original direction
for the evolving of the image. It offers me the possibility of unfolding an ambiguous tale balanced between the probable and
the unreal.
Kuba Czekaj
Born in Wrocław in 1984. Screenwriter
and Director. Graduated in directing
from the Krzysztof Kieslowski Radio and
Television Faculty at the University of
Silesia in Katowice in 2010 and from the
Development Lab Feature Programme at
the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw in 2011.
He received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National
Heritage. Director, screenwriter of two short features Don’t be Afraid
of the Dark Room and Twist and Blood, both of which have received
numerous awards.
Munk Studio – operates within the structure of the Polish Filmmakers Association, produces short and full-length debut films. Young artists who are seeking to make their first film
can depend on Munk Studio for support and guidance during the entire process, from the development of their project, throughout its production under fully professional conditions, to
the widest possible promotion of the finished product.
11
polish days
GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Grzegorz Zariczny
PRODUCER: Ewa Jastrzębska
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Munk Studio – Polish Filmmakers Association
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016
WORLD PREMIERE: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Main Competition)
Waves
Fale
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Grzegorz Zariczny
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Grzegorz Zariczny, maelstrom.gz@wp.pl
For Ania and Kasia adulthood is just around the corner. They’re in training with a hairstylist and their future
seems bright. Kasia is perhaps more skillful than Ania, who can’t get the hang of doing perms; but the latter
also suffers from a lack of understanding at home, although neither has very harmonious relations with her
parents. The small hair salon in the Kraków suburb of Nowa Huta and the deserted prefab housing complex
where it’s located bear witness to seemingly mundane yet fundamental moments that occur between a
carefree childhood and the complication and compromise of being an adult.
Director’s statement:
I come from documentary cinema and while creating a fictional story I wanted to use my documentarian experience. I
assigned the two main roles in Waves to two authentic girls who were entering maturity. Ania and Kasia stemmed their
fictional characters from their own personal traits. Privately, the girls are close friends. Their strong bond was essential for
me in creating a story which showed a world in which not everything works perfectly. A few years ago I lead a film workshop
for teenagers at one of Krakow’s culture centers. There I met the sixteen-year old Kasia, an exceptionally energetic girl.
Kasia invited me into her world. I got to know her everyday life, situation at home, the hair salon which she interned and
where she met her close friend Anna. With Kasia, we decided to make a short about her entitled Love Love. In it I portrayed
a very harsh and unfavorable world for two young adults who are thrown into faults that are not their won. Later, I decided
to “switch” this world into a fictional scenario and to think what two close friends could do to change their fate for the
better. The girls come from a world which is mundane, a place which no one is interested in. To me, this was not alright.
This is why I decided to give them my undivided attention and unite forces to create Waves.
Grzegorz Zariczny
Born in 1983, Kokotów, Poland. Attended
Jerzy Ridan’s film workshops while in
high school in the Nowa Huta suburb
of Kraków. In 2005–12 he studied film
direction at the Faculty of Radio and
Television of the University of Silesia
in Katowice, graduating with the short
Our Bad Winter (Special Jury Prize at the Gdynia Festival). 2008 saw
him participate in a documentary course held at the Wajda School in
Warsaw. The film he made there, The Dog Hill (2010), took awards at
home and abroad. In 2012 he shot the short documentary Whistle,
produced by Munk Studio – Polish Filmmakers Association. Zariczny
walked away with the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2013. Waves is
his feature film debut.
Munk Studio – operates within the structure of the Polish Filmmakers Association, produces short and full-length debut films. Young artists who are seeking to make their first film
can depend on Munk Studio for support and guidance during the entire process, from the development of their project, throughout its production under fully professional conditions, to
the widest possible promotion of the finished product.
12
polish days
pitchings
Inwardness
The Man with the Magic
Box
Droga do domu
Człowiek z magicznym pudełkiem
Bodo Kox
14
Grzegorz Jaroszuk
Fortnight
17
Kristoffer Rus
18
Bartosz Warwas
13
polish days
Adrian Panek
19
Volterra
Droga przez las
20
16
Wilkołak
Through the Woods
Życie uratował mi towarzysz Stalin
Piotr Złotorowicz
Werewolf
Masakra Profana
Comrade Stalin Saved
My Life
Kamila Kubiak, Olivier Patte
15
Runaway Messiah
Poza sezonem
Agnieszka Woszczyńska
Eloe
21
Jacek Borcuch
22
The Man with the Magic
Box
Człowiek z magicznym pudełkiem
GENRE: Sci-fi Romance DIRECTOR: Bodo Kox
PRODUCERS: Iza Igel, Roman Jarosz PRODUCTION COMPANY: Alter Ego Pictures
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 1 200 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Iza Igel, Roman Jarosz, Bodo Kox
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Iza Igel, i.igel@alteregopictures.pl, +48 501 338 454
In a not so distant dystopian future Adam (35) escapes from a poor part of Warsaw to New City. With the
help of a secret society, Adam gets a studio apartment in an old building and finds a job as a cleaner. At
work, Adam meets Goria (30), a beautiful employee in the HR department. He feels an inexplicable bond
forming between them, but she doesn’t treat him seriously. They start seeing each other and go to bed
together, but Goria doesn’t want to commit. Meanwhile, Adam finds a radio from the 1950’s in a secret place
in his apartment. He plugs it in and discovers that the radio broadcasts the past. By listening to the radio
Adam finds himself time traveling back to the ‘50s. One day he gets stuck in 1952. When he doesn’t show up
for work Goria, realizing that she has lost true love, decides to find him at all costs.
Director’s statement:
In my professional life I always follow intuition. The idea for this film fell into my lap straight from the universe, while I was
cleaning an old radio that once belonged to my grandparents. I thought what would happen if I plugged it in now and it
started to broadcast music from its prime years. And in just a few moments I had a full story. Radio was always an important
medium for me – I grew up playing with Lego blocks and listening to the Polish Radio. The broadcasts had an enormous
influence on the development of my imagination, which allows me now to work in my beloved profession uninhibited.
Bodo Kox
Born in 1977. One of the most original
independent artists in Poland. Director,
scriptwriter, performer. He graduated
with a degree in journalism. Has
completed courses at the Wajda School.
He studied Directing at The Film School
in Łódź. He is numbered among the most
important and expressive authors of Polish independent cinema, where
he has gained the nickname of “off icon” and gained numerous awards.
His debut film The Girl from the Wardrobe, a transition from indie to
mainstream, received many festival awards. The movie was selected
for the East of The West Competition in Karlovy Vary IFF.
