31/07/2009

The Era New Horizons Film Festival in Wrocław (July 23-August 2) provided the opportunity for music video-making duo Bolesław Pawica and Jarosław Szoda to make their cinematic debut.

Their first narrative feature, Miracle Seller, takes as its starting point a rather conventional story: Stefan, a hardened alcoholic trying to give up his vice once and for all, undergoes a true inner transformation when he meets two children.

The originality of the story (penned by screenwriter Mitko Panov) lies in its social context: the children come from Dagestan and dream of visiting their father, who lives in France. Stefan sees their desire as his mission and decides to help them cross the borders illegally, from East to West.

During this journey, they are confronted with the notion of difference between people, religions and cultures.

This road movie has an impressive cast: Stefan is played by popular actor of the moment Borys Szyc (Xawery Zulawski’s Snow White and Russian Red [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Feliks Falk’s Enen), who stars alongside Sonia Mietielica and Roman Golczuk.

The film was produced by Fabryka - Spółka Realizatorów Filmowych i Telewizyjnych Sp. z o.o. (who also hold the international rights to the film), with backing from the Polish Film Institute.

Dependency, this time not on alcohol but on drugs, is also the subject of newcomer Kinga Dębska’s debut film, Rebound, which screened in avant-première in Wroclaw yesterday (July 30).

The film, mostly shot in psychiatric hospitals, centres on Piotr (Paweł Królikowski), a psychiatrist who himself suffers from mental and emotional problems.

Co-produced by Czech-based InFilm Praha and Poland’s Studio Filmowe Kalejdoskop, Rebound was lensed by Wojciech Staroń (Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze’s My Nikifor and The Saviour's Square [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). International sales will be handled by Studio Filmowe Kalejdoskop Sp. z o.o.

(Translated from French)