From the film "Essential Killing", dir. Jerzy Skolimowski, pictured Vincent Gallo, photo by Ivo Ledwożyw/Syrena Films
The Kinoteka Polish Film Festival boasts a superb line-up of new Polish cinema and a few gems from the past. Opening with Jerzy Skolimowski's "Essential Killing", the festival brings the freshest films from young directors, including Marek Lechki's "Erratum", Marcin Wrona's "The Christening" and a review of productions by graduates of the Andrzej Wajda Film School, along with a retrospective of films by the brilliant Kondratiuk brothers
The 9th edition of the annual Festival returns to the United Kingdom with another challenging programme bringing together the leading lights of Polish Cinema, with an impressive and diverse selection of internationally acclaimed titles from first time filmmakers, seasoned auteurs and directors who have achieved cult status in Poland and worldwide, along with a sampling of innovative visual artists and musicians. The event opens with
Essential Killing, main prize winner at the 2010 Venice Film Festival. Captured in Afghanistan by US forces, Mohammed (Vincent Gallo), is subject to interrogation and rendition. In the course of his journey through an unnamed European country, he escapes across a snow-covered landscape, where he attempts to live off the land, eventually having his wounds tended by a deaf and mute woman (Emmanuelle Seigner). Essential Killing has proven that
Jerzy Skolimowski's is still among the world's greatest directorial talents. Thepremiere screening on March 24 is followed by a Q&A session with the director.
The New Polish Cinema series brings together a selection of the best award-winning features and shorts from the last 12 months. The line-up includes Made in Poland, a gritty and angry statement on youthful radicalism adapted from
Wojcieszek's own highly successful stage play,
Erratum the first feature film from award-winning shorts director
Marek Lechki, Urszula Antoniak's Nothing Personal (Golden Leopard at Locarno 2009) and
Marcin Wrona's impressive crime drama,
The Christening. The survey of New Polish Cinema coincides with the publication of the book Polish Cinema Now. A collection of eleven articles in English, written by leading critics mostly from Poland and a few from abroad, about the latest trends in Polish cinematography. It covers Polish cinema from various perspectives, from commercial cinema, educational films, animation and documentaries, to gay and feminist cinema. The book edited by Matthew Werner was published by the Warsaw-based Adam Mickiewicz Institute and John Libbey Publishing Ltd. Highlights of the section include:
Venice dir. Jan Jakub Kolski, cast. Magdalena Cielecka, Agnieszka Grochowska, Mariusz Bonaszewski / 2010 / Poland / 110 min. The film is a charming, magical realist adaptation of three short stories by Wlodzimierz Odojewski, set against the backdrop of the summer of 1939. But when the conflict between Poland and Germany intensifies, he is sent to a small village to live with his aunts in a vast mansion. There, in a flooded basement, they recreate Venice which becomes the setting for the emotional transformation of the protagonists. Somewhere between his dreams, Venice, and the impending war, Marek must prematurely transform from a child into a man.
The Christening" / "Chrzestdir. Marcin Wrona, cast. Tomasz Schuchardt, Wojciech Zieliński, Adam Woronowicz / 2010 / Poland / 86 min. Michał has everything he's always dreamed of: a beautiful wife Magda, a newborn son, his own firm. He chooses an old friend, Janek, to be the godfather of his child. This is just the beginning of Michał's plan, who goes on to ask his friend to take an interest in his wife... Initially the plan seems to works out, but it becomes increasingly difficult for Michał to come to terms with it. Michał knows his deeply hidden past will inevitably come back to haunt him, and Janek will have to make a decision, one which he will never be able to forget the consequences of. An exceptionally tense, taut edge-of-your seat thriller. Christening was an Official Selection at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival. Screening followed by a Q&A with director, Marcin Wrona.
Mother Teresa of Cats" / "Matka Teresa od Kotów dir. Paweł Sala, cast. Ewa Skibińska, Mateusz Kościukiewicz, Mariusz Bonaszewski, Filip Garbacz / 2010 / Poland / 95 min. The picture tells a shocking story inspired by true events. Two brothers, 22-year-old Artur and 12-year-old Marcin, are arrested for the murder of their mother, Teresa. What could have possibly brought this seemingly normal family to ruin? The answer seems to be hidden in the twelve months preceding the brothers arrest. With each retrospective sequence the director constructs unbelievably accurate portraits of the brothers and their future victim, and bringing us closer to understanding the psychology of this horrible crime and motherly love. But will these juxtaposed puzzle fragments of the preceding events create a clear final image resolving the mystery? Screening Followed by a Q&A with director, Paweł Sala.
