Thu, Feb 20, 9pm
FLOATING SKYSCRAPERS (Poland, 2013, 93’) dir. Tomasz Wasilewski
An aspiring swimmer, Kuba (Mateusz Banasiuk) lives an uneventful life in an apartment that he shares with his mother and his girlfriend. Kuba’s mundane existence changes when he meets Michał (Bartosz Gelner) at a gallery opening one night. Their casual acquaintance quickly turns into deep fascination.
Mateusz Banasiuk in Floating Skyscrapers directed by Tomasz Wasilewski. Photo: Anna Tomczyńska
Fri, Feb 21, 4:30pm
IMAGINE (Poland/France/United Kingdom/Portugal, 2012, 105’) dir. Andrzej Jakimowski
Ian (Edward Hogg) arrives at a world-renowned Lisbon clinic for the visually impaired. Ian is a spatial orientation instructor: it will be his task to teach the patients how to explore their surroundings on their own without feeling vulnerable or afraid. The doctor in charge of the clinic hires Ian on the condition that the patients won’t be exposed to danger as they learn to move around by themselves.
Alexandra Maria Lara and Edward Hogg in Andrzej Jakimowski's "Imagine", photo: Kino Świat
Fri, Feb 21, 7pm
IDA (Poland, 2013, 80’) dir. Paweł Pawlikowski
18-year old Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska), a sheltered orphan raised in a convent, is preparing to become a nun when the Mother Superior insists that first she visit her sole living relative. Naïve, innocent Anna is soon confronted with her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza), a worldly and cynical Communist Party insider, who shocks her niece with the revelation that her real name is Ida, and her Jewish parents were murdered during the German occupation.
Agata Trzebuchowska in Ida directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, photo: Gdynia Film Festival.
Fri, Feb 21, 9pm
THE CLOSED CIRCUIT (Poland, 2013, 110’) dir. Ryszard Bugajski
The story follows three high-profile businessmen from Gdańsk who attract the attention of the district attorney when they open a successful, modern industrial plant. One of the highest-grossing productions of 2013 in Poland, the story is based on true events.
Still from Ryszard Bugajski's "Closed Circuit", photo: Krzysztof Kowalski/ Kino Świat.
Sat, Feb 22, 6:30pm
LIFE FEELS GOOD (Poland, 2013, 107’) dir. Maciej Pieprzyca
With director Maciej Pieprzyca & lead actor Dawid Ogrodnik in person
The film tells the story of Mateusz (Dawid Ogrodnik), a boy born with cerebral palsy and diagnosed at a very young age as mentally disabled with no ability to communicate. Now 30 and institutionalised, he faces a committee of physicians who will decide his future. We watch in flashback as Mateusz struggles to prove to everyone that despite his physical handicap, he is in fact intelligent.
Sat, Feb 22, 9:30pm
LOVING (Poland, 2012, 106’) dir. Sławomir Fabicki
Maria (Julia Kijowska) and Tomek (Marcin Dorociński) are in their thirties and are expecting a baby after ten years of marriage. But everything changes one grim day when Maria is raped by the mayor of the town, who has long lusted after her. Maria does not report the incident to the police or tell her husband - but from that point forward, the couple’s love is put to the test.
Julia Kijowska and Marcin Dorociński in Sławomir Fabicki's "Loving", photo: Warsaw Film Festival
Sun, Feb 23, 7pm
PAPUSZA (Poland, 2013, 131’) dir. Joanna Kos-Krauze & Krzysztof Krauze
With directors Joanna Kos-Krauze & Krzysztof Krauze in person
Papusza (Jowita Budnik) was the first Roma woman in Poland to publish her poetry, confronting the traditional image of women in her community. We follow Papusza’s life from birth to old age: her arranged marriage, life in a traditional caravan through World War II, and finally forced settlement into urban poverty under Communism.