13-05-2008

Polish Film Institute sees large presence at Cannes

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    Three official selections, Quinzaine des Realisateurs' Four Nights with Anna, Un Certain Regard's Tulpan, and L'Association du Cinéma Independant pour sa Diffusion's documentary Gugara, are spearheading Polish promotion strategy in Cannes.

    Four Nights with Anna is a €2.5 million Polish/French co-production from Skopia Film (www.skopiafilm.com) and Alma Films (www.alma-films.com), with €768,363 provided by the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl). Director Jerzy Skolimowski's latest effort is the tragic story of a patient who falls in love with a nurse and decides to drug her in order to be close to her. Tulpan, a co-production from Germany's Pandora Film (www.pandorafilm.com) and with Filmcontract (www.filmcontract.pl), was budgeted at €2.3 million with a €44,324 input from PFI. The comedy about a Russian navy soldier who tries to find happiness after the military is the directing debut of Siergiej Dworcewoj. Gugara, directed by Andrzej Dybczak and Jacek Nagłowski, documents the cultural disintegration of a small Siberian community.

    Apart from the official sections, PFI will screen Andre Wajda's Katyn during the Marche du Film The short movie market Short Film Corner will contain four Polish titles in the project 30 minutes coordinated by the Association of Polish Filmmakers and PFI.

    The Polish Film Institute's stand is co-hosted by Polish producers and distributors Bow and Axe Entertainment (www.bowandaxe.com), Opus Film (www.opusfilm.com), SPI International Polska (www.spi.pl), and Vision Film (www.vision.pl), and by the post-production company The Chimney Pot (www.chimney.pl).