POLISH FILMS AT THE 22ND BUSAN IFF

The lineup of the 22nd Busan International Film Festival features films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

New film by Bodo Kox in Flash Forward section

Człowiek z magicznym pudełkiem (The Man with the Magic Box). Photo by Bartosz Mrozowski/Alter Ego Pictures

In the festival’s Flash Forward section, audiences will have an opportunity to see Człowiek z magicznym pudełkiem (The Man with the Magic Box), the new film by director Bodo Kox.

Warsaw, 2030. It seems that for Adam (Piotr Polak), a better day could be – yesterday. Suffering from memory loss, he needs to start everything from scratch. He moves house and starts working for a major corporation. There he meets the attractive Goria (Olga Bołądź) and is mesmerised. At first she refuses his advances, claiming he’s not her type. But as their affair blossoms, Adam makes a surprising discovery. In his new apartment, he finds an old radio that broadcasts programmes from the 1950s. This unusual radio unit also emits waves that make teleportation possible. During one of his time travels, Adam gets stuck in 1952. Alarmed by the absence of her beloved Adam, Goria takes on the fascinating yet dangerous mission of bringing him back.

The film was written and directed by Bodo Kox, and made as a co-production between Poland and Italy. Człowiek z magicznym pudełkiem (The Man with the Magic Box) was produced by Alter Ego Pictures, co-produced by TVN, Studio Produkcyjne ORKA, the Warsaw Film Fund, Harine Films, and VARGO FILMS (Italy), as well as co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

The film stars Piotr Polak and Olga Bołądź, with supporting performances by Arkadiusz Jakubik, Wojciech Zieliński, Sebastian Stankiewicz, Bartosz Bielenia, Agata Buzek, and Helena Norowicz. The film’s screening in Busan marks its international premiere. Previously it screened in Main Competition at the 42nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. It is also due for a theatrical release in Poland on October 20, 2017. Distribution is handled by Kino Świat.

The Flash Forward section will also feature Under The Family Tree, a Polish-German co-production directed by Constanze Knoche.

Szron (Frost) in World Cinema section


Szron (Frost). Photo courtesy of Luxbox

The World Cinema section will screen Szron (Frost), a film directed by Sharunas Bartas and made as a co-production between France, Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland. The Polish co-producers of this film by the Lithuanian director are Maria Blicharska and Monika Sajko-Gradowska of Donten & Lacroix Films. The film’s French co-producers are KinoElektron and Reborn, with Studija Kinema on the Lithuanian side, and Insight Media/Tato Film on the Ukrainian side.

Szron (Frost) was directed by Sharunas Bartas, who also co-wrote the script with Anna Cohen-Yanay. Szron (Frost) is the ninth film by Bartas. In addition to its Lithuanian cast, the film features Andrzej Chyra and French actress Vanessa Paradis. The film had its world premiere at the 70th Cannes IFF in the Directors’ Fortnight section. Szron (Frost) is Lithuania’s Oscar candidate in this year’s Best Foreign Language Film category.

Hugo in Wide Angle section

Hugo. Photo courtesy of Kosmos Production

Another Polish element at this year’s Busan IFF will be Hugo, a documentary film by Wojciech Klimala and Mateusz Wajda screening in the Wide Angle section.

Zdzisław Misiak aka “Dzidek” is a retired king of amusement parks. After the death of his daughter, ha lives with his seven-year-old grandson Hugo in one of the barracks that form the remains of his former empire. Despite difficulties, a bond forms between the two, allowing them to heal the wounds caused by the loss of the boy’s mother.

The Busan screening of Hugo marks the film’s international premiere. The film’s world premiere will be at the Warsaw Film Festival (13-22.10.2017), screening in the Documentary Film Competition.

The 22nd Busan International Film Festival runs from October 12 through October 21, 2017.

Further details about the lineup of this year’s edition of the festival are available at: www.biff.kr/structure/kor/default.asp

Paulina Bez

12.09.2017