Polish Film in Main Competition
The lineup of the 63rd Berlinale Main Competition features 19 films from around the world, including W imię... (In the Name Of...), the latest film by Małgorzata Szumowska. The competition will be judged by an international jury; its members include Wong Kar Wai (chairman of the jury), Susanne Bier, Andreas Dresen, Ellen Kuras, Shirin Neshat, Tim Robbins, and Athina Rachel Tsangari. Szumowska's film will compete for the following awards: the Golden Bear for Best Film, the Silver Bear for Best Director, Best Actor or Actress, Best Screenplay, the Alfred Bauer Award for opening new perspectives in film art, as well as the awards for Best Cinematography, Best Music Score, Best Editing, and Best Costume Design.
Małgorzata Szumowska's latest film is her third feature to screen at Berlinale. Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, In the Name Of... is the contemporary story of a priest who launches a help centre for troubled youths in a small parish. The good priest is well-liked by the community, yet he keeps the details of his complicated past a secret.
World Premiere
The screenplay was written by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, who also lensed the film. In addition to lead performances by Andrzej Chyra and Mateusz Kościukiewicz, In the Name Of... features performances by Maja Ostaszewska, Łukasz Simlat, Tomasz Schuchardt, Maria Maj, Olgierd Łukaszewicz, as well as non-professional actors. The film wax produced by Mental Disorder 4, co-produced by Canal+, and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, with world sales handled by Memento Films International and distribution in Poland by Kino Świat.
Screening Dates:
- 08.02, 16:00 Berlinale Palast (world premiere)
- 09.02, 09:15 Haus der Berliner Festspiele
- 09.02, 09:30 Friedrichstadt-Palast
- 09.02, 22:30 International
- 17.02, 17:00 Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Bejbi Blues (Baby Blues) in Two Sections of 63rd Berlinale
Bejbi Blues (Baby Blues) by Katarzyna Rosłaniec will screen in the Generation 14plus competition section and the Panorama section of this year's Berlinale. Baby Blues is Katarzyna Rosłaniec's second feature, after Galerianki (Mall Girls). The lead role was played by Magdalena Berus, with supporting role by Nikodem Rozbicki, Michał Trzeciakowski, Mateusz Kościukiewicz, Magdalena Boczarska, and Katarzyna Figura. The film was lensed by Jens Ramborg. The artistic supervisor was Małgorzata Szumowska.
From Toronto to Berlin
The world premiere of Baby Blues took place at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. The film was produced by Mental Disorder 4 (MD4), and co-produced by Zentropa International Poland, Telekomunikacja Polska, and Warszawa Powiśle, part of Grupa Warszawa. Baby Blues was made in cooperation with the Warsaw Film Foundation and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Screening Dates:
- 11.02, 17:30 Haus der Kulturen der Welt Kino 1
- 13.02, 16:30 CinemaxX 3
- 16.02, 20:00 Haus der Kulturen der Welt Kino 1
- 17.02, 14:30 Cubix 9 (Panorama screening)
Sieniawka at Berlinale Forum
The Forum section of the 63rd Berlin IFF will feature Sieniawka, a film written, directed and lensed by Marcin Malaszczak. This video-art-styled film tells the story of the "journey into the irrational subconscious of humanity," as is stated on the film's official website. Stefan (Stefan Szyszka) travels through the post-industrial landscapes of no man's land. His chance encounter with a stranger blurs the line between imagination and reality, while the past and the future intertwine. The film was produced by Michel Balagué, Marcin Malaszczak, Georg Tiller, and Andreas Louis (DFFB).
This Polish-German co-production was supported by the Polish Film Institute.
Screening Dates:
- 09.02, 13:30, CinemaxX 6 (press screening)
- 10.02, 19:00 CineStar 8
- 13.02, 22:00 CinemaxX 4
- 15.02, 18:30 Delphi Filmpalast
- 17.02, 14:30 Kino Arsenal 1
Berlinale Talent Campus 2013
The participants of this year's edition of the Berlinale Talent Campus will include director-screenwriter Eliza Subotowicz, director Igor Chojna, experimental filmmaker and lecturer Pedro Ferreira, director Barbara Białowąs, director and the Cannes festival's Cinéfondation participant Mariko Saga, documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Michał Rytel-Przełomiec, composer Krzysztof A. Janczak, and Polish-born US-based director Alina Skrzeszewska.
