"Life Feels Good" Wins in Montreal!

Chce się żyć (Life Feels Good). Photo by Paweł Dyllus
Chce się żyć (Life Feels Good). Photo by Paweł Dyllus

 

Maciej Pieprzyca’s film Chce się żyć (Life Feels Good) has won the Grand Prix des Ameriques, the Award of the Ecumenical Jury and the Audience Award at the 37th World FIlm Festival in Montreal.

Chce się żyć (Life Feels Good)

Inspired by a true story, Chce się żyć (Life Feels Good) is the touching, optimistic and humorous tale of Mateusz, a handicapped patient who, despite the many difficulties in communicating with the outside world, manages to prove the power of the human spirit. The lead role was played by Dawid Ogrodnik, with supporting performances from Dorota Kolak, Arkadiusz Jakubik, Anna Nehrebecka, and Katarzyna Zawadzka.

A Stellar Performance by Kamil Tkacz

A notable aspect of the film is the performance of eleven-year-old non-professional actor Kamil Tkacz, who played the role of the main protagonist Mateusz as a child. Kamil (who, along with his twin brother Andrzej, played the lead role in Lauf Junge Lauf by German director Pepe Danquart) prepared for the role of Mateusz by working with expert mime Bartłomiej Ostapczuk.

A Film Supported by the Polish Film Institute

The film was written by Maciej Pieprzyca and lensed by Paweł Dyllus, with an original score composed by Bartosz Chajdecki. Chce się żyć (Life Feels Good) was produced by Film Studio Tramway and co-produced by TVP S.A., Silesia Film Institute, Monternia.Pl and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Theatrical Release in October

The Montreal festival screenings marked the film’s world premiere. The Polish premiere will take place at the 38th Gdynia Film Festival, where Life Feels Good screens in Main Competition. The film is set for a theatrical release in Poland on October 11, 2013. Distribution in Poland is handled by Kino Świat.

World Film Festival in Montreal

The World Film Festival in Montreal is the only international competitive feature film festival in North America accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). The festival aims to support the development of world cinema by encouraging cultural diversity and by promoting first-time filmmakers and innovative works.

Awards for Films Supported by the Polish Film Institute

Previous editions of the World Film Festival have brought a number of awards for films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. In 2012, Maciej Adamek’s Zdjęcie (The Photograph) received the Silver Zenith Award. In 2011, Borys Szyc received the Best Actor award for his performance in Kret (The Mole), a film by Rafael Lewandowski, while Antoni Krauze’s feature Czarny czwartek. Janek Wiśniewski padł (Black Thursday) received the FIPRESCI award of the International Federation of Film Critics. Both films screened in the festival’s World Competition. In 2010, Jan Jakub Kolski’s feature Wenecja (Venice) received the Special Jury Prize for Best Artistic Contribution.

 

Further details about the World Film Festival in Montreal are available at www.ffm-montreal.org.

 

“Life Feels Good” review in Variety.

 

Paulina Bez

 

Translated by Karolina Kołtun

03.09.2013