Three Polish films at the festival in Locarno
Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute films „Walk with Angels” by Tomasz Wysokiński, „Bukolika” by Karol Pałka and „The Balcony Movie” by Paweł Łoziński are included in the program of the International Film Festival in Locarno. Among seven titles in the Semaine de la critique section, three are from Poland. The 74th edition of the festival will be held from August, 4 to 14.
The feature-length documentary „Walk with Angels” by Tomasz Wysokiński will have its international premiere at the Film Critics Week in Locarno. The picture has already received the Golden Hobby-Horse award at the 61st Krakow Film Festival, as well as two awards at the Industry Gala – Jury Mention for music for Paweł Mykietyn and the Best Documentary Producer Award for Mañana – Piotr Kobus / Agnieszka Wood. On June 11, it was released in theaters in Poland. The film was shot in Johannesburg and the surrounding townships over the course of four years, during which the director went with a camera into places never visited by filmmakers. Like a shadow, he accompanied the character of the film, Jerry, on a journey into hell, a mysterious and fascinating figure like the continent he comes from.
Children routinely disappear in South Africa. They run away from homes, are thrown out or kidnapped, and then become dangerous criminals, forced into prostitution or the victims of ritual murder. The mission of a man named Jerry is to find them. In „Walk with the Angels” we accompany him in his search for a girl kidnapped in Soweto. The ancestral spirits say the child is alive, but warn that finding her could result in the death of its mother. Jerry’s search brings back painful memories. While still a child, he lived on the streets, from where he was recruited into the ranks of the African National Congress, where he fought against the apartheid regime. Healed wounds bleed again and confrontation with the past reveals Jerry’s true soul.
„Bukolika”
The latest production of Wajda Studio, entitled „Bukolika”, will have a world premiere at the Film Critics Week. This is Karol Pałka’s full-length documentary debut developed during the Dok Pro course. The main characters of the film are Danusia and her daughter Basia. They live somewhere on the outskirts of the world, according to the rhythm and laws of nature, among the animals and spirits of the dead. Their enclave gives peace and a sense of security, but also missing for a contact with other people. It is an intimate story about people who live differently, a sensitive observation that gives rise to curiosity and an attempt to come closer.
The director is also the author of the script and cinematography for the film. Katarzyna Boniecka was responsible for editing, We Will Fail for the music, Anna Rok for the sound on the set and Piotr Knop for the sound. The producers are Wojciech Marczewski and Karolina Mróz, and the production managers are: Joanna Tatko, Kinga Demska, Agnieszka Calik, Magdalena Gnaś and Agnieszka Kulesza. The film produced by Wajda Studio was co-produced with EC1 Łódź – City of Culture and the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute. In Poland, „Bukolika” will be premiered at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival.
„The Balcony Movie”
The documentary „The Balcony Movie” by Paweł Łoziński, who is also responsible for the script, cinematography and sound, as well as editing together with Piasek & Wójcik, will also have its world premiere in the same section. The music was created by Jan Duszyński, and the producers are Paweł Łoziński and Agnieszka Mankiewicz. The production manager is Zofia Kujawska.
In the description of the film we read: I decided to stop and wait for the world to come to me. I spent two years standing on my balcony with a camera, catching everyone who walked past below. The result of these encounters is a film that portrays these people by telling us what they wanted to say about themselves. And about the director who was interested in them. I was surprised to find how little I know about people. Hardly anyone is the person they look like. People are full of mysteries and secrets. They’re not easy to pigeonhole. Life is impossible to invent.
