Machulski Sets New Trends

Małgorzata Buczkowska, Juliusz Machulski, and Robert Więckiewicz.
Photo by Marcin Kułakowski (Polish Film Institute)

At the press conference held after the press screening of The Lullaby (Kołysanka), director Juliusz Machulski talked about how his latest feature coincidentally fits into the current vampire trends of world cinema.

The latest film by Juliusz Machulski is a horror comedy about the mysterious and multigenerational Makarewicz family, who make a home for themselves in a seemingly calm village in northern Poland.

The film was shot over 28 days in three locations. According to the director, its visual style sets it apart from the mainstream, and shows innovative ways of blending film genres. Machulski emphasized that in terms of filmmaking, he sees this film as one of his most interesting and coherent projects.

“It is my mission to set out new paths. Why should I just ride on my earlier movies? It’s been a long time since I had this much fun while making a film”, said Machulski. He came across the “seductive screenplay” by Adam Dobrzycki several years ago. Together with cinematographer Arkadiusz Tomiak, Machulski began thinking about shooting a horror feature. He started talks with the lead actors, Robert Więckiewicz and Małogrzata Buczkowska-Szlenkier, even before shooting his previous feature How Much Does the Trojan Horse Weigh? (Ile waży koń trojański?). The six-month break between initial preparations and actual shooting was intentional; it enabled the actors to delve deep into their roles, and not only build their characters based on classic horrors, but also draw inspiration from popular culture and music.

Also present at the press conference was the team responsible for special effects. They revealed details about the animation techniques and methods of character transformation that they used in this project.

The gala premiere of The Lullaby will take place this evening. The picture will be released in theatres on February 12.

The Lullaby was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Official website: www.kolysankafilm.pl (Polish only).

Translated by Karolina Kołtun