Breakfast meeting organized by the Polish Film Institute and the Wajda School
One of the side events of the Berlinale Talent Campus will be a breakfast meeting organized by the Polish Film Institute and the Wajda School to present the EKRAN programme. This event is scheduled for February 11. EKRAN is a unique European training programme for professional filmmakers, focusing on creative pre-production. This project is organized by Wajda Studio in cooperation with the Wajda School, the Polish Film Institute, the Focal foundation (Switzerland), Nordmedia (Germany), the Austrian Film Institute, the Audiovisual Institute of Croatia, and the Agora Foundation, with support from the European Union's MEDIA Training programme.
Speakers at this breakfast meeting will include Wojciech Marczewski (Programming Director of the Wajda Studio and creator of EKRAN), Agnieszka Marczewska (head of the EKRAN programme), and Izabela Kiszka-Hoflik (head of the International Relations Department at the Polish Film Institute).
Further details about Berlinale Talent Campus available at www.berlinale-talentcampus.de.
European Film Market 2013
The lineup of this year's European Film Market will feature the following Polish productions and co-productions: Sekrety miłości (Secrets of Love) by Krystian Matysek, Ostatnie piętro (Last Floor) by Tadeusz Król, Nieulotne (Lasting) by Jacek Borcuch, Yuma by Piotr Mularuk, Piąta pora roku (The Fifth Season of the Year) by Jerzy Domaradzki, Dziewczyna z szafy (The Girl from the Wardrobe) by Bodo Kox, Feliks, Net i Nika oraz Teoretycznie Możliwa Katastrofa (Felix, Net & Nika and the Theoretically Possible Catastrophe) by Wiktor Skrzynecki, Imagine by Andrzej Jakimowski, Obława (Manhunt) by Marcin Krzyształowicz, Żywie Białoruś (Viva Bel@rus) by Krzysztof Łukaszewicz, and Fuck For Forest by Michał Marczak.
The lineup details are available at: www.efm-berlinale.de.
In attendance at Berlinale are representatives of the Polish Film Institute, the Polish Filmmakers Association, the Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce (KIPA), Media Desk Poland, and Telewizja Polska, as well as representatives of Polish film funds, festivals, and production and distribution companies, including Off Plus Camera, Against Gravity, Aurora Films, Gutek Film, Opus Film, WFDiF, Toffifest, Kino Świat, Vivarto, Monolith, Tongariro, and Wajda Studio.
ScripTeast 2013
The 63rd Berlinale is also home to the second session of the seventh edition of the ScripTeast workshop for experienced screenwriters. The selection of twelve top projects from Eastern European countries includes three Polish projects: the new screenplays by Bartek Konopka and Przemysław Nowakowski (The Mute), Małgorzata Pilacińska (I Love You), and Wiktoria Szymańska ( Traces). This year-long programme is aimed at selecting the best screenplays in the region and allowing their authors an opportunity to work with some of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers.
ScripTeast is organized by the Independent Film Foundation, supported by the European Union's Media programme, the Polish Film Institute, and Apple Film Production, and produced in cooperation with the European Film Academy, the Producers Network and ACE producers' associations, Film New Europe, Final Draft, and Telewizja Polska.
Further details about the 63rd Berlin IFF available at: www.berlinale.de .
Polish Cinema Stand at 63rd Berlin IFF
Polish Cinema Stand No. 144
European Film Market Berlin 2012
Martin-Gropius-Bau
The Polish Cinema Stand is co-organized by the Polish Film Institute, the Polish Filmmakers Association, and TVP. This will be the eighth time Polish cinema is represented at EFM, and the third edition of an independent Polish stand. This year's Polish Cinema Stand has a new location, with more space available for meetings with film industry professionals. The Polish Cinema Stand will feature publications promoting Polish films; these include the New Polish Films 2013 and the Production Guide Poland 2013 catalogues.
The Polish Film Institute has also developed the New Polish Films 2013 app for the iPhone and iPad, available for download at:https://itunes.apple.com/pl/app/new-polish-films-2013/id597540170.
The Android version of the app will be available soon.
Marta Sikorska
Translated by Karolina Kołtun
