Still from Wiktor Skrzynecki's "Felix, Net and Nika and the Theoretically Possible Catastrophe, photo: Phoenix Film Media
When three junior high students come across big carnivorous plants and are chased by a mysterious ghost, their special powers of invention, intuition and mathematical skill help them solve crimes and puzzles in order to get back home safely.
Wiktor Skrzynecki’s full length feature is based on Rafał Kosik’s Polish language best-selling series of science fiction books for teenagers. Starring three friends - Felix Polon, Net Bielecki and Nika Mickiewicz who attend Professor Kuszmiński Middle School in Warsaw, the film brings to life their unusual adventures involving strange machines, flying sailing ship and magical plants.
In Felix, Net and Nika and the Theoretically Possible Catastrophe, the gang experiences an unusual journey in time. During the summer vacation they come to a mysterious research center and discover a machine created from WWII. The youngsters manage to get out of several difficult situations thanks to their individual abilities and the power of their friendship. Felix is a dexterous inventor who learned to construct robots and other machines from his father. His inventions have saved the friends many times. Net, on the other hand is a brilliant mathematician who is also a bit lazy, sometimes absent-minded and secretly in love with Nika. The groups’ only girl Nika Mickiewicz is a brave and mature book worm with paranormal abilities. She can move objects using telepathy, ski uphill and knows some things by intuition.
The making of Felix Net and Nika... encountered its troubles along the way, with complications regarding the financing postponing its coming to life for 6 years. Eventually due to the record amount of special effects, postproduction lasted for over a year. The effects are the work of Grzegorz Kędzierski, cinematographer for Mamoru Oshii’s Avalon, and the computer effects were created by Lightcraft, the same company that worked on Wojciech Smarzowski’s Rose, Roger Christian’s 97 Minutes and Robby Henson’s The Consul of Bordeaux and House.
The Felix Net and Nika book series is the commercial hit of recent years in Poland. Journalist Robert Ziębiński comments in Polish Newsweek "Kosik cleverly balances out the proportions between action, education and humour". So far the series has come out in Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Hungary, distribution in China, Germany, France and Spain is under negotiation. In Poland the 9 books from the series have sold in over 45 thousand copies. The first two books have received the main literary prize and the title of Book of the Year 2005 of the Polish Section of the International Board on Books for Young People; the third book was nominated for the same award and the fourth book won the Children’s Bestseller 2007 Little Dong Prize.
In October the film screens at the CINEKID film Festival in Amsterdam and soon after it shows at the Festival of Polish Films in Los Angeles.
The 9 books in the series:
• Felix Net and Nika and the Gang of Invisible People - November 2004.
• Felix Net and Nika and the Theoretically Possible Catastrophe - November 2005
• Felix Net and Nika and the Palace of Dreams - November 2006
• Felix Net and Nika and the Trap of Immortality - November 2007
• Felix Net and Nika and the Orbital Conspiracy - November 2009
• Felix Net and Nika and the Orbital Conspiracy 2: Small Army - May 2009
• Felix Net and Nika and the Third Cousin - November 2009
• Felix Net and Nika and the Rebellion of Machines - March 2011
• Felix Net and Nika and the World Zero - November 2011
• Felix Net and Nika and the World Zero 2. Alternauts - November 2012
• Felix Net and Nika and the Theoretically Possible Catastrophe, Poland 2012, directed by Wiktor Skrzynecki written by Rafał Kosik, Wiktor Skrzynecki director of photography Grzegorz Kędzierski producer Włodzimierz Niderhaus produced by Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (Warsaw) co-produced by Media Group, Lightcraft Warsaw co-financed by Polish Film Institute distributed by Phoenix Film Distribution cast Kamil Klier (Felix), Klaudia Łepkowska (Nika), Maciej Stolarczyk (Net), Adam Woronowicz, Marek Kossakowski
Sources: culture.pl, Felix, Net and Nika Official Blog, Rafał Kosik blog, PISF
Author: Marta Jazowska