Polish Documentary Films at Hot Docs 2019
Five Polish documentary films were included in the program of the International Documentary Films Festival Hot Docs in Canada. The festival will start on April 25.
Polish documentary films in the Shorts section
Shorts section presenting short films include “Connected” by Aleksandra Maciejczyk and “Love 404” by Agata Baumgart.
“Connected”
The film follows a couple of 50-year-olds – Krzysztof and Wiola during skiing. Krzysztof is blind and Wiola is his guide. Early in the morning they get ready for skiing. Krzysztof assembles bluetooth kits on helmets that will connect them to each other. They go up to the top of the mountain with a chairlift. The higher they are, the more we learn about their lives. At the same time, atmospheric conditions change, thickening fog falls on the slope. When Wiola and Krzysztof finally reach the top, they have to find each other and join in the fog. A short, simple documentary about love. The film was made at the Łodz Film School. Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
“Love 404”
For the adolescent Ren and her mother, the internet is the only escape from everyday life. In the world of talent shows and social media, love and fame seem within the reach of the keyboard, but the boundary between fantasy and reality is quickly blurred. The film was made as part of the Munk Studio program ‘The First Document’. Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Polish films in other sections
“Symphony of the Ursus factory” by Jaśmina Wójcik will be presented in the Artscapes section, showing films about creativity in creating visual arts. In the International Spectrum section, viewers will see the film ” Marek Edelman… And There Was Love In The Ghetto” by Jolanta Dylewska. In the World Showcase section, the Polish-Belarus co-production of “Strip and War” by Andrej Kuciła was included.
“Symphony of the Ursus Factory”
In the film “Symphony of the Ursus Factory”, the director Jaśmina Wójcik commemorates the fate of employees of the Warsaw factory. The fall of communism became the beginning of its end. Former employees of Ursusa recreate one day of the plant’s work, co-creating a visually and acoustically captivating story. Jakub Wróblewski and Kacper Czubak are responsible for the pictures. The producers of the film are Zuzanna Król and Wojciech Marczewski. The film was produced by Wajda School & Studio. Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
“Marek Edelman … And There Was Love In The Ghetto”
“Why nobody asks me if there was love in the ghetto? Why is nobody interested? “- said shortly before his death in 2009, Marek Edelman, the former commander of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. He answers this question in a long-awaited and well-known before the premiere film of which Agnieszka Holland worked on the script, and Andrzej Wajda co-directed the film’s fictionalized scenes. Produced by Otter Films. Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
The Hot Docs Festival is the largest festival of documentary films on the American continent. Film shows are accompanied by international film fairs and industry conferences. The 26th International Documentary Film Festival Hot Docs will take place on April 25 – May 5, 2019. More information: www.hotdocs.ca.
Descriptions of most films come from the website www.polishdocs.pl.