Two evenings with
Przemyslaw Wojcieszek, one of Poland's best emerging playwrights, screenwriters, and film and theatre directors.
Starting his career as a successful film director, Wojcieszek quickly became a leading representative of Polish independent cinema. His Louder Than Bombs was honored at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2002, and for Down the Colorful Hill Wojcieszek was named Best Director at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia 2004. Though he won the most important awards in Poland and his films were widely presented abroad, in 2004 he turned to theatre, staging mostly his own scripts and exploring themes of tolerance, personal identity, and being Polish. Made in Poland marked Wojcieszek's debut both as playwright and as theatrical director at the
Modjeska Theatre in Legnica. An absolute hit with audiences and critics alike, the play was regarded as the best in Poland in the 2004/2005 season by theatrical critics.
The discussion with Przemyslaw Wojcieszek will be moderated and the readings (excerpts from Made in Poland and Whatever Happens, I Love You) will be directed by Linda Chapman, Associate Artistic Director at the New York Theatre Workshop.
"It has been a long time since we have seen a Polish film that is so formally fresh, yet so mature in the mannerin which it examines the world". (Tomasz Tiuryn, "Gazeta Wyborcza")
Detailed program:
Thursday, June 7, 2007, 6:30-8:00 pm - a discussion with Przemyslaw Wojcieszek and a reading of his plays Whatever Happens, I Love You / Cokolwiek sie zdarzy, kocham cie and Made in Poland
Moderator and director of the readings: Linda Chapman, Associate Artistic Director at the New York Theatre Workshop
place: Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York City, tel. 212-817-1860
Saturday, June 9, 2007 - screenings of two films by Przemyslaw Wojcieszek Louder Than Bombs / Glosniej od bomb and Down the Colorful Hill / W dol kolorowym wzgorzem; after the screenings Q&A with the director
place: Two Boots Pioneer Theatre, 155 E. 3rd Street (between Avenue A & B), New York City, tel. 212-591-0434
- 4:00 pm - Louder Than Bombs / Glosniej od bomb (Kodak Vision Award at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, USA, 2002)
Twenty-one-year-old Marcin, a huge fan of James Dean and the British rock band The Smiths, lives in a small town in the south of Poland and works as an automobile mechanic. His mother has been dead for upwards of a dozen years, while his father passed away just a few days ago. Marcin has no close relations, so he must attend to the funeral arrangements himself. He is aided by his girlfriend Kaska. The day before the funeral, Kaska tells Marcin that she will be leaving town to go to school in Chicago. Her parents are very much in favor of her departing and hope that this will prevent her from ever having to stand in line at the local unemployment office. For Marcin, the news is a tremendous blow. He himself dropped out of college to help his ailing father run their automotive repair shop. Now his father has passed away, and if Kaska leaves for Chicago, Marcin will be left all alone. He knows that the girl may never come back again. In the meantime, Marcin's distant relatives arrive for the funeral, some of them from far off. As their host, Marcin must show them hospitality and as a result has less and less time to persuade Kaska to stay, to convince her that even in this "shitty place" they can live "louder than bombs," as long as they do it together. - 5:45 pm - Q&A with the director
- 6:15 pm - Down the Colorful Hill / W dol kolorowym wzgorzem (Best Director award at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, 2004)
After serving time in prison, young Rysiek returns to his hometown in the provinces of Poland. His dream is to return to the quiet life and to the love of his longtime girlfriend, Agata. Of course, nothing is so simple when he discovers that Agata is now married to his brother and the newlyweds are planning on selling the family home in order to move to Warsaw. Not easily discouraged, Rysiek is determined to make a success of himself and win back the lovely Agata. Although Down the Colorful Hill is only his second feature film, it demonstrates Wojcieszek's command of the medium. The film speaks with an original voice, has a distinctive visual style and offers an insightful view of life in contemporary, capitalistic Poland. - 8:15 pm - Q&A with the director
Organization: The Polish Cultural Institute in collaboration with The Martin E. Segal Theatre The New York Theatre Workshop and The Two Boots Pioneer Theater.