Alter Ego Pictures – Polish production and distribution company. Their scope of interest covers art house cinema. In 2013, AEP produced its first feature Floating Skyscrapers
by Tomasz Wasilewski. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the East of the West award at the KVIFF. Films include The Man with the Magic Box, 2017 by Bodo
Kox, Wild Roses, 2016 by A. Jadowska (in postproduction), Total Harmony by R. Jarosz, 2016 (in postproduction), The Pool, 2015 by K. Pawłowski, and Floating Skyscrapers, 2013 by
T. Wasilewski.
14
polish days
GENRE: Science Fiction DIRECTOR: Grzegorz Jaroszuk
PRODUCER: Kamila Kuś
PRODUCTION COMPANY: MD4
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2018 BUDGET: 1 800 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
Inwardness
Droga do domu
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Grzegorz Jaroszuk, Kamila Kuś
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Kamila Kuś, kamila@md4.eu, +48 791 112 310
fot. Gregory Crewdson
The film is set in the near future, in Eastern Europe where the elderly are dominant in society. The film’s
main character is Michał (18). He is very ugly, thin, has protruding ears, buck teeth and his arms are much
too long. He is the last young person in the place where the movie takes place. Michał is forced to support
his family which consists of the eight people over 65 years of age. His whole family thinks Michał is dumb
and useless. One day, Michał is involved in a conspiracy which aims to establish a new country. Michał
believes that he will become the most important person in the new country, and that this will be a good way
to support the family. The establishment of the new country fails, but Michał from transforms from a naïve
boy into a mature man. The film is an absurd story which questions spirituality in the modern world.
Director’s statement:
For some time I’ve been searching for the starting point of a film which would allow me to raise the level of absurdity. The
idea of placing the story in the near future and using references to the science-fiction genre came in very handy.
I decided to work within the science-fiction genre in order to join all the elements that I’ve considered interesting. I think
that this genre will give me a wide range possibilities in showing modern society’s most severe problems. The increase of
these problems might lead to a real catastrophe.
Grzegorz Jaroszuk
Born in 1982, graduated from the Łódź
Film School. Talented director and
scriptwriter of all his movies. At the
moment Grzegorz is developing two
projects: Inwardness and The Story of
the Certain Sign. His feature debut Kebab
& Horoscope premiered at Karlovy Vary.
His short feature Frozen Stories, premiered at Locarno and was also an
international success. He received a nomination for the European Film
Award and received a Pinifica Prize Award. Both films were presented
at many festival around the world and received numerous awards.
MD4 (Mental Disorder 4) – founded in 2011. In previous years, its founders collaborated with Zentropa Int. Poland (Antichrist dir. L. von Trier, Elles dir. M. Szumowska etc.) Agnieszka
Kurzydło is the CEO. MD4 produced feature films such as Baby Blues by K. Rosłaniec (Crystal Bear, Berlinale), In the Name of by M. Szumowska (Teddy Award, Berlinale), Kebab &
Horoscope by G. Jaroszuk (The Best Debut, Raindance), The Red Spider by M. Koszałka (The Best Film & FIPRESCI Award, goEAST). Our films have been very well received at many
international festivals.
15
polish days
GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Piotr Złotorowicz
PRODUCER: Mariusz Włodarski
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Lava Films
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2018 BUDGET: 1 200 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
Eloe
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Mariusz Włodarski, Piotr Złotorowicz
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Mariusz Włodarski, mariusz@lavafilms.pl, +48 506 061 974
It’s hard to find friends in a small community living on an ex-State Agricultural Farm near an abandoned exSoviet military airfield. In this social landscape Marcin’s (20) relationship with his father Emil (60) means the
world to him. He wants to help Emil free their family horse farm from debts owed to the local mafia. To do
this, he must take part in a prestigious Czech cross-country horse race. Unfortunately, Emil and Marcin lose
their best horse. His father decides to buy an uncontrollable mare, Eloe and tame her before the race. When
he brings his older, long gone son Kuba (28) back to the farm, Marcin’s co-dependent relationship with his
father topples over. From the very moment Kuba mounts Eloe, he is much better at taming her than Marcin,
who has been training her for months. Unsure of his brother’s intentions, Marcin feels that he has to fight for
his father’s love.
Director’s statement:
Eloe is a story about a world where cruelty is the best strategy for survival. Marcin is scared that the luxury of compassion
will cost him his father’s support. When he is infected with empathy, he is unable to suppress it. He unwillingly travels from
his father’s world of discipline to Kuba’s and Eloe’s world of instinct. After crossing this frontier he begins to question the
rules he followed thus far.
Piotr Złotorowicz
Born in 1982 in Dębno, Poland. He
graduated from the Electrical Engineering
Faculty at Szczecin University of
Technology and the Directing Department
at the Polish National Film School in
Łódź. He directed several short films,
including Charcoal Burners (2010) and
Normal People (2011), both of which received critical acclaim and
won numerous awards. His diploma film Mother Earth (2014) was
premiered and awarded at the 67th Locarno Film Festival and has
traveled to 60 film festivals around the globe. Eloe will be his feature
debut.
Lava Films – collaborates with filmmakers from Poland and abroad producing films bearing hallmarks of creative individuality, yet reflecting valid issues of our times. Believing that
co-productions are the best answer to the needs of multicultural audience, Lava Films engages in international projects as the main or minor producer as well as conducts service
productions. Their latest film, The Here After (dir. Magnus von Horn) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2015. Lava’s latest production, Piotr Stasik’s 21 x New York is out at festivals
in 2016.
16
polish days
GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Aga Woszczyńska
PRODUCER: Agnieszka Wasiak
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Lava Films
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2018 BUDGET: 1 300 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
Fortnight
Poza sezonem
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Agnieszka Wasiak, Agnieszka Woszczyńska
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Agnieszka Wasiak, agnieszka@lavafilms.pl, +48 602 132 222
Anna and Adam, young married couple from Poland, spend a fortnight in Southern Italy. At the beginning
of their stay, an accident happens. A man dies in front of their eyes. They observe the tragic event but they
don’t offer help, they remain passive. Anna and Adam continue their stay in total denial. Yet, for how long
can they go without remorse? Slowly, they start to lose control over their lives. The feeling of guilt, at first
rejected, subconsciously begins to reign over their seemingly stable relationship. They begin a painful blame
game. Uncomfortable emotions come into play – they are new, difficult and ruin their foundations of safety
and convenience. Anna and Adam are trying to find their way in the new situation. They act instinctively,
irrationally and aggressively, heading towards collapse. To Anna and Adam’s terrifying realization, the threat
does not come from the outside. It is rooted inside them. Growing anxiety destroys their sense of security
and paralyzing fear of true feelings makes them go back to pre-established patterns of emotional ignorance.
