14/03/2005

After the huge success of Edi (2002), the Polish public and professionals are looking forward to Piotr Trzaskalski’s second feature, Maestro ("Mistrz") which will be released on the 6th of May by Studio InterFilm. The script, co-written by the director and his partner in crime, Wojciech Lepianka, revolves around the themes of love, art,and travels. A Russian circus artist and a Polish accordionist decide to set up a little circus and hire a girl to complete the team. The three of them travel around Poland and gradually reveal their personal secrets. The cast includes Konstantin Lavronenko (playing the maestro), Teresa Branna, Jacek Braciak, and Monika Buchoviewc.

Edi, Piotr Trzaskalski’s first feature (produced by Opus Film), with its three prizes at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival (including the Fipresci Prize in the New Forum Cinema section), was revolutionary for the Polish film industry. Its huge commercial success ($1.3M benefits in Poland) despite a low-budget (€200 000 only, gathered without any public help whatsoever) convinced the local professionals that it was possible to produce quality cinema with less money than is usually necessary for the average Polish film (600 000-700 000 euros).
Maestro, shot in August 2004, had a million-euro budget. It was produced by Piotr Dzieciol for Opus Film in a partnership with Warsaw Film Foundation, Atlas Szutki, Agencja Produkcji Filmowej, and Telewizja Polska - Agencja.