"The Flying Machine" World Premiere in Beijing

August 30 will mark the world premiere of Latająca maszyna (The Flying Machine) at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. The latest production from the makers of the Academy Award-winning Piotruś i wilk (Peter & the Wolf) is an animation dedicated to the works of Frederic Chopin. Following its Beijing premiere, The Flying Machine will  also screen at the Toronto International Film Festival. General Director of the Polish Film Institute Agnieszka Odorowicz will attend the Beijing event.

The world premiere of Peter & the Wolf is part of the celebration of the Polish presidency in the European Union. The event is supported by the Polish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Polish Embassy in Beijing. The screening will be accompanied by a recital of etudes by Chopin performed by the world-acclaimed Chinese pianist Lang Lang who took part in the live-action segment of the film, and by a screening of Mały listonosz, a short animated student film in 3D, directed by Dorota Kobiela.

“The Flying Machine is a project of great importance not only for the history of Polish cinema, but for Polish culture in general. This universal project is innovative and sets new standards,” said General Director of the Polish Film Institute Agnieszka Odorowicz at the film’s press conference.

Filmed in Łódź on a set of over 10,000 sq. metres, The Flying Machine is a co-production between Poland and China. The film’s Chinese co-producer and distributor is Bona Film Group. The Flying Machine is set for theatrical release in Poland in October 21. The film’s distributor is Kino Świat.

The live-action segment of the film was directed by Geoff Lindsey, while the animated segment was done by Martin Clapp and Marek Skrobecki. The film was lensed by Krzysztof Ptak. Pianist Lang Lang starred alongside Hollywood actress Heather Graham. Lang Lang’s interpretation of Chopin’s pieces shine throughout the film. Over 200 animators, SFX specialists, set designers, puppet makers and costume designers were involved in the making of The Flying Machine, among them individuals that worked on such films as Toy Story, Wallace & Gromit, The Corpse Bride, Chicken Run, and Jurassic Park.

In the animated segment of The Flying Machine, two children discover an old piano that turns into a flying machine thanks to the soul of Chopin that resides within. The magic instrument takes the kids on a journey across Europe. The characters in the live-action segment include a mother and her two children, as well as Lang Lang, who happens to be playing in London and performs as they watch the first part of the film. The four of them, along with Lang Lang’s piano, get sucked into the animated story they had been watching just moments earlier.

The Flying Machine was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Translated by Karolina Kołtun