Polish presence at the festival in Berlin
The Romanian-Polish-German co-production “Mammalia” (dir. Sebastian Mihăilescu) qualified for the Berlin International Film Festival and will be presented in the Forum section. Among the documents is the Polish image “In Ukraine” by Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski. In the Generation section, the Polish-German-Israeli co-production “The Delegation” by Asaf Saban and the Ukrainian-French-Polish documentary “We Will Not Fade Away” (dir. Alisa Kovalenko) will be shown. All productions are co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The 73rd edition of the festival will take place on February 16-26, 2023.
“Mammalia”
Thirty-nine-year-old Camil embarks on a dreamlike journey in which the banality of everyday life is combined with surrealism. Struggling with the loss of control over his life – work, relationship – he embarks on a quest that makes him question what really lies at the heart of his masculinity. Following his girlfriend into an increasingly strange and disturbing world of rites and rituals, he is confronted with a tragicomic role reversal that leads us to question all the rules of the modern world.
This fantasy drama is the feature debut of director Sebastian Mihăilescu, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Andrei Epure. The film was produced by Diana Păroiu (Visual Walkabout, Romania) and Ada Salomon (microFILM, Romania) in co-production with Ewa Puszczyńska (Extreme Emotions BIS, Poland) and Nina Frese. Maciej Pawłowski (sound), Piotr Kurek (music), Krzysztof Stasiak (sound on set) and Małgorzata Trzaskowska (costumes) were responsible for the artistic contribution on the Polish side. The cast of the film includes István Téglás, Mălina Manovici, Denisa Nicolae, Steliana Bălăcianu and Rolando Matsangos. The New Horizons Association will be responsible for the distribution of the film in Poland.
“The Delegation”
The film tells the story of a group of Israeli teenagers who come to Poland on a tour in the footsteps of Holocaust memorial sites. During a few days in the country of their great-grandparents, teenagers from Israel freeze to the bone, experience the suffering of their ancestors, burst out laughing and do crazy things – the kind that can only happen on school trips. The main characters are three friends: Nitzan, Frisch and Ido, who are just at the height of the hormonal storm that accompanies growing up. During their stay in Poland, they have to face both the great dramas of history and the everyday dilemmas of teenage reality. “The Delegation” is a film about how hard it is to be a teenager, especially when during a visit to a former extermination camp all you can concentrate on is the girl standing next to you.
For director Asaf Saban, this is the second feature film. Pictures by Bogumił Godfrejów were made, among others, in Kraków, Łódź and Warsaw, with the support of the Kraków Film Commission and Łódź Film Commission. Ewa Mroczkowska is responsible for set design, Monika Grzeszczyk for costumes, Paula Adryańczyk for make-up, Michal Oppenheim for editing, and Maniucha Bikont for the film’s music arrangement with the Israeli composer Assaf Talmudi. Koi Studio headed by Agnieszka Dziedzic is the leading producer of the film, the executive producer is Tomasz Morawski from Haka Films, and the production manager is Marcin Kupiecki. The German co-producer is Roshanak Behesht Nedjad (In Good Company), and the Israeli one is Yoav Roeh (Gum Films). The co-producers of the film are the Krakow Festival Office and EC-1 Łódź – City of Culture. The main roles are played by debuting Israeli actors: Yoav Bavle, Naomi Harari and Leib Lev Levin, as well as Ezra Dagan. They will be partnered by Polish actors: Karolina Bruchnicka, Pascal Fischer and Lech Dyblik. The international sales agent is New Europe Films Sales.
“We Won’t Fade Away”
Mining region of Donbass, 2019. A new Russian invasion is in the air, the sounds of gunfire and explosions can be heard in the distance. In this scenery, we observe five teenagers entering adulthood who start to think seriously about their future. Alisa Kovalenko does not make a film about the drama of war, but a coming-of-age story full of hope and beauty flowing from the characters. The heroes and heroines make up a colorful, imaginative pack – some of them paint, others take photos, and still others dream of an acting career or becoming the next Elon Musk. They manage to find a place for dreams and hope, even though the world around them is on fire. Their incredible curiosity and creative energy are able to flourish even in hard times. They rebel, let themselves be carried away by adventure, bravely venture into minefields and coal mines, trying to make the most of the last golden hours of childhood.
At the same time, they dream of escaping, not only from the war, but also, like their peers around the world, from the boredom of a small town. Unexpectedly, an opportunity arises to set off on a long journey. They receive an invitation from a famous traveler who decides to organize a trip to Nepal for them. Will their dream of conquering the world come true? Alisa Kovalenko is responsible for the script and direction, Serhya Stetsenko and Alisa Kovalenko for cinematography, Maryna Maykovska and Kasia Boniecka for editing, and Mariia Nesterenko for sound. The producers of the film are: Valeryi Kalmykow (Trueman Production, Ukraine), Stephane Siohan, East Roads Films, France) and Katarzyna Kuczyńska and Tomasz Morawski (Haka Films, Poland).
“In Ukraine”
When Russia launched hostilities against civilians, Europeans united to take in nearly 8 million refugees from Ukraine. What happened to those who did not leave and those who returned home? Does “home” still mean the same to them? In the midst of an unprecedented war on the borders of the European Union, filmmakers Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski show what life is like in bombed cities and burnt villages. They venture deep into bomb-ravaged Ukraine to capture the |”new normal” of its people.
Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski not only directed, but also wrote the screenplay for the film together. The former is also the cinematographer and the latter is the editor. Igor Kazmirchuk is responsible for the sound, and Anna Gawlita is the producer. The film was produced by Kijora Film, and the screening in the Forum section in Berlin will be its world premiere.
„Three colours. Blue”
In the Retrospective section we will see Krzysztof Kieślowski’s film “Three Colours. Blue” with Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Véry and Emmanuelle Riva. It is a French-Polish-Swiss co-production from 1993.