More than 100 feature films, documentaries and shorts were watched at this year's filmPOLSKA 2014 review in Berlin. The festival gained a record-breaking audience, and attracted the attention of the German media. The festival was reported on by major local newspapers, and the festival organizers appeared on both radio (Deutschlandradio) and TV (RBB and WDR).
According to German journalists, one of the highlights of the event was the film named Art of Disappearing by Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosołowski. It is the story of a Haitian shaman who came to communist Poland in the 80s thanks to Jerzy Grotowski’s invitation.
The Art of Disappearing combines documentary recordings and archival materials, […] in the film collage, the edge between fiction and reality is blurred. – writes Oliwia Blender in Zitty Berlin magazine, adding that “in the Konopka film we can find a wide range of references to Polish romantic and messianic literature.
Bert Rebhandl of Tip Berlin Magazine wrote in Unusual Perspective: The documentary by Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosołowski, is, for a couple of reasons, the highlight of this year’s filmPOLSKA festival. The film tells the story of a shaman named Amon, and shows the history of the PRL in an unobvious light...”
In an interview given to the magazine Zitty Berlin, Bartosz Konopka admitted:
Delving into the story, we saw that the Polish spirituality and romanticism is a key element of our history. Polish spirituality is based on the assumption that the nation must suffer in order to become better. (...) This romanticism was, among others, the reason for the heroism of Polish soldiers who were taught that they must sacrifice for their country... ".
Polish in a hundred scenes
Among the films that German audience admired during the filmPOLSKA Festival were the most important works of young Polish artists: Floating Skyscrapers by Tomasz Wasilewski, Girl from the Wardrobe by Bodo Kox, Heavy Mental by Sebastian Buttny, as well as short films by Katarzyna Klimkiewicz.
In Berlin, Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze presented Papusza, Andrzej Jakimowski showed Imagine, and Paweł Pawlikowski showed Ida. The audience in Berlin could also see Life Feels Good by Maciej Pieprzyca, Traffic Department by Wojtek Smarzowski and Venus in Fur by Roman Polański.
Next to the most important feature films, there was also a place for nine outstanding documentaries. In addition to Art of Disappearance, the controversial Fuck For Forest by Michał Marczak was presented, as well as, Love by Filip Dzierżawski, Joanna by Aneta Kopacz and Father and Son by Paweł Łoziński and Father and Son on a Journey by Marcel Łoziński.
The 9th edition of the filmPOLSKA Festival was held in Berlin on 23-30 April 2014. Culture.pl was one of the partners of the event.
Sources: Tip Berlin, Stadmagazin Berlin, own materials, translated: Katarzyna Maksimiuk, 04.05.2014.