A scene from the documentary "End and Beginning. A Meeting with Wisława Szymborska"
John Albert Jansen documentary entitled End and Beginning. A Meeting with Wisława Szymborska is being screened in Stockholm as part of the Nyfiken på Polen (Curious about Poland) lecture series
The film features Jansen's interviews with Wisława Szymborska, but also with other prominent figures such as Andrzej Wajda and the poet’s friend, Ewa Lipska who reveal their personal stories about the poet and her poetry. Szymborska herself shares anecdotes, showing an especially witty, humorous side, even telling the following joke,
After his death, Einstein arrives in heaven. Upon meeting God, he asks him about the formula according to which he created the universe. "It’s simple", God replies, and begins to write a very long formula up on a blackboard. Einstein notices that there is an error in this formula that repeats several times. To this God only nods "Exactly".
Szymborska’s life was filled with a distinct sense of humour and irony. She considered the human being a vain and erring creature, but one that always commanded respect, admiration and kindness.
The meeting on Saturday begins at 11 am at Stockholm’s ABF-huset educational centre and is organised by the Svensk-Polska Samfundet (Swedish-Polish Association), in cooperation with the Polish Institute in Stockholm. For more information and registration inquiries, please see: www.svensk-polska.se.
End and Beginning - Meeting Wislawa Szymborska
documentary, Netherlands 2011.
Directed by: John Albert Jansen, directory of photography: Adri Schrover. An Oogland Filmproductions production, VPRO, 55 min.
The film is in Polish with English subtitles
Born in 1954, John Albert Jansen is a Dutch journalist and the director of numerous documentary films. One of his previous productions was devoted to the figure of the Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal. His End and Beginning - Meeting Wislawa Szymborska was previously screened in the Netherlands and in Israel.
End and Beginning. A Meeting with Wisława Szymborska Video Trailer:
The documentary is scheduled to premiere in Polish television on the 5th of May, 2012 on the Planete+ channel. It is also on the programme of the 9th annual Planete+ Doc Film Festival of documentary films. The Festival takes place in Warsaw between the 11th and the 20th of May, and in Wrocław between the 14-20th of May, 2012. Over the weekend between the 11th and 13th of May, End and Beginning - Meeting Wislawa Szymborska is also to be screened in arthouse cinemas in 20 different cities across Poland.
Editor: SRS
Source: www.svensk-polska.se, www.poloniainfo.se, www.planeteplus.pl