13-09-2009

Gdynia Polish Film Festival Competition Spotlight: General Nil

    General Nil, one of the most powerful Polish historic dramas, will compete in the Gdynia competition and re-enter Polish distribution on the September 17.

    {mosimage}Director Ryszard Bugajewski explores the story of General Emil Fieldorf (codename Nil), a hero during the World War II and a prominent member of the AK (the Home Army) who was sentenced to death during the repressions of the communist authorities in the 1950's. Like the broadly awarded Katyń by Andrzej Wajda, this movie shows a dramatic and sensitive episode of Polish history.

    The story of General Nil is one of the heroic but forgotten episodes of Polish history, a situation that the filmmakers hope to remedy.

    "I still repeat to myself, that one person can be beguiled forever, but the whole nation just for a while. It is a shame that so many generations did not experience freedom, but unfortunately Poland is a small country, which was mistreated by its allies during WWII, and today we can only face the facts. Our history is so tragic and complicated that getting to know about it becomes crucial not only for every Pole, but every European. Knowledge of the national heritage constitutes a man's worth, and my work is only filling the major gaps which were created during 60 years of communism," Bugajewski said in a statement.

    {mosimage}The movie was shot in Morskie Oko, Warsaw, Sierpc, and Lodz between April 21 and May 21, 2008. Prior to principal filming, the crew filmed in the Tatra Mountains National Park (October 2007) and Sierpc ( March 2008). The film was shot in CinemaScope format allowing for screening in a 2.35:1 image.

    General Nil is produced by The Documentary and Feature Films Studio (WFDiF,www.wfdif.com.pl) in co-production with Fundacja Filmowa Armii Krajowej (The Home Army Film Foundation), Monolith Films (www.monolith.pl) and Telekomunikacja Polska (TP Group, www.tp.pl) . The movie's total budget is 4.5 million PLN ( €1 million) with 2.6 million PLN from the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl) for production and development. The title's Polish distributor is Monolith Films.

    The movie premiered in Poland on April 17, 2009, in the National Theater in Warsaw under the official patronage of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

    {mosimage}"The movie was seen by over 259,000 viewers to date, not counting the several festival and retrospective screenings," Ryszard Pawlicki from Monolith Films told FNE. "The interest in this title is still very strong, so we are re-distributing the film. We are focused especially on the schools and the young audience, as this movie can be a very valuable addition to their education,." he added.


    Credits:

    Director - Ryszard Bugajski
    Scriptwriter - Ryszard Bugajski, Krzysztof Łukaszewicz
    Cinematographer - Piotr Śliskowski
    Music - Shane Harvey
    Production manager - Tadeusz Drewno
    Producer - Włodzimierz Niderhaus
    Co-producer - Tadeusz Filipkowski, Anna Jakubowska i Mariusz Łukomski
    Production Company - The Documentary and Feature Films Studio
    Co-production - Fundacja Filmowa Armii Krajowej, Monolith Films, Telekomunikacja Polska
    Co-financing - Polish Film Institute,Warsaw Municipal Government Office, Polish Ministry of National Defence
    Distribution - Monolith Films

    {mosimage}Cast:

    Olgierd Łukaszewicz
    Alicja Jachiewicz
    Anna Cieślak
    Magdalena Emilianowicz
    Zbigniew Stryj
    Maciej Radel
    and others

    Production contact:

    The Documentary and Feature Films Studio (WFDiF)
    ul. Chełmska 21, 00-724 Warszawa
    tel.: 22 841 26 83, 22 841 12 11
    fax: 22 841 58 91
    email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Last modified on 21-07-2012