Film Róża poster
Eleven Polish films are in the competition during this year's edition of the Wisła Polish Film Festival in the Russian capital
The mutual cultural histories of Poland and Russia span back decades and the Wisła Polish Film Festival is a proof of this link. The fifth edition of the festival, held in Moscow and several other cities, highlights the cinematic talents of both beginning and established Polish film makers. This year's main competition includes eleven films produced in the past year, including Feliks Falk's Joanna, Rafael Lewandowski's The Mole and Jan Komasa's Suicide Room - films which have run the international festival circuit and received praise and had successful runs in Polish cinemas. Suicide Room was Jan Komasa's debut feature, a film which has won a number of awards for its depiction of the precarious world of teenagers in the virtual. It was the first Polish feature which combined live-action shots and CGI techniques to tell the story of an adolescent boy's dangerous foray into a relationship with a destructive individual.
Barbara Sass's W imieniu diabła / In the name of the devil, is a story of a group of nuns who are permanently confined to their nunnery. They are influenced by the authority of a despotic prioress and the enigmatic Father Francis. Zdzisław Pietrasik wrote in his review in the Polityka weekly, "Barbara Sass, has not directed a film in 12 years but has not forgotten how to make films. In the name of the devil is an example of a job well done, in which more than a small part is played by the cinematography of Wiesław Zdort." Ki / My name is Ki, the feature-lenght debut by Leszek Dawid, was praised for its portrayal of Kinga, a lonely single mother who, despite being the soul of many a party, finds it hard to fit in any particular role. She is not made to be neither a mother, homemaker, nor artist. The film had its world premiere at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, where My Name is Ki was described as "a unique portrait of a woman." This year's selections are rather serious in their subject matter, with Antoni Krauze's Black Thursday commemorating the bloody riots during the first Gdańsk shipyard uprisings in 1970. Krzysztof Łukaszewicz's Lynch and Wojciech Smarzowski's Róża are both hard-hitting films that bring audiences in the dark realm of rural Poland.
Two prominent guests at this year's Wisła festival are actor Janusz Gajos and director Krzysztof Zanussi. A film retrospective by Zanussi, which includes Persona non grata (2005) and Serce na dłoni / And a warm heart (2008), are in the spotlight at the festival.
Other sections of the festival include a collection of Polish comedies, ranging from Rejs/ The Cruise (dir. Marek Piwowski, 1970) to Listy do M. / Letters to M. (Mitja Okorn, 2011), a short films series produced by the Munk Studio and a documentary film series: Guide to the Poles. It welcomes viewers into a remarkable cinematic journey into the roots of the contemporary phenomenon of freedom and creativity in Poland. In spite of prevailing stereotypes, the socialist era in Poland was not just about oppression, poverty and subjection. It was just as much a time of attaining tenable freedoms in unexpected areas of life.
When politics, family and religion didn't bring any hope to young Polish people, they found it in rock music - with a force that was as unanticipated as it was indomitable. Directed by Leszek Gnoiński and Wojciech Słota, Beats of Freedom is the first installment in the series. The film tells the story of rock music during the Communist era in the People's Republic of Poland through the eyes of Chris Salewicz, a British journalist of Polish heritage.
When Polish people were cut off from fashionable clothing, they did everything to avoid looking dull and uniform, in spite of the fact that there was little money, materials or stylish shops. Political Dress shows how bright colours and home-made tailoring can serve as a personal weapon against an oppressive political regime
When Poles were getting crammed into stiff political and religious structures, they knew how to find spontaneous enjoyment in the more intimate realms of life. Sometimes with the help of a Haitian voodoo priest. Art of Disappearing examines the more intimate aspects of freedom during a time of political oppression.
When Poles weren't allowed access to passports or travel, a certain group of passionate mountain climbers overcame all obstacles and managed to conquer the highest peaks in the Himalayas. They were among the best in the world. Art of Freedom answers the most poignant questions on the phenomenon of Polish Himalaism in the '70s and '80s.
When the youngest members of society had no toys to play with, they made their own with the help of a television host who shared his McGyveresque ability to create something interesting from virtually anything. What has a greater impact on a child's development - a room full of expensive toys or perhaps no toys at all? Is a child's imagination stimulated to a greater extent by complex electronic inventions or, rather, a simple radio receiver the child has made on his or her own? Toys takes a look at the circumstances which shaped the imaginations of today's generation of Polish artists and designers.
The five films come together as a charming and witty foray into the complex circumstances of the past that have shaped many aspects of the contemporary Polish character. Today's Polish artists are recognised around the world for their creativity and breadth of perspectives - the fruit, perhaps, of a long-running struggle for political and social independence.
Films at the 5th Wisła film festival are screened in two Moscow cinemas, the Художественный cinema, in which, more than 85 years ago, Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin premiered and the Факел cinema. The Wisła festival is also to set to tour other Russian cities, such as Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod.
The festival jury is headed by film critic Viktor Matizen and other industry professionals.
This year's festival is dedicated to the memory of former deputy foreign minister Andrzej Kremer, who tragically died in the 2010 plane crash in Smoleńsk.
For more information and a detailed programme, see: http://www.festiwalwisla.pl