Polish Films at the 69th Locarno Film Festival
Jan P. Matuszyński’s film The Last Family will be screened in the main competition of the 69th Locarno International Film Festival. Three more Polish films will compete in other categories.
The Last Family tells the story of the legendary Beksiński family. The action begins in 1977, when Tomek, son of the controversial painter Zdzisław Beksiński, moves out from the parental home to live on his own. Since his new flat is in the same neighbourhood, their relationship continues to be very close. Tomek is restless and oversensitive, which worries his mother Zofia. Meanwhile, Zdzisław is trying to devote himself entirely to art. After Tomek’s first suicide attempt, the couple has to fight for their son’s life while trying to regain control over their own reality. Things seem to take a turn for the better when Zdzisław Beksiński signs a contract with Piotr Dmochowski, an art dealer living in France, while Tomek gets hired by a radio station. But this is just the beginning of a series of strange and tragic events…
Matuszyński’s film The Last Family is one of the most anticipated films this year. Written by Robert Bolesto, it stars Andrzej Seweryn, Dawid Ogrodnik and Aleksandra Konieczna. The Polish premiere is scheduled for 30th September.
Polish films in the Critics’ Week
Seven films have been selected for the prestigious Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la Critique). Among them there are two Polish productions: Rafał Skalski’s Monk of the Sea and Anna Zamecka’s Communion. This is not the first time the Critic’s Week features several Polish components. Two directors from Poland have already been honoured with the main award in this section: Zuzanna Solakiewicz in 2014 for her 15 Corners of the World and Wojciech Staroń, in 2013, for Brothers.
Anna and Wilhelm Sasnal in the Signs of Life section.
The Sun, the Sun Blinded Me, a recent film by Anna and Wilhelm Sasnal will be presented in the Signs of Life section, which is meant to explore ‘film’s frontier territories’. The film has been inspired by Albert Camus’s novel The Outsider. It raises important contemporary questions, especially xenophobia and alienation. The film is a Polish-Swiss production and has been made with the participation of the Hauser & Wirth Zürich Gallery.
The 69th Locarno International Film Festival is held from 3rd to 13th August 2016.
Sources: PISF, ed. BS., transl. EP, July 2016
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