Director’s statement:
I take my audience on a visually stylized, quiet journey into the collapse of a relationship, to speak about the condition of
thirty-something year-old Europeans, their emotional isolation, moral confusion and irrational fear that leads to fanatic
isolation. Fortnight is a tale about alienation not only from each other but also from the world, about conformity and
passivity of middle class where the need for safety and convenience is fundamental.
Aga Woszczyńska
Born in 1984 in Poland, Aga is a director,
scriptwriter and anthropologist. She
graduated from the Directing Department
at the Łódź Film School in 2014 with
her film Fragments. She wrote and
directed 10 shorts that have travelled
festivals and were sold internationally.
Her aesthetics and directing skills brought her to Directors’ Fortnight
at Cannes FF 2014 with Fragments. The film has been screened at over
50 festivals and has won numerous awards. Aga is a Ministry of Culture
scholar and recipient of Discovering Eye Award for the most interesting
emerging artist in US. Fortnight is her feature debut.
Lava Films – collaborates with filmmakers from Poland and abroad producing films bearing hallmarks of creative individuality, yet reflecting valid issues of our times. Believing that
co-productions are the best answer to the needs of multicultural audience, Lava Films engages in international projects as the main or minor producer as well as conducts service
productions. Their latest film, The Here After (dir. Magnus von Horn) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2015. Lava’s latest production, Piotr Stasik’s 21 x New York is out at festivals
in 2016.
17
polish days
GENRE: Black Comedy DIRECTOR: Kristoffer Rus
PRODUCERS: Renata Czarnkowska-Listoś, Maria Gołoś
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Re Studio
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 1 200 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
Runaway Messiah
Masakra Profana
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Kristoffer Rus, Renata Czarnkowska-Listoś, Maria Gołoś
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Maria Gołoś, maria@re-studio.pl, +48 519 822 465
The life of a saint is not an easy job… You can’t get wasted at an after work party, nor go dancing at a hip
night club. You can’t even flirt with a girl without upsetting the Catholic community. So what’s left to do?
Pray and heal people all day long? Choosing Jesus as your savior can be a smart decision, but what if it is
Jesus who chose you? Christopher, a successful young marketing manager, finds himself face to face with…
the Virgin Mary. The apparition comes to him as a shock. Especially when considering that he’s not exactly
a follower. As a matter of fact he’s more of a hedonist, shamelessly reveling in sex, drugs and other earthly
pleasures. So, when the Virgin Mary informs him that he has to give up all of these things in order to serve
God - the downward spiral is inevitable. Christopher loses his celebrity girlfriend, his job and eventually he
ends up on the street with a big dilemma to solve: shall he surrender to God’s will or try to revolt against it
and stay faithful to his profane lifestyle.
Director’s statement:
Many filmmakers are trying to capture the Zeitgeist or, as Andrzej Wajda would put it, to portray the hero of our time.
Poland (not only) is now a country of fierce conflict between the traditional value system based on religion and the value
system of the so-called Postmodern way of life. The dividing line runs not only between different social groups, but divides
almost every one of us. Some would say that traditional religious values are the only alternative to a secularized world
unconstrained by contemporary consumerism. The goal with Runway Messiah is to happily shake this paradigm.
Kristoffer Rus
Born and raised in a Polish-Swedish
family. Kristoffer graduated from the
Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts in
Sweden and the Wajda School in Poland.
He has directed festival-winning films
like The Apple Tree (Audience Award at
Gothenborg FF; Winner at Palm Springs
FF; Official selection at Cannes Critics’ Week) and The Big Leap (Palm
Springs FF, Montreal World FF, Raindance FF). In addition, Rus has
created and directed several series for Polish and Swedish television.
He really feels at home when the humor gets black and the theme
existential.
Re Studio – film production company founded in 2011 with the goal of creating and developing films that might otherwise be deemed risky by traditional studios. The company assists
artists, producers and broadcasters with every single step of the project execution – from the very first idea to the end of the production/distribution process.
18
polish days
GENRE: Thriller DIRECTOR: Adrian Panek
PRODUCERS: Magdalena Kamińska, Agata Szymańska
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Balapolis
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 1 000 000 EUR WORLD SALES: Open
Werewolf
Wilkołak
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Agata Szymańska, Magdalena Kamińska
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Magdalena Kamińska, magdalenakaminska@me.com,
+48 601 980 737, Agata Szymańska, szymanska.agata@gmail.com, +48 514 593 757
The summer of 1945. A provisional orphanage is created for 10 children that have just been liberated from
a concentration camp. The resolute protagonists regain strength and joy after the terrible time in the camp.
But the terror returns. A group of hungry dogs trained to kill surrounds the orphanage…
Director’s statement:
The film uses the form of a thriller: the beauty and cruelty of the world surrounding the children, the contrast between the
enchanting summer, sun, forest and the dramatic events, sympathy, fear and the compassion that we feel for the young
wild protagonists when we least expect it are the elements of the narration and style of this story. This is a true story
though it resembles a dark tale. The story of a protagonist bitten by a beast that becomes a beast himself is an ancient and
universal motif of culture and a popular theme of horror cinema.
Adrian Panek
Born in 1975. He graduated from the
Faculty of Architecture at the Wrocław
University, the Krzysztof Kieślowski
Faculty of Radio and Television at the
University of Silesia and the directors
program at the Wajda School. He is an
author of fiction and documentary films,
music videos and screenplays. Daas was his feature fiction debut.
Balapolis – production company based in Warsaw, Poland run by Magdalena Kamińska and Agata Szymańska, a unique producer duo, two different personalities that complement
each other perfectly. Balapolis specializes in feature films. We take an active part in the Polish and international industry to develop our company and film projects. Our recent feature
film Baby Bump premiered at the 72. Venice International Film Festival 2016.
19
polish days
GENRE: Animation DIRECTOR: Kamila Kubiak, Olivier Patte
PRODUCER: Maria Blicharska
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Donten & Lacroix Films
ESTIMATED PRODUCTION YEAR: 2019 BUDGET: 1 800 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
Comrade Stalin
Saved My Life
Życie uratował mi towarzysz Stalin
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Maria Blicharska, Kamila Kubiak
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Maria Blicharska, maria.blicharska@gmail.com, +33 699 308 517
Henio is a Polish child of Jewish origin who is deported to Siberia at the beginning of the WWII. What seems like a certain
death sentence turns out to be his salvation. His fate illustrates the stories of salvation of thousands of Polish Jews. This is a
story of people whose lives were saved by the irony of history.
