Maciej Sobieszczański Awarded in Montreal
Maciej Sobieszczański received award for Best Director at 41st World Film Festival in Montreal that run through September 4 for his feature debut The Reconciliation, a film co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Maciej Sobieszczański’s debut was shown in the World Competition of the 41st World Film Festival in Montreal with 17 films from around the world.
Zgoda (The Reconciliation)
Zgoda (The Reconciliation) photo by Grzegorz Spała
1945. On the site of the former auxiliary camp of KL Auschwitz Birkenau, the new communist authorities build a labour camp for Germans, Silesians and Poles and begin cleansing, using the excuse of punishing traitors of the Polish nation. Franek gets a job at the camp to save Anna, a Polish woman he is in love with. What he doesn’t know is that one of the inmates is his friend Erwin, a German man who also loves the same woman. Franek joins the communists deluding himself that he will be able to outwit the system. Zgoda (The Reconciliation) is the story of a love triangle in which two young men compete for the same woman.
The film was directed by Maciej Sobieszczański, written by Małgorzata Sobieszczańska, and lensed by Valentyn Vasyanovych. Zgoda (The Reconciliation) features performances by Julian Świeżewski, Zofia Wichłacz, Jakub Gierszał, Wojciech Zieliński, Paweł Tomaszewski and Danuta Stenka. The film was produced by Zbigniew Domagalski of Studio Filmowe Kalejdoskop, and made in co-production with WFDiF, EBH Polska, and Wajda Studio, and was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. Zgoda (The Reconciliation) will be released theatrically in Poland on October 13. Distribution is handled by Kino Świat.
Polish Films Awarded in Montreal
In recent years, Polish films have regularly awarded at the World Film Festival in Montreal, one of only 15 competitive feature film festivals accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). Two years ago, Michał Rogalski received the Best Screenplay award in Montreal for Letnie przesilenie (Summer Solstice). In 2013, Maciej Pieprzyca’s Chce się żyć (Life Feels Good) received the festival’s Grand Prize, as well as the Ecumenical Jury Prize and Audience Award.
In 2012, Zdjęcie (The Photograph) by Maciej Adamek received the Silver Zenith award in the First Films World Competition. In 2011, Borys Szyc received the award for Best Actor for his performance in Rafael Lewandowski’s Kret (The Mole), while Czarny czwartek. Janek Wiśniewski padł (Black Thursday) by Antoni Krauze received the FIPRESCI award of the International Federation of Film Critics.
The 41st World Film Festival in Montreal run from August 24 through September 4, 2017. More information at: www.ffm-montreal.org.