Still from Andrzej Wolski's "Toys", photo: WFDiF
A tribute to the art of home-made toy-making which sustained the eager minds of the youngest generations living under communism in Poland, Andrzej Wolski's Toys is screened at Les Arts Décoratifs
Deprived of access to the same toys as children in the West, the communist centralised economic system left its toll on the minds of the youngest generations. Unwilling to accept the toy shortages, as writer Dorota Masłowska remarks in the film, "these children picked up the scraps and rubbish of the adults world... glass, paper, rocks, stray cats. And they created another world out of all this...". The only way for children to enjoy their playtime, home-made toys were also a stepping stone in the creation of liberally thinking young minds.
Directed by Andrzej Wolski in 2011 as part of the Guide to the Poles series which capture the undaunted spirit of a nation under foreign rule. Director and documentary filmmaker Andrzej Wolski lives and works in France where he directed nearly 40 films in the last 30 years for French television, the BBC and the Polish broadcaster TVP. He specialises mainly in biographies and historical film. He co-wrote Agnieszka Holland's Oscar nominated film Europa Europa. Among his most important works are: Culture Monthly (1985) co-directed with Agnieszka Holland portraying the history of the Literary Institute in Maisons-Laffitte, a film about the life of Józef Czapski also co-directed with Agnieszka Holland Czapski (1985), The Immigrants (1987) in which three couriers find out unknown facts about their war missions in London, Washington and Poland, Moi, Gombrowicz (1989) a series of interviews in which the famous novelist, playwright and essayist reveals his phobias while speaking about trends in art and Jan Lebenstein (2000) – the pilot’s journals.
The screening takes place on Thursday the 21st of March 2013 at Les Arts décoratifs 111 rue de Rivoli at 6.30pm.
Sources: culture.pl
Editor: MJ