Magdalena Boczarska in W Ukryciu, dir. Jan Kidawa-Błoński, photo: Carisma Film Group.
Audiences at the 18th International Film Festival in Busan will be able to view four Polish films. The festival is among the significant film events in Asia.
The screening of Jan Kidawa-Błoński’s movie W ukryciu / In Hiding will be its world premiere, presented in the World Cinema section.
W Ukryciu / In Hiding – A Different Perspective on War
Kidawa-Błoński is known for directing Różyczki / Little Rose, presented in Busan in 2010. His newest production is a story of two women whose destinies become linked by war. The father (Krzysztof Stroiński) of Janina arrives at the home of Ester, the daughter of his Jewish friend, in order to put her in hiding during the German occupation. Shortly thereafter, the father is arrested leaving his daughter with no other choice but to join Ester in hiding. The two women are strangers and sometimes resort to hostility as they live together in the cramped flat.
The director, in an interview with Katarzyna Skorupska from Portal Filmowy, said:
Janina (Magdalena Boczarska) is a violinist. She lives amongst a circle of musicians who have existential problems and are closed to the outside world. She is unable to pull herself together, it is clear that she is a lonely person: the relationship she has with her boyfriend, with her father, makes her unhappy. Ester (Julia Pogrebińska) is cut from an entirely different cloth. Once a ballet dancer, she wanted to leave Poland to go to the Soviet Union and conquer their world of dance. She is a modern woman with leftist views while Janina is very conservative and essentially a provincial character. When these two women meet, Ester begins to believe that Janina is changing and this triggers deeply hidden emotions. Janina under the influence of Ester begins to see the world differently and her views on Ester also change.
Julia Pogrebińska in W ukryciu, dir. Jan Kidawa-Błoński, photo: Carisma Film Group
The film awaits cinematic release but already has garnered positive comments from critics. Artur Zaborski wrote about it online for Stopklatka:
An ambiguous attitude and a completely new perspective on times of war are the greatest assets of In Hiding. Although the time in which the film’s action takes place carries a certain context, it doesn’t undermine the universality of the story. Błoński presents an excellent overview of a cruelty carried by a war, but is committed in the name of love. Fortunately there is no difference between the two and the protagonists aren’t held accountable for the crimes committed.
Wajda and Pawlikowski in Korea
In Hiding will not be the only representative of Polish cinema at the Korean festival. Amongst the 54 titles selected for the category of World Cinema will also be Paweł Pawlikowski’s Ida and Andrzej Wajda’s Wałęsa. Man of Hope.
The Wide Angle section includes a review of short films from around the world and will feature Zabicie ciotki / Killing Auntie directed by Mateusz Głowacki.
Busan is one of the most important festivals in Asia but only recently have organisers included material from the international scene - the event had been dedicated to Asian cinema and as it has been opening up to the world, there has been an attraction to Eastern European creations, including works from Poland. Last year’s edition featured Piotr Mularuk’s Yuma, Piotr Trzaskalski’s Mój rower / My Father's Bike and Andrzej Jakimowski’s Imagine. In 2011, Grzegorz Zgliński’s Wymyk / Courage had its world premiere at Busan and Marek Lechki’s Erratum was recognised by the jury in the Flash Forward competition.
The 18th International Film Festive in Busan will take place from the 3rd to the 12th of October.
More information can be found on the festival’s web page.
Sources: PortalFilmowy, PISF, Stopklatka, CarismaFilm, author: BS. 26/09/2013
Translation: SMG 27/09/2013