Erratum dir. Marek Lechki, cast. Tomasz Kot, Ryszard Kotys, Tomasz Radawiec / 2010 / Poland / 95 min. Michał must travel to his hometown, Szczecin, to pick up his boss' car. The trip reminds him of all the reasons why he left Szczecin and escaped from his father many years ago, after his mother's death. A car accident, in which he kills a homeless man, forces Michał to extend his stay. Out of guilt he starts searching for the homeless man's family. This simple task quickly transforms into an emotional journey into his past. The harder he tries to move on and leave, the deeper he sinks into a world of unfulfilled dreams and ambitions.
Made In Poland dir. Przemysław Wojcieszek , cast. Przemysław Bluszcz, Janusz Chabior, Wieslaw Cichy / 2010/ Poland/ 90 min.16-year-old Boguś, a former altar boy, acts out on his disappointment with God. He tattoos obscenities on his forehead, arms himself with a metal rod and sets out to start a revolution on his block and look for new spiritual guidance. Initially conceived as a film project, Wojcieszek decided not to wait for funding and first created the story for the theatre in 2004. The play, a spectacular success strongly praised by critics, is considered as one of the most significant plays in Poland in the last decade.
The festival celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Andrzej Wajda Film School, founded by the legendary auteur in Warsaw. The films, already acknowledged internationally, constitute a very fresh voice within the documentary film genre, whilst at the same time being grounded in the tradition of good Polish Cinema from the school's illustrious mentors -
Andrzej Wajda,
Krzysztof Zanussi,
Agnieszka Holland or
Wojciech Marczewski. The festival's selections include Andrzej Wajda, Let's Shoot! a documentary on the director's technique, dir. Maciej Cuske, starring Thierry Paladino, Marcin Sauter, Piotr Stasik (Poland / 2008 / 54min).
The festival's short film series includes the best short films of the past few years, including Inventory" / "Inwentaryzacja directed by Paweł Łoziński, Out of Reach" / "Poza zasięgiem directed by Paweł Stożek (screened at the Sundance Film Festival 2011 and named Best Short Documentary at DOCSDF, Mexico, 2010), Danny Boy directed by Marek Skrobecki (screened at the Academy Awards in 2011), Behind the Fence directed by Marcin Sauter. Little Bride directed by Lesław Dobrucki and Viva Maria! Telefono directed by Marcin Wrona. A special section has been devoted to Polish-Yiddish films, featuring such films as Dybbuk dir. Michał Waszyński (Poland / 1937 / 123 min). Yiddish with English subtitles. The film is based on the celebrated play of the same name by S. Ansky written during the turbulent years of 1912-1917 and inspired by Ansky's ethnographic research of Jews living in the Polish-Russian countryside just before World War I. Dybbuk reflects Ansky's deep perception of the shtetl's religious and cultural mores, as well as his insightful appreciation of its hidden spiritual resources. A look into the legends of cutting Polish cinematic comedy comes by way of the Kondratiuk Brothers retrospective, which presents a selection of gems from directors Janusz and Andrzej Kondratiuk, including Marriageable Girls and Hydro-Riddle and How to Gain Money, Women and Fame?. These films, made in the early 1970s, tap into the Polish tradition of surreal, absurdist humour that is very much rooted in social and cultural awareness. The festival also screens the 2010 film by Janusz Kondratiuk, A Million Dollars.The festival is accompanied by an exhibition of film and theatre posters by award-winning designer
Franciszek Starowieyski (1930-2009) at the Riverside Studios and the Barbican Hall. A leader of the Polish Poster School, his original works and posters can be found in major collections across the globe, including MoMA, where he was the first Polish artist to be given a solo exhibition.
Zofia Kulik's Przemysłw Kwiek (Kwiekulik) are also in the spotlight at the festival with a screening at the Tate Modern of Activities with Dobromierz on April 5, 2011. Part of the Soc Art movement of the 70s, the duo created a series of images that show their infant son surrounded by everyday household objects. The arrangements are intended to make a statement on the oppressive nature of socialist regimes on the art world. For more informaion on the screening, see:
KwieKulik and Son at the Tate ModernThe festival's Closing Gala features a very special screening of Henryk Szaro's A Strong Man. The 1929 Silent Classic has been rediscovered and restored. Described as the greatest Polish film of the silent era, the film was presumed lost forever until a copy was found at the Royal Film Archive in Brussels in 1997 and fully restored. The screening accompanied by live music by contemporary Polish band Pink Freud, one of the most promising Polish bands exploring the fresh sounds of electronica and experimental jazz.
Special guests of the festival include: Janusz Kondratiuk, Paweł Sala,
Zofia Kulik, Lukasz Ronduda,
Jerzy Skolimowski,
Marcin Wrona, Pink Freud,
Przemyslaw Wojcieszek.
The Kinoteka programme is based in London between March 24 - April 13, along with four smaller series in Belfast (March 25-31), Edinburgh (April 2 -5), Exeter (March 27, 31, April 3), Glasgow (April 3, 7, 10). For a full programme, see:
www.kinoteka.org.uk