06-05-2012

FNE at Gdynia Film Festival: Women's Day

By FNE Staff

    {mosimage}GDYNIA: In her feature debut Women's Day, premiering at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia (www.fpff.pl) Maria Sadowska takes on the issue of female solidarity and its boundaries in a hostile work environment.

    {mosimage}Women's Day is loosely based on the actual life experiences of female cashiers working in one of the biggest Polish supermarket chains. When one of the women is suddenly promoted to a managerial postilion, she quickly discovers that the change influences not only her relationship with her female colleagues, but also her personal life. She is faced with difficult ethical choices once a coworker suffers a miscarriage due to enforced long working hours.

    Sadowska, who calls her film a "feminist western," told FNE, "I am not a major, fighting feminist but issues concerning women are close to my heart. The idea for this production came from the producer, Darek Gajewski, who decided that I would be perfect for directing a ‘female' film. I think that telling stories about women will become a leading motif in my future work."{mosimage}As well as writing and directing, Sadowska is an accomplished Polish singer and song writer who began her musical career at age 14. Her short film debut was Non Stop Colour, part of Studio Munka's 2010 Demakijaż project. The star cast includes Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Eryk Lubos, Anita Jancia, Dorota Kolak and Grażyna Barszczewska.

    Women's Day was shot in October and November 2010 in Warsaw. The producers are Jacek Bromski, Dariusz Gajewski, and Ewa Jastrzębska. Women's Day is produced by Studio Munka (www.studiomunka.pl) and the Polish Filmmakers Association (www.sfp.org.pl). The film received financial support from the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl). It was presented as a work in progress during the 2011 CentEast Market (www.centeast.eu) in Warsaw. The theatrical release will take place by the end of 2012.

    {mosimage}Crew:

    Director - Maria Sadowska
    Screenwriter - Katarzyna Terechowicz, Maria Sadowska
    Director of photography - Radosław Ładczuk
    Music - Maria Sadowska
    Production designer - Joanna Kaczyńska
    Sound - Tomasz Wieczorek
    Editing - Jarosław Kamiński
    Costume designer - Anna Englert
    Make-up - Olga Nejbauer
    Production manager - Jakub Kosma
    Production company - Polish Filmmakers Association/ Munk Studio
    Producer - Jacek Bromski, Dariusz Gajewski, Ewa Jastrzębska
    Co-financed by - Polish Film Institute

    Cast:
    Eryk Lubos
    Katarzyna Kwiatkowska
    Dorota Kolak
    Julia Czuraj
    Anita Jancia

    Production information:
    Studio Munka
    Krakowskie Przedmieście 7
    00-068 Warsaw
    tel. 22 556 54 70
    fax. 22 556 54 69
    www.studiomunka.pl