While news on the growing conservativism receive significant media coverage, the great Polish cinema shows its resilience and endurance: The past three years have seen successful debuts of young filmmakers. We will get to know them at Motovun Film Festival between 23-27 July, when this country of great filmmakers and anthology films will be presented in Poland in Focus program.
The controversial Clergy, one of the greatest film hits in Poland in the past years, was seen by not less than three and a half million people. Explicitly tackling the hypocrisy and corruption in the Catholic Church, Wojciech Smarzowski’s film was greeted by Polish liberal public and bitterly attacked by the Church and conservative media. Clergy’s plot is focused on three priests who end up in the maelstrom of pedophilia, unwanted pregnancy and corruption.
In addition to this controversial sensation, Poland in Focus also includes awarded films by the most successful young Polish filmmakers. One of them is The Last Family by Jan P. Matuzynski, claimed by many to be probably the best – and the certainly one of the most awarded – Polish film in the past years.
Piotr Domalewski‘s debut film Silent Night was proclaimed the best Polish film in 2017, touching on the painful Polish theme of emigration.
Another controversial theme in Polish society – lesbian love, is the subject of Nina, the first feature film by director Olge Chajdas.
Tower. A Bright Day is the debut of the gifted filmmaker Jagoda Szelc. This story with elements of thriller and horror suggests another distinguishing feature of young Polish filmmakers – their love for genre films.
The twenty-six-year-old Aleksander Pietrzak is the youngest of the authors presented in the program. His Juliusz is a romantic comedy that saw record viewer ratings in Poland.
And finally, in this bonfire of young filmmakers, we have Kuba Mikurda’s Love Express. The Disappearance of Walerian Borowczyk. A documentary film about the legendary rebel of Polish film, Walerian Borowczyk. Borowczyk had an unusual career that spanned avant-garde animation, numerous awards at prestigious festivals and iconic pornographic films (the latter having become his obsession in the final phase of his career).
Izbornici programa su producenti i scenaristi Radoslaw Drabik i Michal Chacinski.