Director’s statement:
I was born in Poland – a country where the memory of World War II is present everywhere. In schools, in literature, in music
– simply everywhere. The Jewish aspect of that period was always close to me. It was obvious to me that the Jews who
lived on the Polish land after the war had been saved by the Poles, hidden in people’s wardrobes, between walls, under the
floorboards. I’ve never asked my grandfather how he survived. Maybe because he avoided the subject. Until I was 35. He
looked at me and laughed – You know, comrade Stalin saved my life. That answer came as a surprise. Stalin? How come?
An animation film by Kamila Kubiak
Kamila Kubiak
Kamila Kubiak is a member of La Maison
des Artistes of Paris and a member of
the authors society ZAIKS in Warsaw. She
made her first scenaristic experience in
the advertisement industry. She won few
&internationals
Olivier prizes
Patté
for her professionals
artistics projects.
Olivier Patté
Olivier Patté begin his career as a video
art director in a design agency. He starts
his freelance career and found a union
called Moustache. For six years he
developed as a director, art director and
producer, many graphic projects ordered
by famous companies. Now he starts his
own animated and video concepts.
Donten & Lacroix Films – company established by Maria Blicharska and Monika Sajko-Gradowska in 2006 that is dedicated to producing high quality artistic films and aimed at an
international audience. Provides film services worldwide. Comrade Stalin Saved My Life is a coproduction project with France (BLICK Productions / Maria Blicharska) and Germany (Belle
Epoque Films / Nicole Ringhut).
20
polish days
GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Bartosz Warwas
PRODUCER: Maciej Szwarc
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Film-Art Film Institution
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 850.000 EUR WORLD SALES: Open
Through the Woods
Droga przez las
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Bartosz Warwas, Maciej Szwarc
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Bartosz Warwas, +48 571 349 463,
Maciej Szwarc, maciej.szwarc@film-art.pl, +48 606 876 662
Through the Woods is a modern story inspired by “Antigone”. Just like the play, our film focuses on the clash
of two viewpoints that cannot coexist and result in a tragedy. A young football hooligan grows aware of his
fascination with his sister’s new boyfriend. The fascination turns into desire – something that goes against
his core beliefs. Unable to cope with his new discoveries, he falls into a sort of madness.
Director’s statement:
It is a story of young people without prospects: today they look for some ideas which they can focus on. We are witnessing
a renaissance of interest in right-wing, mainly nationalist myths. The cult of physical force and violence as a means to solve
problems, hatred against foreigners and police, drugs and the concept of honor. All this mixed in senseless, random. The
film’s poetics reflect this state of soul: dynamic camera, rapid editing. Unrealistic scenes are the counterpoint: beautifully
illuminated, filmed with a calm, almost static camera.
Bartosz Warwas
Born in Kraków in 1978. In 2006 he
moved to Łódź to study in the directing
department at the famous Polish
National Film School. Before the school
expelled him (in 2014), he managed to
make his master degree diploma film:
a full-length feature titled Jaskółka
(The Caged Swallow). His films have been screened at numerous
international festivals and awarded in Germany, Spain, Italy, Taiwan,
USA, Canada, Mexico and of course in Poland. In 2016 he became
an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and also received a grant from the
Nipkow Program in Berlin, whose aim is to develop Through the Woods.
Film-Art Film Institution – producer of Through the Woods, local self-government unit of culture, which focuses on promotion and dissemination of film art and culture. Since 2011
Film-Art has produced two feature films: Hiszpanka (Influenza) 2014, dir. Łukasz Barczyk and Żyć Nie Umierać (Life Must Go On) 2015, dir. Maciej Migas.
21
polish days
GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Jacek Borcuch
PRODUCERS: Marta Habior, Marta Lewandowska
PRODUCTION COMPANY: No Sugar Films, Motion Group
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 1 500 000 EUR WORLD SALES: Open
Volterra
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Marta Habior, Marta Lewandowska, Jacek Borcuch
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Marta Habior, marta@nosugarfilms.com, +48 603 486 287,
Marta Lewandowska, marta.lewandowska@nosugarfilms.com, +48 600 457 010
At the foot of the town Volterra stands the house of Maria Linde – a Polish poet and Nobel prize laureate. Maria is
celebrating her 65th birthday with her family and friends. Silvio (her husband), Anna (her daughter), Guido Lodovici (the
chief of police), Nazeer (her lover), the Artist ( the author of an installation on the market square in Volterra), and a New
York Times journalist. Maria’s life follows the rhythm of this Italian province. Her good relations with her husband and
daughter are disturbed by her unambiguous relationship with Nazeer, an Arab, who is 30 years younger than she is. Under
the influence of dramatic events connected with Nazeer, her personal fears and the political situation in Europe, Maria
decides to make a public announcement the consequences of which she will have to deal with until the end of this story.
Chief Lodovici, motivated by personal prejudice the sources of which he seeks in Maria’s performance, starts his own
private game, which is supposed to make the poet call off everything she has said. Under the pretext of being a law officer,
unable to make the poet change her mind, he humiliates the woman by symbolically locking her up in a cage. The ending
of the movie refers to the American poet Ezra Pound, who was locked up in a cage after the war for his sympathy towards
Mussolini and antisemitism.
Director’s statement:
The fall of the Roman Empire is invoked as a corresponding commentary for the escalating European crisis. It is only the
background of the story which takes place in a Tuscan province, in a house near the old Etruscan town - Volterra. The
subject of this film is Maria Linde, a Polish poet, Nobel prize winner, a moral authority. We watch Europe and the world
through her eyes. Her close but not always clear relations with her loved ones slip away from the simple understanding of
life. Her unyielding attitude evokes extreme emotions. We can either identify with her or reject her. Volterra is a story about
family, love, longing, and fear of the unknown. It is a story, full of suspense, about life which cannot be reached.
Jacek Borcuch
Filmography: Lasting – 2013, Poland,
Spain Sundance Film Festival 2013,
International Film Festival Rotterdam
2013, All That I Love – 2009, Polish
Oscar candidate 2011, Sundance Film
Festival 2010 – World Cinema Dramatic
Competition, International Film Festival
Rotterdam 2010, Pusan International Film Festival 2009. Sold to over
20 territories including: France, USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria,
Benelux. Tulips – 2004, Haifa International Film Festival 2005, Brussels
European Film Festival 2004, International Film Festival of India Goa
2004, FPFF Gdynia 2004, Polish Filmmakers Academy Award (Best
Actress).
