14/09/2010

The Oscars Committee presided by Agnieszka Holland has chosen Jacek Borcuch’s All That I Love [+see also:
trailer
film profile] as the Polish candindate in the nomination race for the famous Best Foreign Language Film statuette, to be awarded on February 27 of next year, after the final five nominees are creamed off on January 25.

This is the third narrative feature by a director who started his film career as an actor in Krzysztof Krauze’s The Debt (1999) before getting behind the camera for Kallafiorr, the first independent Polish film to be widely distributed in Poland.

All That I Love explores "all that is most beautiful and important in life. Above all, youth", said Olga Frycz, who plays the lead female role. Borcuch, who depicted the beauty of old people’s lives in his previous film (Tulips), this time focuses on the young generation, their first loves, their rebellion and quest for freedom.

Janek (Mateusz Kościukiewicz) and Basia (Frycz) are a bit like Romeo and Juliet: because of the conflict between their families, they cannot give free rein to their passionate love. However, their story is radically different since it is set at the time of the struggle against the Communist system and the state of siege declaration in 1981.

The film’s strong point is without doubt its young cast members, including Kościukiewicz, Jakub Gierszał, Mateusz Banasiuk and Frycz, appearing alongside domestic stars such as Andrzej Chyra, Anna Radwan, Katarzyna Herman and Marek Kalita. Lensing is by DoP Michał Englert (33 Scenes from Life [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Strangers [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and the music, which plays a key role in the film as a weapon in the fight for freedom, was composed by Daniel Bloom.

Produced by Prasa i Film (read the interview), All That I Love has so far enjoyed a brilliant career at international festivals. It has won awards at Sundance, Brussels and Festroia, and been selected at Rotterdam, New York, Los Angeles and Moscow, among others.

International sales are being handled by French company Wide Management, who have so far sold the film for France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Greece, Benelux, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Chile and South Korea.

(Translated from French)