05/02/2015 - Malgorzata Szumowska’s film will be revealed in competition along with the co-produced Under Electric Clouds

Two movies will be representing Poland on the list of the 19 films in the Berlinale competition, which begins today: Body [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malgorzata Szumowska
interview: Malgorzata Szumowska
film profile] by Malgorazata Szumowska and Under Electric Clouds [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Alexey German (co-produced by Russia and Ukraine). Polish production is also showcased in the Forum, Forum Expanded and Generation Shorts sections. 

Szumowska is a regular at the Berlinale, where she had already been selected in the Panorama section (in 2004 with Strangers [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and in 2012 with Elles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malgorzata Sumowska
film profile]) before competing in 2013 with In the Name of [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malgorzata Szumowska
interview: Mateusz Kosciukiewicz
film profile], which received the Teddy Award.

In Body, she looks into three characters that live in completely different worlds: an expert prosecutor in criminal affairs, his anorexic daughter and a therapist who is convinced that she can speak to the dead. Despite the dramatic backdrop, the stories in the film do not have a solemn tone. They are told with distance and irony (a style that the filmmaker subtly introduced in another film, 33 Scenes from Life [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) which leaves the viewer to contemplate on how Swumowska adapts her style of narrating and the characteristic tones in her films.

The role of the prosecutor is played by Janusz Gajos, a Polish star who rose to international fame thanks to Three Colors: White by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Co-starring in the film is Maja Ostaszewska (Katyn [+see also:
film review
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interview: Andrzej Wajda
interview: Michal Kwiecinski
film profile], Jack Strong [+see also:
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trailer
film profile], In the Name of) and Justyna Suwala. Body is produced by Nowhere and sold internationally by Memento Films.

Also a potential Golden Bear winner, Under Electric Clouds was co-produced by Poland via Apple Film Production, Tor Film Studio and TVP. This bittersweet film by Alexey German explores the last two decades in Russia, constantly linking the past, the present and the future. In the distinguished cast we find Louis Fransk, Merab Ninidze, Viktoriya Korotkova, Chulpan Khamatova and Piotr Gąsowski. The film's production was led by Russian outfit Metrafilms and Ukrainian company Linked Films.

Also being presented at Berlin in the Forum section is The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills [+see also:
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film profile] by Marcin Malaszczak (co-produced by Balabusta for Poland, alongside Germany and the United States). In addition, Oskar Dawickki in The Performer [+see also:
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film profile] by Maciej Sobieszczanski and Lukasz Ronduda (with the Polish artist) will be presented in the Forum Expanded category, and the short film Maja by Jakub Michnikowski will be featured in the Generation Shorts programme.

(Translated from French)