"Joanna" by Aneta Kopacz qualified for the International Documentary Film Competition, and "When I Am A Bird" by Monika Pawluczuk - for the International Competition for Documentary Shorts. "The Love Equation of Henry Fast" by Agnieszka Elbanowska will be shown in the off-competition International Documentary Programme.
The film "Joanna" tells the story of Joanna Sałyga, author of the blog "Chustka", which for many readers has become an icon of an attentive, happy life.
I take the fact that the DOK Leipzig 2013 audience will see "Joanna" as a great experience and an honour. Viewers in Poland responded incredibly well to the film. There were endless discussions after the screenings, shared emotions, tears and laughter. I keep asking myself how much my character's popularity in Poland affects the perception of the story. That's why I'm very curious about the international audience's reaction. Will the film, without the knowledge of Joanna and her blog, have the same impact? Is it universal enough? I will soon find out. – says director Aneta Kopacz.
The producer of the film "Joanna" is Wajda Studio, its co-producer is the National Audiovisual Institute, and the sponsor is Codemedia.
The film was awarded by the jury of the Magic Hour competition at the 10th Planete+ Doc Film Festival in Warsaw.
Screenings of "Joanna": Thursday, 31 October, 16:30, CineStar 8; Friday, 1 November, 20.00, Polish Institute ;Wednesday, 2 November, 19.15, CineStar 8. After each screening there will be a meeting with Aneta Kopacz.
WHEN I AM BIRD by Monika Pawluczuk
" When I Am A Bird " is a story about trying to change one's fate. MuLa, a woman from the Burmese tribe of the Kayan, has been living in Thailand with her husband and their sons for the past two years. Only their daughter is left on the other side of the border .
"I am very happy that "When I Am A Bird" will have a premiere in Leipzig. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious documentary film festivals in the world, and the fact that the film qualified for the competition is already an honour. I hope that Leipzig will open our way to other festivals, and thus expand the audience of the film. The story is universal and could happen anywhere, but also important is the theme of the frontier - not just in the literal sense of the word." – says the author of the film, Monika Pawluczuk.
The producer of the film is Wajda Studio. The film was co-produced by Polish Television. The other co-producers are Film Production Jacek Blawut and Trailer & More.
The film "When I Am A Bird" received the Film Culture Club award at this year's Lubuskie Film Summer in Łagów.
Screenings of "When I Am A Bird":Tuesday, 29 October, 20.00, CineStar 6; Wednesday, 30 October, 20.00, Polish Institute; Friday, 1 November, 22.00, CineStar 4. After each screening there will be a meeting with Monika Pawluczuk.
I can resist everything except temptation - Henry Fast, retired professor of mathematics, proudly endorses the words of Oscar Wilde. In search of happy love, he is ready to take any risk.
"The Love Equation..." is a story of unrelenting hope, of dreams and the price to be paid for fulfilling them. These are universal issues, and I think they will be easily understood everywhere. However, a very important element, the essence of the film, is the wording, the specific language used by the main character, its register and incredible imagination enclosed in an original form. I think that, thanks to Eliza Borkowska, we have a very good translation into English, but any translation is always some form of compromise. Therefore, I am very curious what Henry Fast the foreign viewers will perceive. – said Agnieszka Elbanowska before the international première.
The producer of the film is Wajda Studio. "The Love Equation of Henry Fast" received the President of the Association of Polish Filmmakers award at 53rd Krakow Film Festival, and the Amber award for the Best Documentary Film at 32nd Film Debut Festival "Youth and Film".
Screenings of "The Love Equation of Henry Fast": Tuesday, 29 October, 22.30, Passage Kinos Wintergarten; Thursday, 31 October, 20.00, Polish Institute; Friday, 1 November, 22.30, CineStar 6.
After screenings on the 31st of October and 1st of November there will be a meeting with Agnieszka Elbanowska.
The films "The Love Equation of Henry Fast" and "Joanna" were created as part of the Documentary Programme DOC PRO at the Wajda School, under the care of the outstanding documentary film-makers: Jacek Bławut, Marcel Łoziński and Vita Żelakaviciute. At the festival there is a possibility to see more films of Wajda School graduates: : "A Diary of a Journey" by Piotr Stasik, "Deep Love" by Jan P. Matuszyński and "Mother 24/7" by Marcin Janos Krawczyk.
This year's International Documentary Film Festival in Leipzig will feature 12 Polish titles. On this occasion, the Wajda Studio, together with the Krakow Film Foundation, with the suport of the Polish Film Institute will organize a gala dinner in conjunction with our presence in Leipzig. During the dinner there will be a presentation of Polish documentary films shown at the festival in Leipzig.
More information about the festival can be found here.
The representatives of Wajda Studio will be also present at DOK Leipzig between October 27th and November 1st. In case of any questions do not hesitate to contact us:
Joanna Solecka, Head of PR, Festivals and Sales – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; + 48 501 102 878
