"Ida" in Belgian Cinemas

Ida, Fot. Solopan

Ida, a film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, will be released theatrically in Belgium on February 12, 2014.

Belgian Premiere Scheduled for February 12

Distribution in Belgium is handled by Cinéart. Ida will be released theatrically on February 12, 2014, screening in Brussels, Bruges, Mons, Liège, Charleroi, Namur, Gand, Courtrai, and Anvers. February 12 also marks the theatrical release of Ida in France.

Ida

A novice nun learns that she is in fact Jewish; she had been christened as a child in an effort to save her from the Holocaust. Together with her only surviving relative, a communist removed from power, she travels to her hometown. It is a journey in search of identity, love, and forgiveness. Although the story is set in 1961, the film itself is not meant to be accusatory; Pawlikowski’s focus was not history, but rather the human condition.

The Latest Film by Paweł Pawlikowski

Ida is the latest film by director Paweł Pawlikowski and his first feature to be produced entirely in Poland. The script was awarded a MEDIA European Talent Prize. The film was lensed by Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski, and features performances by Agata Kulesza and first-time actress Agata Trzebuchowska, with supporting roles by Dawid Ogrodnik, Joanna Kulig, Jerzy Trela, and Adam Szyszkowski.

A Polish-Danish Co-Production Supported by the Polish Film Institute

Ida was made as a co-production between Poland and Denmark, produced by Opus Film and Phoenix Film in co-operation with Portobello Pictures, Phoenix Film Polska, and Canal+ Polska. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Eurimages, the Danish Film Institute, and the Łódź Film Fund.

Awards in Poland and Abroad

To date, Ida has received recognition at film festivals in Poland and abroad. The film received the FIPRESCI Prize in the Special Presentations section of the 38th Toronto International Film Festival and four awards at the 38th Gdynia Film Festival: the Golden Lions Award for Best Film and the awards for Best Photography, Best Actress (Agata Kulesza) and Best Production Design (Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński). Ida also won top laurels at the 29th Warsaw Film Festival and the 57th London Film Festival. The film’s cinematographers Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski also won the Golden Frog Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography and received the ASC Spotlight Award. Ida was released theatrically in Poland on October 25, 2013. Distribution in Poland is handled by Solopan.

Excellent Reviews

Ida has enjoyed very favourable reviews by Polish and international film critics alike.

Jordan Hoffman of badassdigest.com writes: “From its opening shot, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Ida is a beautiful puzzle. In varying shades of charcoal gray a young nun is discovered in an unadorned room. It is a composed image straight out of Carl Theodor Dreyer – then something remarkable happens. The central figure (Agata Trzebuchowska) moves, and it is a much more fluid movement than the silent cinema this tableau evokes. Ida is shot on video, but lit, designed, framed and formatted for an earlier era. The result is one of the most striking visual experiences of the year.”

“This quiet film touches on the grand questions that affect us all: about evil, faith, our identity, and our country. Ida is one of the most mature films in recent history,” writes Tadeusz Sobolewski for Gazeta Wyborcza.

More reviews of Ida are available here.

Paulina Bez

Translated by Karolina Kołtun