A Little Bit of Paradise
Beautiful details of the everyday life of a Silesian family in a remote corner of Poland. Living on the outskirts of the city, their world is inextricably linked with the nature around them.
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Documentary powerhouse Poland is back at IDFA
The Polish delegation arrives at IDFA with four films in the official program, one project in the Forum, 10 titles in the Docs for Sale catalogue, and a presentation of four new, exciting projects.
Eastern European documentary powerhouse Poland brings its delegation to IDFA, led by the Krakow Film Foundation and Polish Docs PRO.
As part of their Meetup on November 20, the delegation will present four new projects via pitches developed at DOC LAB POLAND—the biggest documentary program in the country. The projects are:
Escape to the Silver Globe
Director: Jakub Mikurda
Producer: Daria Maślona
Escape to the Silver Globe is a documentary about the greatest secret and the biggest, unfulfilled dream of Polish cinema: Andrzej Żuławski's unfinished film On the Silver Globe.
Daughter of Fuji
Director: Eri Muzitani
Producer: Anna Fam
Keiko, a teacher of a worship dance for the Fuji goddess, breaks the conspiracy of silence among Japanese women. She wants to reinvent the impractical tradition she has lived for. She opposes the local community and culture.
I Am One of Them
Director: Nadim Suleiman
Producers: Jacek Bławut, Luiza Pietrzak
A Syrian immigrant shoots a film about a Polish nationalist. The film becomes an excuse to bring two people together, telling the story of an almost impossible friendship.
Until the Wedding (pictured on top)
Director: Daniel Stopa
Producer: Małgorzata Staroń
A bittersweet depiction of a mature marriage. Their son’s wedding is a pretext for the elderly couple to look back on their life together.
The presentation, which is open to all accredited guests, will be followed by individual meetings with decision makers in order to find partners, sales agents, and international festival premieres.
Poland in IDFA program & industry sections
Traditionally a powerhouse of European documentary scene, Poland is represented at IDFA with films and projects across the festival's program sections.
Andrzej Cichocki's A Little Bit of Paradise will have its world premiere in the IDFA Competition for Short Documentary, and Kamila Chojnacka's Hello Grandma will enjoy the same honor in the IDFA Competition for Student Documentary.
Tomasz Wolski's An Ordinary Country is screening in the Best of Fests section, and veteran director Jerzy Śladkowski's Bitter Love is part of Masters.
As for Poland's participation in the IDFA Industry Program, Sylwia Rosak's project Lili is being presented at IDFA Forum.
Finally, the Docs for Sale 2020 catalogue includes ten Polish films: Altered States of Consciousness by Piotr Stasik, Butterfly’s Dream by Jarosław Szmidt, Dad You’ve Never Had by Dominika Łapka, Last Knights of the Right Side by Michał Edelman, Papa by Marya Yakimovich, Tell Me More by Martyna Peszko, We Have One Heart by Katarzyna Warzecha, xABo. Father Boniecki by Aleksandra Potoczek, and the above-mentioned An Ordinary Country and A Little Bit of Paradise.
Join the Meetup with the Polish delegation on November 20 at 17:00. Read more about the delegation here.
Hello Grandma
The intimate record of a family’s life in lockdown. Filmmaker Kamila Chojnacka lives with her toddler and husband in their small home. News reports and telephone conversations with her grandmother form fragile connections to the outside world.
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An Ordinary Country
The Polish Secret Service kept a very close watch on its citizens from the 1960s through the 1980s, often using hidden cameras and microphones. This compilation paints a claustrophobic picture of a brutal and bureaucratic surveillance state.
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Bitter Love
An extraordinarily intimate, observational portrait of passengers on a river cruise—full of drama, poetry, vulnerability, humor, and melancholy music. As Russian landscapes peacefully glide by, both young and old struggle with love.
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