"Igor" World Premiere in Toronto
Igor i podróż żurawi (Igor and the Cranes’ Journey). Photo courtesy of tiff.net
Igor i podróż żurawi (Igor and the Cranes’ Journey) by Evgany Ruman, a co-production between Israel, Poland, and Germany, will screen in the TIFF Kids section of the upcoming 37th Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from September 6 through September 16, 2012. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The Toronto screening will mark the world premiere of Igor and the Cranes’ Journey.
Igor i podróż żurawi (Igor and the Cranes’ Journey)
The film’s main character is thirteen-year-old Igor (Itai Shcherback), who emigrates from Russia to Israel along with his mother Tanya (Ola Schur Selektar). He is resentful of his father Piotr (Tomasz Sobczak), a scientist who dedicates himself only to his research on the migration of cranes and is not too keen to take care of his son. Once in Tel Aviv, the alienated and lonely little boy starts pursuing his greatest passion: following, through a special website, the migration path of a family of cranes. They’re not just any cranes; it’s a particular family that has special significance for him. When visiting his father in the Russian tundra the previous summer, Igor had witnessed the hatching of a chick, whom he named Karl. It soon turns out that Karl’s life is in grave danger.
International Co-Production Supported by the Polish Film Institute
Igor and the Cranes’ Journey was made as a co-production between Israel, Poland, and Germany. The film is based on Igor and the Cranes’ Journey, a novel by Acky Shavit. The film was produced by United Channels Movies (Israel), a branch of the United Channels of Israel group (UCOI) that focuses on children’s theatrical and television productions, as well as documentary films. The film’s Polish co-producer was Yeti Films. Igor and the Cranes’ Journey was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, by the Israel Film Fund, and by Filmförderung Hamburg Production.
Polish Involvement in Film by First-Time Filmmaker
Igor i podróż żurawi (Igor and the Cranes’ Journey) is the feature debut from Evgany Ruman. The film was lensed by Polish cinematographer Adam Sikora, and various sequences were filmed in Poland: in Boża Wola and the Kampinos forests. The role of Igor’s father was played by Tomasz Sobczak. Wojciech Żogała was responsible for production design. The score was composed by Antoni Komasa- Łazarkiewicz. The film’s international sales agent is Sola Media GmbH.
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is considered to be one of the top film events in North America. Organized annually since 1976, this festival is an event that showcases the latest trends in world cinema; the only awards at TIFF are those awarded by the audience. Last year, the festival lineup featured six films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute: W ciemności (In Darkness) by Agnieszka Holland, Sponsoring (Elles) by Małgorzata Szumowska, Znieważona ziemia (Land of Oblivion) by Michale Boganim, Kobieta z piątej dzielnicy (The Woman in the Fifth) by Paweł Pawlikowski, Róża (Rosa) by Wojciech Smarzowski, and Latająca maszyna (The Flying Machine) by Martin Clapp. The last of these films screened in the TIFF Kids section of the festival, dedicated to children’s films.
The 37th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 6 through September 16, 2012.
Further details about the Toronto International Film Festival are available on the festival website: www.tiff.net.
Paulina Bez
Translated by Karolina Kołtun