21/06/2005

Krzysztof Krauze's film Moj Nikifor, recalling the story of the great naif painter Nikifor (1895 - 1968) will represent Polish cinema at the 40th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Krauze's Moj Nikifor (My Nikifor) is not simply a monograph. The filmmaker's aim was to tell the story of the friendship between Nikifor and Marian Wlosinski – the young painter who abandoned his career and his family to take care of his master who was suffering from tuberculosis. "It's not only the story of a great painter who dies, it's also the story of a man's devotion and self-sacrifice for someone else," the filmmaker underlined.
Krauze's feature film is also a spiritual portrait of the artist. Nikifor, ignored by his native townsfolk in Krynica, disdained and considered as a fool, was an eminent figure who remained true to his artistic vision, impervious to influences, living in his own world. "He had an incredible freedom, free from dilemmas, never worried about what other people thought about his works. Most of the people will certainly see Nikofor as a mad person; I think that we are the crazy ones," said the filmmaker before the film's premiere.

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Starring in the role of the old and disabled painter is Krystyna Feldman, a very famous star in Poland. She won several Awards for this amazing transformation : the best "actor's creation" at the last Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and at the Prowinjonalia festival in Wrzesnia, the Eagle 2004 of the Polish Cinema Academy. Krauze's film also received four other Academy awards : one for Cinematography (Krzysztof Ptak), one for the Production Design (Magdalena Dipont), one for the Editing (Krzysztof Szpetmañski) and one for Sound (Nikodem Wo³k-£aniewski). The film is co-produced by Studio Filmowe, Zebra Film Productions, Telewizja Polska, Canal +.

(Translated from French)