No Sugar Films – focuses on projects which bring talented filmmakers together, whose goals are to make films in a collaborative way, becoming the new faces of European
cinema. We believe that joining different cultures, outlooks and experiences adds value to any given project, which is why No Sugar’s main focus are international co-productions for
international audiences. Our recent film Baba Vanga by Aleksandra Niemczyk, a co-production with Bela Tarr’s Film Factory is presented in the Main Competition at this year’s edition of
New Horizons. We are also finishing the post-production of a Mexican-Polish co-production La Habitacion and a Lithuanian-Polish coproduction Crisis.
22
polish days
Works In Progress
Amok
Another Day of Life
Kasia Adamik
Damian Nenow,
Raúl de la Fuente:
Jeszcze dzień życia
24
The Forest
25
Maciej Pieprzyca
26
Office For Monument
Construction
Biuro budowy pomnika
27
Dorota Kobiela
Tiere
28
Birds are Singing
in Kigali
Zwierzęta
Greg Zglinski
Jestem mordercą
Loving Vincent
Las
Joanna Zastróżna
I’m a Killer
Joanna Kos-Krauze,
Krzysztof Krauze
23
polish days
29
Game Count
Pokot
Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali
30
Karolina Breguła
31
Agnieszka Holland
32
GENRE: Thriller DIRECTOR: Katarzyna Adamik
PRODUCER: Beata Pisula
PRODUCTION COMPANY: K&K Selekt Film
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 1 500 000 EUR WORLD SALES: Open
Amok
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Katarzyna Adamik, Beata Pisula
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Beata Pisula, beata.pisula@gmail.com
A dead body drifts down a river for days, unnoticed. Fishermen discover it bound by a rope, mutilated and
tortured. The sensational story is broadcast on the local news. Kacper Bala (5) watches in rapt interest. His
mother Zosia Bala (25) pulls him away from the TV. Upstairs, Krystian Bala (25), a young aspiring novelist
and philosophy student, tries to kill a girl in his bedroom using a rope and a knife. It is a murder scene
from a novel he’s writing called “Amok”. During a philosophy lecture at his university, Krystian highlights
articles about the murder victim . He calls the local police to ask if there are any new leads. At home, Stasia
discovers that Krystian’s writing room is covered from floor to ceiling with photos of the victim, articles
about the case, and grisly crime scene photos. Four years later the Wrocław Police Department receives an
anonymous tip that the victim’s killer is the author of the self-published a book called “Amok”. In it are all
the clues to solving the murder. Inspector Sokolski (47), newly hired by the Wrocław PD, takes the cold case
as his first assignment. Jack reads “Amok” and starts making important connections between the fiction of
“Amok” and reality.
Director’s statement:
Amok is based on the true story of Krystian Bala, an ambitious novelist who becomes the main suspect of a police cold case
after it is discovered that his book “Amok” includes eerie details of a brutal murder. With his suspect in sight, Inspector Jack
Eagle Eye Sokolski takes on the cold case and soon discovers that with no motive, and very little evidence except for the
book, separating what is real from what is fictional becomes his biggest challenge when he enters the twisted and clever
mind of Krystian Bala.
Katarzyna Adamik
Raised in Paris. Graduated from the
Academy of Fine Arts in Paris and the
prestigious Institute St-Luc in Brussels.
Her first professional experience was
that of Agnieszka Holland’s (her mother),
personal assistant on the set of The
Secret Garden (1993). She went on to
work as a visual artist, a storyboard designer, for films made by her
mother, such as Total Eclipse (1995), Washington Square (1997),
The Third Miracle (1999) and Shot in the Heart (2001). Bark, her
first film as a director screened in the main competition at the 2002
Sundance Festival and was shown at festivals in Moscow, Karlovy Vary
and Munich. Adamik’s name appeared on Variety’s ten most promising
young talents of the season and she also received a favourable review
from The Hollywood Reporter. Together with her mother, she started
the production of Janosik (2009). She also started the television
series Prime Minister (2007), Pitbull (2008) and Marked (2009). In
2008 she directed, the Offsiders, awarded at numerous festival.
K&K SELEKT FILM – created by Beata Pisula. Its first production was The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler directed by John Kent Harrison (starring Anna Paquin, Marcia Gay Garden,
Goran Visnjic). In 2010 the company produced the biggest historical TV series (13 episodes x 45‘) titled 1920 for the Polish public broadcaster TVP. War and Love (the story of three
Great War veterans, three uniformed officers – three of Poland’s invaders, that are bound by fate on the battlefield in the last days of World War I). In 2011 it was one of the producers
of Komisarz Alex (Polish format of Kommissar Rex). Currently K& K Film Selekt is in development of Decalogue – a 10 hours miniseries based on Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof
Piesiewicz’s Decalogue and it will be made with eONE as an international coproduction.
24
polish days
GENRE: Animation/Documentary Hybrid DIRECTORS: Raúl de la Fuente, Damian Nenow
PRODUCERS: Jarek Sawko, Ole Wendorff-Ostergaard, Amaia Remírez, Raúl de la Fuente
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Platige Films, Kanaki Films
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 6 100 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Indie Sales
Another Day of Life
Jeszcze dzień życia
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Jarosław Sawko, Damian Nenow, Magdalena Bargieł, Olga Cyganiak
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Magdalena Bargieł, mbargiel@platige.com, +48 698 604 180
Another Day of Life is a story of a reporter seeking the truth about war, who during a mortally dangerous
journey through Angola encounters situations and events forcing him to change his attitude towards work
and life. The film’s action takes place during the three months Kapuściński spent in this war-torn country
in 1975. During the expedition, the reporter realizes that he is a witness to events, the meaning of which
requires him to go beyond the role of an observer. To recount the story of Angola, he will have to undergo a
deep transformation himself. Another Day of Life (Jeszcze dzień życia), the book in which Kapuściński writes
about his experience in Angola, bears witness to his rebirth both as a writer and as a human being
Directors’ statement:
Another Day of Life is a movie based on the book by war correspondent Ryszard Kapuściński. It tells the story of a
journalist, left to himself during the civil war in Angola on the advent of its regaining independence in 1975. Kapuściński is
an idealist, a friend to lost causes and revolutions. In Angola Kapuściński experienced a dangerous journey into the heart
of darkness which changed him forever. He left for Angola as a reporter to come back as a writer. He discovered that the
honest and idealistic world he was seeking does not exist in Africa… and so he created it by means of a typewriter and
became a writer of a world renown.
