Marcin Wrona's feature film has scooped up a number of awards, including Silver Lions for Best Male Lead and Best Editing at this year's Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. In 2010, the film competed in the Zabaltegi - New Directors competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Reyjavik Film Festival and the Warsaw Film Festival. In Reyjavik, it was given an honourable mention for a brilliantly made film, which captures the heart with a story of sacrifice and confrontation, misery and hope, illustrating the innocence of children against the faults of their elders. The film premieres in Poland on October 22, 2010 in theatres nationwide.
After the graceful reception of Marcin Wrona's debut My Blood, the director followed up with The Christening / Chrzest. The similarity of the two narratives - the key plots of both films revolve around a hero confronted with death turns to a close friend to take care of his young wife and newborn child - is striking. The narrative style and camera work also have quite a bit in common. Wrona himself explains that the similarities were intentional, emphasising that he is interested in the subject of maturity, the attaining of adulthood. The films have a similar structure, but these are different stories. In 'The Christening', we contemplate the initiation into evil, we show how difficult it is to run away from it (Gazeta Wyborcza, August 5, 2009).
The Christening is the director's second film after his debut My Flesh My Blood. The script is loosely based on the real story of a man from the Polish provinces who, after operating as a criminal in his home town, comes to Warsaw to find a new life. He hopes to change his luck and to escape from the criminal past he left behind. Michael has everything he could possibly dream of - a beautiful wife Magda, a newborn son, a good job. Unfortunately, there is a mafia vendetta against him and Michal desperately tries to find a way to save his family. Several days before the christening of his child he invites an old friend to be the godfather and welcomes him into their home.
Slowly, Janek grows closer and closer to the family. Michael is aware that his deeply concealed past will inevitably overtake him and Janek will have to make a decision, the consequences of which he will never forget. The film stars Wojciech Zieliński, Tomasz Schuchardt, Natalia Rybicka and Adam Woronowicz.
The Christening was awarded the Grand Prix at the Febiofest International Film Festival in Prague on April 1, 2011. In 2010 it won the Golden Lion Award for Best Male Lead and Best Editing at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. It also competed in last year's Zabaltegi - New Directors competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Reyjavik Film Festival and the Warsaw Film Festival.
Source: www.pisf.pl