"THE DECALOGUE" IN CANNES CLASSICS

Digitally restored television episodes of Dekalog (The Decalogue) — Decalogue 5 (A Short Film About Killing) and Decalogue 6 (A Short Film About Love) will screen in the prestigious Cannes Classics section of the upcoming 69th Cannes International Film Festival.

This year’s Cannes film festival will screen the television versions (57 minutes and 58 minutes respectively) of the Decalogue series, made by Krzysztof Kieślowski in 1988 and produced by Telewizja Polska and Studio Filmowe TOR. The films were written by Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, and scored by Zbigniew Preisner.

Dekalog 5 — Krótki film o zabijaniu (Decalogue 5: A Short Film About Killing)

Krótki film o zabijaniu (A Short Film About Killing). Photo courtesy of Studio Filmowe TOR

Dekalog 5 (Decalogue 5) had its Polish premiere in March 1988. Later that year, this brutal yet minimalist film about crime and capital punishment received the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI prize at the 41st Cannes IFF, as well as the European Film Award (known then as the Felix Prize) for Best European Film. The film stars Mirosław Baka and Krzysztof Globisz and was lensed by Sławomir Idziak.

Dekalog 6 — Krótki film o miłości (Decalogue 6: A Short Film About Love)

Krótki film o miłości (A Short Film About Love). Photo courtesy of Studio Filmowe TOR

The cinema version of Dekalog 6 (Decalogue 6) was released as A Short Film About Love. This film is the story of Tomek, a man living in a Warsaw housing estate who peeps through his telescope at his older and promiscuous neighbour Magda. The film stars Grażyna Szapołowska and Olaf Lubaszenko and was lensed by Witold Adamek. Krótki film o miłości (A Short Film About Love) was released theatrically in Poland on October 21, 1988, and went on to receive awards at multiple film festivals, including San Sebastian and Chicago.

It should be noted that the digital reconstruction of both Decalogue episodes was supervised by their respective cinematographers. The DCP prints of both films were financed by the Polish Film Institute and produced by DI Factory.

The digitally restored version of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Przypadek (Blind Chance; 1981) screened in the prestigious Cannes Classics section of the 67th Cannes International Film Festival in 2014.
This year’s Cannes Classics lineup features over 20 digitally restored masterpieces, as well as documentaries about the history of cinema. The programme also features a master class by American director William Friedkin.

Further details about Cannes Classics are available at: www.festival-cannes.com.

Marta Sikorska

Translated by Karolina Kołtun