Damian Nenow
Directed 3 short animations including
Oscar shortlisted Paths of Hate (2010)
which was screened at more than 90
international festivals, winning 25
awards. In 2013 he directed a spot
Hunger is a Tyrant created in the frames
of the United Nation’s campaign Zero
Hunger Challenge.
Raúl de la Fuente
Originator of the idea for Another Day
of Life. His first full-length film The Last
Nomads won the most awards for the
best Spanish documentary in 2007. In
2015, his film Minerita was shortlisted for
the 88th Academy Awards as Best Short Documentary.
Platige Films – division of Platige Image, established to run film productions. Platige Image is an award-winning Polish post-production studio. It specializes in creating computer
graphics, 3D animation, realization of digital special effects, and the compositing of images for production of commercials and feature films. Platige-produced a short animation The
Cathedral (dir. Tomek Baginski) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003.
25
polish days
GENRE: Psychological Thriller DIRECTOR: Maciej Pieprzyca
PRODUCERS: Renata Czarnkowska-Listoś, Maria Gołoś
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Re Studio
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 1 600 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
I’m a Killer
Jestem mordercą
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Renata Czarnkowska-Listoś, Maria Gołoś
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Maria Gołoś, maria@re-studio.pl, +48 519 822 465
Psychological thriller inspired by true events that occurred in Poland in the early 1970’s. The story focuses
on a young police detective who becomes the head of police unit focused on catching a rampant serial killer
of women.
Director’s statement:
I’m a Killer is a story about an average person entangled in a situation that is beyond his capabilities. It is not another movie
about a serial killer, it focuses on a regular man that is placed in a difficult situation; one that might be too great for him
to handle. This problem and the reality which he lives in puts his weaknesses and ambitions to the test and pushes him
towards a place where a hero could easily become an anti-hero.
Maciej Pieprzyca
Director and scriptwriter, born in 1964
in Katowice (Poland), graduated from
the Political Sciences and Journalism
Department of the Silesian University,
Scriptwriting Department of the
Łódź Film School and the Directing
Department of the State Film School in
Katowice. Received numerous awards for his documentary films, e.g.
The Different, By Knock-Out (Turin, Tel Aviv, Cracow) as well as for his
TV films Inferno and Feast of St Barbara. He debuted in 2008 with the
film Splinters. In 2013 he directed Life Feels Good – one of the most
successful Polish films in recent years, awarded at many international
film festivals (Montreal World Film Festival – Grand Prix, Chicago IFF –
Silver Hugo).
Re Studio – film production company founded in 2011 with the goal of creating and developing films that might otherwise be deemed risky by traditional studios. The company
assists artists, producers and broadcasters with every single step of the project execution -from the very first idea to the end of the production/distribution process.
26
polish days
GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Joanna Zastróżna
PRODUCER: Patrycja Ryłko
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Pink Galapagos
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 500. 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
The Forest
Las
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Joanna Zastróżna, Patrycja Ryłko
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Joanna Zastróżna, +48 501 951 604, Patrycja Ryłko +48 791 709 872
The Gruff (Mruk), who is staying in the Village as a result of a mysterious accident, decides to finally abandon
it and look for the City. On his journey, he is accompanied by the Girl (who sometimes acts as his daughter,
sometimes as his wife, but no one knows who she really is). The Girl is an outlander, she operates outside
the village structure and always follows her own paths… None of the permanent residents ever leave the
Village – it is covered in moss and mold, villains prowl the swamps, the lakes are flooded. It is simply not
allowed. It is all metaphysically congested and gives the impression of an outdoor psychiatric hospital. The
Gruff and the Girl follow the Sun, they wander from East to West, across the swamp, through the wood
towards the Ocean, to the Desert. A horse joins them on the way. Much of this journey is a quest to find
some answers as it finds an unexpected twist and reveals Gruff´s true story.
Director’s statement:
I’m interested in cinema, which moves on and around “the border” of artistic genres. The Forest is inspired by three different
texts: Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, “Snail on the Slope” by the Strugatsky Brothers and “The Engraving” by Jacek
Szymkiewicz. Each part corresponds with a different location, a kind of camerawork. But above all it is a record of human
existence. It is a dynamic model of man, an entity – the wizard, the creator himself, the characters confronted with their
own selves through illusions, images and records of consciousness. After my film Molehill I know that you can work with a
small group of people, which favors intimacy. In intimacy you can find the truth and create the Forest.
Joanna Zastróżna
Born in 1974. Lives and works in Sopot.
Graduated from the Academy of Fine
Arts in Gdańsk. She started working with
photography in the 90s (series: Buba,
Messenger), always going beyond the
formal and semantic boundaries of its
format. She exhibited widely in Poland
and abroad. Her works are in the collections of (among others) CCA
Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw, the Museum of Art in Łódź. Her latest
projects consistently turned into moving images and films. Her film
short debut Molehill has been screened at Era New Horizons, Gdynia,
and Busan film festivals.
Pink Galapagos – a new, independent, collaborative film production company mainly focused on art-house fiction and fantasy. It explores the boundaries between visual art and film
by supporting an artist’s ambitious visions and transforming them into film. Our studio is based in Poland but our projects are (ideally) international co-productions and shot all over the
world.
27
polish days
GENRE: Animation/ Drama DIRECTOR: Dorota Kobiela
PRODUCERS: Hugh Welchman, Ivan Mactaggart, Sean Bobbitt
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Breakthru Films/ Trademark Films
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 5 100 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Cinema Management Group
Loving Vincent
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Sean Bobbitt, Dorota Kobiela
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Sean Bobbitt, sean@breakthrufilms.pl, +48 601 297 600
Armand Roulin is given a letter by his father to hand-deliver to Vincent van Gogh’s brother Theo, shortly
following Vincent’s death. His search for Theo leads him to the paint supplier, Pere Tanguy, who tells him
that the brother died shortly after Vincent, and recounts Vincent’s final days. Armand believes he may
have misjudged his father’s friend, and really wants to know why Vincent chose the moment of impending
success to take his life. Armand journeys to Auvers to meet Vincent’s Dr. Gachet to find the answer, but the
Doctor is away. Armand resolves to wait, during which time the villagers tell him different theories of why
Vincent took his life and who is to blame. After investigating various rumours – including one that Vincent
was shot - Armand confronts Dr. Gachet, who puts all the theories of Vincent’s death into perspective for
Armand. This new understanding of Vincent’s story inspires Armand on his own life journey.
Director’s statement:
Loving Vincent is a combination of my love for painting, film and animation. It is also an expression of my personal passion.
