Still frame from Walerian Borowczyk's "Dom / House", 1958., photo: press release
In addition to key Polish releases from 2013 and 2014 presented at the 33rd Istanbul International Film Festival, this year's program features a unique anthology of Polish experimental animation with works from early 1940s to contemporary productions.
The selection of over 40 animations includes abstract films, photographic manipulations, as well as hand-drawn cartoons. Artists whose work will feature include Józef Robakowski and Jerzy Kalina and films by world-acclaimed animators Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk, Zbigniew Rybczyński and Jerzy Kucia.
Excerpt from the animation Scherzo Infernal, dir. Walerian Borowczyk; watch the entire film on ninateka.pl
Abstract film has a long tradition in Poland. This genre is obviously closest to non-representational painting. But abstraction on the screen can also be achieved through photographic means, using unconventional shots that make real objects look unreal or strange. The anthology in three parts presents the best examples of different approaches to experimental animation in Poland.
Demony [Demons] (1980) by Kazimierz Urbański and Oko i ucho [The Eye and The Ear] (1944/45), a film made in England during World War II by Stefan and Franciszka Themerson, the pioneers of the Polish avant-garde film, exemplify the early kinds of abstract film. Furthermore, the early films of Jan Lenica and Walerian Borowczyk played an exceptionally important role in Polish animation. Był sobie raz… [Once Upon a Time…] (1957) is an improvised cut-out film, one of the first of this kind in the history of cinema.
A separate group of experimental films consists of works that manipulate photographic images. These films include titles such as: Replika [Replica] (1975) by Kazimierz Bendkowski and Oj! Nie mogę się zatrzymać! [Oh, I Can’t Stop!] (1975) by the Oscar-winning Zbigniew Rybczyński.
There is a group of films that can be labelled 'anti-animations.' Copyright by Film Polski MCMLXXVI (1976) by Piotr Szulkin is, as the director put it himself, an ‘anti-avant-garde.’ Edward Sturlis’s Plaża [Beach] (1964) may have been the first attempt in Poland to combine live actors with drawn characters. Słońce – film bez kamery [Sun: A Non-Camera Film] (1977) by Julian Antonisz is the first film rubber-stamped directly onto film stock.
Special Panel Discussion on Polish Animation
On 12 April, the anthology screenings in three parts will be accompanied by a panel discussion on Polish animation with Mariusz Wilczyński and Adriana Prodeus. Wilczyński most importantly hopes to talk about his new long feature animation project: Zabij to i wyjedź z tego miasta, which may be freely translated as - Kill it and leave this city. Wilczyński will be discussing differences while producing short and long animations, as well as the newest achievements by his students with historical reflections on the featured anthology in three parts. Furthermore, Adriana Prodeus will talk a little about the history of Polish animation and its link to visual arts. The accompanying panel is co-organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Animations will be screened in three parts between 7, 8 and 9 April 2014. Visit event page for a detailed schedule: http://film.iksv.org/en/program/110
Find out more about current trends in Polish animation
Read about Top Names in Polish Animation: Past-Present