KATOWICE: FNE spoke with producer Michał Kwieciński who received the Border Gate Award at the International Co-Production Forum Regiofund, that took place in Katowice from 4 to 7 October 2017. The award ceremony was followed by a special screening of Panic Attack, directed by Pawel Maslona. a new film produced by Kwieciński’s company Akson Studio.
FNE: What does this award mean to you?
Michał Kwieciński: I am very touched and delighted, because it was the first time I got this kind of award. It is dedicated to me personally, not me as a company, as a producer, as Akson Studio and so on, this is a small difference, but very important for me. This is not a reward for the productions, which I have about 120, that is the reward for the producer.
FNE: What trends do you see in Polish film industry?
Michał Kwieciński: This year the Gdynia Film Festival proved that the young generation of directors and creators is coming, because 8 out of 14 films in the Main Competition were the debut films. The young generation of filmmakers is attacking our cinematography very strongly. In fact I saw all these debutant films and I think that the main prize for the debutant Potr Domalewski for Silent Night or films such as Panic Attack or Tower. A Bright Day, are very interesting proposals and it seems to me that in a few years our cinematography will belong to the younger generation, which is actually born at this time.
FNE: Are international co-productions the future of European film industry?
Michał Kwieciński: I think so, provided we come to some mutual self-respect. My main problem with co-production, especially with European co-productions is that most people think only about the financial side of the project, and not about the factual content. I hope this will change soon. That is how the so-called “Europuddings” appear. These are movies, where the influence of the many, often extremely different interests of the producers, has an impact on the final shape of the film. I am totally against this style of work, but of course I think we cannot generalize. There are many international co-productions that have deep sense, but there are so many films, that are created just to make the budget come together and not in order to create an important project.
FNE: What are your next plans?
My personal plans are very broad, for 3 years ahead. Currently I am making a Christmas movie called "Love is everywhere". This sounds banal, but the film is not banal at all. After that, I want to make a Bollywood-Polish movie, or even Eurobollywood this time. It will be based on the story of Miss India, arriving to Poland in the 70’s, because she falls in love with a Polish man. This story is authentic and they are living in Szczecin today. She was a princess, a Hindu princess who lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Szczecin for many years in the period of socialism. The last thing I am working on is an adaptation of Filip by Tyrmand, I have already bought the rights from the son of Mr. Tyrmand and I want this film to be completed in 2 years. This is a very ambitious production that no one expected me to make, but I'm dreaming about it, so I hope it will work out.
These are my plans, while Akson Studio, where my son works now, has five feature films planned with young artists. I also produce many TV series and have plans for 4 new shows, which I hope will be completed in 4 or 3 years. A lot is going on and nowadays, I also have this dream that for a while I’ll be more a director, than a producer.