While my own personal artistic development has been influenced by many artists, Van Gogh’s work has always been very
dear to me. It is the pure unfiltered reflection of the artist’s sensitivity and state of his soul. I wanted to delve deeper to
understand who was this man who so fervently followed his artistic vision without compromise – despite the fact that
following the trends of the day would have afforded him the appreciation of his peers which he so desired. Dorota Kobiela
A graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts
in Warsaw and the Warsaw Film School,
Direction Faculty. She has directed one
live action short film, The Hart in Hand
(2006) and five animated shorts – The
Letter (2004), Love me (2004), Mr. Bear
(2005), Chopin’s Drawings (2011) and
Little Postman (2011). Little Postman won Stereoscopic Best Short
Film at the LA 3D Film Festival, 3D Stereo Media (Liege), 3D Film &
Music Fest (Barcelona). For her sixth animated short, Loving Vincent,
Dorota aimed to combine her passion for painting and film.
BreakThru Films – film company based in Poland and the UK. Their major productions have been the Oscar winning film Peter and the Wolf and The Magic Piano. Additionally they
have produced 12 animation shorts in different styles for the Chopin Shorts Collections, 5 live action shorts, and worked as VFX producers on the Edith Piaf biopic, La Vie en Rose. As
well as the Oscar, their films have 35 international top prizes for Best Film, and also in categories of Cinematography, Stereoscopy and Technical Achievement.
28
polish days
GENRE: Fiction DIRECTOR: Karolina Breguła
PRODUCER: Aleksandra Wojtaszek
PRODUCTION COMPANY: touchFILMS
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 56. 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
Office for Monument
Construction
Biuro budowy pomnika
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Aleksandra Wojtaszek, Karolina Breguła
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Aleksandra Wojtaszek, touch@touchfilms.pl, +48 601 792 376
A story about people who come from a town which no longer exists. Having no better place to stay they
inhabit a deserted concrete complex situated in the middle of a vibrant city. However, this surrogate home
is bound for demolition so the characters will soon have to move again. Constantly searching for something
which might represent their identity, they create an assortment of unusual objects. Gradually a museum-like
collection, built around a factious narrative, begins to emerge.
Director’s statement:
This film depicts obsessive collecting habits of an elderly woman, employing absurd methods to obtain artefacts. In her
misguided belief that she preserves these items for posterity, I would like to raise oblique questions around collecting
policies of museums, reflecting concerns of different interest groups.
Karolina Breguła
Born in 1979. Polish multimedia artist.
Creates installations, happenings, video,
and photography. She has graduated
from the National Film Television and
Theatre School in Łódź where she is
currently working on her Phd. She has
performed and exhibited in places such
as the Venice Art Biennale (Italy), Jewish Museum in New York (USA),
National Museum in Warsaw (Poland) and Zachęta National Gallery
in Warsaw (Poland). She has received numerous awards including
Views 2013, Samsung Art Master 2007, Polish Ministry of Culture
Scholarship, Młoda Polska and Visegrad Scholarship.
touchFILMS – dynamic production company set up in 2011 with the idea of producing high quality content for cinema and TV. Based in Poland, it has produced films in Norway, Italy,
France, Turkey, Israel and Scotland. A recent Belgian-Polish-French coproduction – the documentary Singing in Exile – has premiered at Visions du Reel (2015). The company’s first
fiction feature Office for Monument Construction has been supported by Polish Film Institute. The current line-up includes a coproduction with Les Poissons Volants Utopia of Images
and Polish Express.
29
polish days
GENRE: Mind-Game DIRECTOR: Greg Zglinski
PRODUCERS: Katrin Renz, Stefan Jaeger, Bruno Wagner, Antonin Svoboda, Łukasz Dzięcioł
PRODUCTION COMPANY: tellfilm GmbH (CH), Coop 99 Filmproduktion (AT), Opus Film (PL)
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2016 BUDGET: 3 000 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Open
Animals
Tiere
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Greg Zglinski, Stefan Jaeger
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Stefan Jaeger, jaeger@tellfilm.ch, +41 76 535 7415
A young woman called Andrea jumps to her death from the third floor of an apartment block in Vienna.
A little earlier: the same apartment block is home to Nick, a chef, and Anna, who writes children‘s books.
Anna thinks Nick has been having an affair with Andrea, but despite these suspicions she hopes that she and
Nick can rejuvenate their relationship.They travel to Switzerland, where they hope to perform this “reset”.
Mischa, an art student, is looking after their apartment in Vienna while they are away. Anna thinks Mischa
looks like Andrea, and Anna also has a déjà vu experience in Lausanne. Soon the different levels begin to
overlap and blur. Anna starts to wonder if she is going out of her mind. She senses that she has become
trapped in a different reality. Is it all a result of the car accident she and Nick had when they arrived here?
Is she just imagining everything? The talking cat – which was supposed to feature in her latest children‘s
book?
Director’s statement:
I feel drawn to this story in a magical way. The first time I read the screenplay I had the feeling that I had touched on the
secret of life and death. I had the feeling that the world is much bigger than we see and experience it in everyday life.
I would like to pass on this feeling to the audience of the film. It’s a game with perspectives. Who is imagining whose
existence? Or is he imagining somebody who is in turn imagining something else? Who is true? Who is really there? In
whose head is this film happening? It’s the logic of a dream which evades our usual experience of perception.
Greg Zglinski
Born in 1968 in Warsaw, Poland. Finished
the Pantomime and Acting School in
Zurich, Switzerland, where he has been
living for 15 years. Language studies in
Australia and France. Composer, guitar
and bass player in rock music formations.
Film studies at the directing department
at the National Academy for Film, Television and Theatre (PWSFTViT)
in Łódź, Poland. Former student of Krzysztof Kieslowski. 2005-09
member of the Zurcher Filmstiftung film commission in Switzerland.
Works as a film director: Le temps d’Anna (feature film for Swiss TV
RTS), Zbrodnia (TV Series for AXN Europe, 3 episodes, formatting
director), Paradoks (TV Series, episodes 1-6 of 13, formatting director),
Wymyk (cinema feature film) and others.
tellfilm – founded in 1997 by Markus Kaeppeli and Stefan Jäger under the name of handsUP! Film Production. In 2007, the company moved their headquarters to Zurich. Shareholders
are Stefan Jäger and Katrin Renz. Next to successfully producing several feature films and documentaries (Big & Little, Mathias Gnädinger – Die Liebe seines Lebens, Horizon Beautiful,
Tatort: Wunschdenken, Hello Goodbye, Boxing Jesus) as well as documentary series for Swiss Television (Cyrill trifft, SF bi de Lüt – Schloss Biberstein, SF bi de Lüt – Das kleine
Paradies), tellfilm has been developing several screenplays for the last few years. Meanwhile, Animals is in postproduction, Blue my Mind in preproduction.
