DAY ONE · THU · 6PM · OPENING GALA
The Last Family
2018 · Directed by Jan P. Matuszynski
ANDRZEJ SEWERYN IN PERSON
The Last Family (Ostatnia Rodzina) – feature film directorial debut of Jan. P. Matuszynski the film is based on the bizarre true story of the cult Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński. He never believed that family life would always be sunshine and rainbows. As he tapes everything with his beloved camcorder, the 28-year Beksiński saga unfolds through paintings, near-death experiences, dance music trends and funerals. Andrzej Seweryn masterfully portrays the artist Beksinski.
Best Film Award – 41st Polish Feature Films Festival in Gdynia
Viewers Choice Award – 41st Polish Feature Films Festival in Gdynia
Best Actor Award – Andrzej Seweryn – Locarno Film Festival
“Exceptional camerawork and an unerring eye for period detail are boldly on display in Jan P. Matuszyński’s disturbing biopic of one of Poland’s best known 20th century painters. Visually and musically reproducing the era to a T, and boasting terrific lensing by Kacper Fertacz, ‘The Last Family’ is likely to pick up numerous awards on the festival circuit”.
Variety, Jay Weissberg
DAY ONE · 7PM · Thu · Nov 15
DAY TWO ·FRI · 7PM
Luxus.The Simple Story.
Documentary by Agnieszka Mazanek
The 67-minute-long documentary, Luxus. The Simple Story by Agnieszka Mazanek, is a colorful and dynamic chronicle of a legendary Polish art group, launched in the 1980’s in the city of Wrocław by visual arts students. Considered by art critics to be one of the most influential art groups in Poland of that period, Luxus is still active and engaged. Its name comes from the Polish word for “luxury” and symbolizes the diversion from the dreary reality and oppression of the martial law (declared in Poland in December of 1981). The movie starts in 2013 with a social gathering of the Luxus members and a discussion about their upcoming retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław. This is a perfect moment to look back and ask questions: Does our art have the same impact today as in the 1980’s and 90’s? Does our message go beyond the walls of the exhibit hall? What limitations does an artist face today in comparison with the communist era? What goals and expectations should an artist have in the ever-changing world? The camera follows the artists in various situations, unveiling the intimate and unique character of their relationship and collaboration, which are full of inspiring discussions, pranks, crazy ideas, and heated arguments—all infused with humor, self-irony, friendship, and love. The non-linear narrative and frequent travel in time and space—reinforced by the fantastic archival footage—create a perfect opportunity for the artists to reminisce. At the same time, they can once again feel the long-gone ambiance of their hometown and breathe in that peculiar sense of freedom and openness they used to experience, in spite of the ever-present censorship and suppression.
Cold War
2018 · Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
official Academy Award entry for best foreign-language film
Cold War (Zimna wojna) – a 2018 Polish drama directed by Paweł Pawlikowski that competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Pawlikowski won the award for Best Director.
It also received the Golden Lions Award at the 43rd Gdynia Film Festival. It was selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
The film is loosely inspired by Pawlikowski’s parents’ lives. It’s a sad, chilly, sexy and passionate love story between two people, Victor and Zula, of different backgrounds and temperaments. Set in communist-era Poland in the 50s, the story unfolds in Paris, Berlin and Yugoslavia.
Exquisitely shot in black and white by cinematographer Łukasz Żal and brilliantly choreographed by Pawlikowski. Zimna Wojna is a masterpiece.
DAY TWO · 7PM · Fri · Nov 16
documentary at 7PM
main feature at 9PM
DAY THREE · SAT · 4PM · FREE EVENT
Promised Land
1974 · Directed by Andrzej Wajda
FREE EVENT
‘Promised Land’ (Ziemia Obiecana) directed by the late Andrzej Wajda, depicts the raw, real, uncivilised reality of capitalism, as if being an emanation of the animal nature of man. The business world in Łódź is so open and natural in its wickedness, that paradoxically, it seems like the world has not come into contact with ethical standards, a world without sin. Only one streak of light illuminates this dark area, the friendship linking a Pole, a Jew and a German. The friendship and solidarity is a challenge to the wolf herd.
(Konrad Eberhardt, Kino, 1974)
On the surface it may appear that Wajda is fascinated with the inexhaustible vitality, energy, entrepreneurship, as well as the lack of inhibitions and appetite for sex and life of the three young heroes of the ‘Promised Land’. In fact, he brings to light the whole emptiness of their lives, covered with dynamic infantilism and the automatic quest for ‘big money’ at all costs. At the end of the film, when they have made the profits which they had long dreamt of, and reached the peak of their career, we see discoloured, faded, old lords and owners of big capital – real people who ‘have no future’.
(Tomasz Burek, Kino, 1974)
DAY THREE · 4PM · Sat · Nov 17
DAY THREE · SAT · 7PM
Cold War
2018 · Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
SECOND SCREENING DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND
Cold War (Zimna wojna) – a 2018 Polish drama directed by Paweł Pawlikowski that competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Pawlikowski won the award for Best Director.
It also received the Golden Lions Award at the 43rd Gdynia Film Festival. It was selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
The film is loosely inspired by Pawlikowski’s parents’ lives. It’s a sad, chilly, sexy and passionate love story between two people, Victor and Zula, of different backgrounds and temperaments. Set in communist-era Poland in the 50s, the story unfolds in Paris, Berlin and Yugoslavia.
Exquisitely shot in black and white by cinematographer Łukasz Żal and brilliantly choreographed by Pawlikowski. Zimna Wojna is a masterpiece.