A study of those invisible forces that bring people together or push them apart, the "magnetically" themed Brooklyn Film Festival 2013 chooses a lineup of smart, multilayered, deceptive, manipulative Polish films for its programme through early June
Katarzyna Klimkiewicz – Flying Blind
Frankie is a 40-something successful aerospace engineer with a solid social standing. Kahil is 24-year-old French-Algerian student and illegal immigrant. They embark on a passionate love story. Throughout their romance, Frankie’s job creeps into the most intimate realms of her life. Professional yet vulnerable toward Kahil, one morning she is detained by the security services and told that he is deemed a "person of interest". The sexual and political thriller is set in a post 9/11 world of drones, security systems, suspicion and accusations. Flying Blind is Katarzyna Klimkiewicz’s feature debut and stars Helen McCrory, who has played in Hugo, Skyfall, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and French-Algerian actor Najib Oudghiri.
Paweł Ziemilski – Rogalik
Reflecting the alienating, pervasive influence of technology on everyday life in an impoverished Polish home, Paweł Ziemilski’s 17-minute short uses imaginative shots to highlight the perversion of contemporary reality. The camera repeatedly zooms out from one object or part of a room – a TV screen, or a chair with someone is sitting on – and proceeds to calmly explore the rest of the space.
Piotr Szczepanowicz – The Railway Watchman
The life of a railway watchman living in a small station in the middle of the forest follows the rhythm of passing trains. In his free time he plays the trumpet, plays with a hedgehog and struggles with a naughty boy. A young woman on a bike is a regular visitor to the station, yet every meeting with her proves a wasted opportunity for the watchman. One passing trains will evoke his reflection on life.
Tomasz Popakul – Ziegenort
Fish Boy is a teenager facing the challenges of growing up. His problems are especially severe, as he is different from all others: He is half boy, half fish and struggles with the stigma of rejection. His drama is set against the background of the story of a fishing village set in an alternative reality where the Second World War never occurred. All the village’s animals and people live according to the laws of nature. His father tries to prepare him for the life of a fisherman.
Tato Kotetishvili – Watermelon
In the middle of a desert in Georgia on the hottest day of summer, a man puts up a watermelon stall, but the occasional local drivers pass without stopping. Only tourists stop, to have a photo taken in front of the peculiar sight. To make things worse, another vendor puts up his stall opposite. A Polish-Georgian production from 2012, the film was directed by Georgian director Tato Kotetishvili (born 1987) who studied at the Łódź Film School’s Cinematography Department.
Still from Tato Kotetishvili's "Watermelon", photo: Polish Shorts
The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) is an international, competitive festival, aiming to advance the independent production of films. In 2013 the festival presents over 100 film premieres.
For more information see: Brooklyn Film Festival
Sources: BFF, Polish Shorts, culture.pl
Thumbnail credit: Still from Katarzyna Klimkiewicz's "Flying Blind"
Editor: MJ, 23.05.2013