03-09-2013

FNE at Gdynia Film Festival: Life Feels Good

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    "Life Feels Good", dir. Maciej Pieprzyca "Life Feels Good", dir. Maciej Pieprzyca

    GDYNIA: Maciej Pieprzyca recounts the true story of a man who battles a disability to retain his dignity and contact with the ones he loves in his moving feature inspired by a  cerebral palsy patient, screening at the 38th Gdynia fest.

    The protagonist in Life Feels Good proves he can function intellectually and form healthy relationships despite his condition. Dawid Ogrodnik plays Mateusz, a boy who grows up surrounded with the love and care of his parents, who see past his disability. He is bright, funny and capable of strong emotional connections. When fate takes him from his family home and he becomes a patient at a special care facility, Mateusz needs to fight for dignity. When he meets a young female volunteer and a doctor willing to try some experimental treatments everything changes.

    The film is written and directed by Maciej Pieprzyca. Born in 1964, Pieprzyca graduated in journalism and film directing from the Radio and Television Department of the University of Silesia and studied Screenwriting at the National Film School in Łódź. He won the Polish edition of the Hartley-Merill screenwriting competition. He is most recognized for his award winning 2008 drama Splinters.

    Life Feels Good was shot in June and July 2012 and the production company is Tramway. The film was made in co-prodcution with the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl), Silesia Film Institute (silesiafilmcommission.pl),Telewizja Polska (www.tvp.pl) and Monternia.pl.

    The film had its international premiere on 30 August at the Montreal IFF (www.ffm-montreal.org), where it got a standing ovation and Ogrodnik's role was deemed "Oscar-worthy" by several critics. The picture is distributed by Kino Świat and the Polish premiere is planned for 11 October. World sales are handled by Tramway and Telewizja Polska.

    Crew:
    Directed by: Maciej Pieprzyca
    Written by: Maciej Pieprzyca
    Director of photography: Paweł Dyllus
    Music by: Bartosz Chajdecki
    Production design by: Joanna Anastazja Wójcik
    Produced by: Tramway
    Producer: Wiesław Łysakowski
    Co-produced by: Polish Film Institute, Silesia-Film Institute,Telewizja Polska, Monternia.pl
    Executive producer: Wiesław Łysakowski
    Distributed by: Kino Świat
    World sales: TRAMWAY, Telewizja Polska

    Cast:
    Dorota Kolak, Dawid Ogrodnik, Katarzyna Zawadzka,Arkadiusz Jakubik, Helena Sujecka, Kamil Tkacz

    Production contact:
    Tramway Sp. z o. o.
    ul. Rejtana 14/9
    02-516 Warsaw
    Tel. +48 22 845 03 52
    Fax +48 646 73 40
    e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.