30
polish days
GENRE: Drama DIRECTOR: Joanna Kos-Krauze, Krzysztof Krauze
PRODUCER: Joanna Kos-Krauze
PRODUCTION COMPANY: KOSFILM Budget: 1 200 000 EUR PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017
WORLD SALES: Open
Birds are Singing
in Kigali
Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Aleksandra Bielska
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Aleksandra Bielska, bielska.a@gmail.com, +48 501257019
Film tells the story of a Polish ornithologist researching the decline in the population of vultures in Rwanda.
When the genocide begins, she saves the life of her Tutsi co-workers’s daughter. After arriving in Poland,
the two women are incapable of leading a routine life. They try to get past their horrific experience. A story
about friendship, forgiveness, and the power of nature.
Director’s statement:
We hope that Birds are Singing in Kigali makes an attempt at healing. This healing takes place through articulation, through
the narrative, through language the meaning of which we have to learn anew, even though we lost confidence long ago. The
Polish-African story becomes a mournful meditation and metaphor for the inexpressible. Human language, tained forever by
hatred, yields, at a symbolic level, to the voices of birds to tell humans about human evil.
Joanna Kos-Krauze
Director and screenwriter. Chairman of
the Polish Directors Guild, member of the
European Film Academy and the Polish
Film Academy. Expert of the Polish Film
Institute, Silesia Film Fund, Gdynia Film
Fund and Eurimage in Strasburg.
Krzysztof Krauze (1953-2014)
Director and screenwriter. Graduated in cinematography from the Łódź
Film School. Author of multiple awardwinning short and feature films,
documentaries, and TV movies. Films directed by Joanna and Krzysztof
Krauze have collectively received over 250 awards.
KOSFILM – Polish film production company founded in 2013 by the author of multiple award winning feature films – Joanna Kos-Krauze. KOSFILM focuses on the independent
production of art-house cinema and documentaries.
31
polish days
GENRE: Mystery/Thriller/Dark Comedy DIRECTOR: Agnieszka Holland
PRODUCERS: Krzysztof Zanussi, Janusz Wąchała
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Studio Filmowe TOR
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2017 BUDGET: 3 500 000 EUR
WORLD SALES: Beta Cinema
Game Count
Pokot
PRESENT AT POLISH DAYS: Agnieszka Holland, Krzysztof Zanussi, Irena Strzałkowska
CONTACT DURING POLISH DAYS: Irena Strzałkowska, irena@tor.com.pl, +48 605 097 688
Duszejko, an eccentric retired construction engineer, an astrologist and vegetarian lives in a small mountain
village at the Czech-Polish border. One day her beloved dogs disappear. They cannot be found anywhere. A
few months later on a snowy night Duszejko’s introvert neighbor stumbles upon the dead body of a poacher
living nearby. He has died under mysterious circumstances. The only traces are those of roe deer hooves
around the house… As time goes on, more grisly killings are discovered. The victims belonged to the local
elite and were passionate hunters. Duszejko tries to convince the local police force that they were murdered
by wild animals. When another body is found after the costume ball, Duszejko becomes the main suspect.
She was the last to see the victim. When the local parish house burns down and the priest and chaplain of
the local hunting association dies in flames, the police are almost certain they know who did it…
Director’s statement:
Our film can be called: No Country for Old Women. The main character is honest, passionate, generous, intelligent but also
mad. Mad with anger, obsessions, love for animals and with compassion for marginalized people. She is full of rebellion and
outrage. Amusing and irritating but also fascinating in her obsession. The genres are intermixed: psychological drama, an
ecological pamphlet, a pastiche-like yet tense crime story, a feminist vivisection. And something that will often be a type of
black comedy. The film is to be provocative. There is no moralizing or simple moral at the end of the story. We can always
think it was all just in the mind of the protagonist who is affected by an allergy to light..
Agnieszka Holland
Director and scriptwriter, a FAMU (Prague
film school) graduate, started her
filmcareer assisting Wajda and Zanussi.
Directed over 30 features and TV films
for the past 40 years. Her works were
produced in Poland, Germany, France,
Great Britain and the USA. Many of them
received prestigious awards and nominations, among them: Emmy
Award, Golden Globe Award, Golden Lion Award, BAFTA and others.
Three of Agnieszka Holland’s films In Darkness, Europa Europa and
Angry Harvest were nominated for an Academy Award (Best Foreign
Language Film category). Her mini-series Burning Bush received
among others 11 awards from the Czech Film Academy. She is a
Chairwoman of the European Film Academy (EFA).
TOR – founded in 1967. Since 1980 Krzysztof Zanussi has been its director. It has produced over 90 feature films, about 120 hours of TV series, miniseries and documentaries, as well
as it rendered services for many foreign productions. TOR Film Production is one of the most well-known production companies in Poland and has co-produced many international film
projects. The company co-operated with many famous film directors, a lot of films were awarded in Poland and abroad.
32
polish days
3–13 | 8 | 2016
69
Festival del film
Locarno
3–13 | 8 | 2016
Institutional partners:
Republic and Canton of Ticino with
Federal Office of Culture
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation sd
City and Region of Locarno
Destination sponsor:
Institutional partners:
Republic and Canton of Ticino with
Federal Office of Culture
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation sdc
City and Region of Locarno
The Leopards of Locarno
by Jannuzzi Smith
Main sponsors:
Main sponsors:
Destination sponsor:
26
Main sponsors:
Julia, Switzerland
69
Festival del film
Locarno
3–13 | 8 | 2016
Destination sponsor:
Institutional partners:
Republic and Canton of Ticino with
Federal Office of Culture
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation sdc
City and Region of Locarno
off
on
7
October 26-28, Wrocław, Poland
www.usinprogress.com
part of the one and only
7. american film festival
25–30.10.2016
wrocław, poland
where
Europe
meets
US indies
US in Progress Wrocław is:
3 days of intense networking and experience sharing with
emerging American talent / by-invitation only exclusive
screenings of 6 selected US works-in-progress / direct exposure
to US producers / panels and talks with established producers
working in Europe and North America / transatlantic co-production
forum / early feedback and involvement opportunities for buyers,
festival programmers and post-production companies
US In Progress offers perfect conditions to discover rising talents from the US indie scene and
exchange with them our views on the best strategies to value and distribute their work.
Quentin Worthington, buyer, Versatile, France
Thanks to our generous sponsors and partners
United States of America Embassy Warsaw
Notes
Notes