4 FILM FESTIVAL
VANCOUVER POLISH
ANNUAL
TH
OCT 16-18, 2015
VPFF is co-presented by SFU Woodward's
Cultural Programs at SFU
GOLDCORP CENTRE FOR THE ARTS | DJAVAD MOWAFAGHIAN CINEMA | 149 WEST HASTINGS ST. VANCOUVER
co-presented by
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 16
6:00pm The Mole | Kret
8:10pm Strong coffee isn't that bad
Mocna kawa wcale nie jest taka zła
9:30pm Gods | Bogowie
SATURDAY | OCTOBER 17
3:00pm Joanna
3:50pm Close-ups | Zbliżenia
5:40pm Warsaw by night
7:30pm About my parents
Pani z przedszkola
9:45pm Anatomy of Evil | Anatomia zła
SUNDAY | OCTOBER 18
12pm How the heart and the sweetheart
Serce serduszko
2:00pm Grain of truth | Ziarno Prawdy
4:00pm Carte blanche
6:00pm One billion happy people
Miliard szczęśliwych ludzi
7:15pm Disco polo
A Message from the Mayor
On behalf of my colleagues on City Council, I
want to extend our best wishes on your 4th
Annual Vancouver Polish Film Festival.
As Mayor, I am proud of our thriving arts
community and I am pleased to see the
Vancouver Polish Film Festival making a significant contribution to that community every year. The Vancouver
Polish Film Festival is the perfect platform for independent Polish
Canadian writers, producers and directors to share their unique and
creative film talents with us. Providing educational and inspirational
opportunities to aspiring filmmakers through partnerships with educational institutions and industry organizations is an important aspect of
the program that greatly benefits our community. I want to thank all
of the organizers, volunteers and filmmakers who work hard to make
this festival a success.
We hope everyone has a wonderful experience at this year’s festival!
Yours truly,
Gregor Robertson, MAYOR
Marian Dziędziel Born in Silesia in 1947. film and
theatre actor. Graduated in 1969 from the
Theater School in Krakow. Member of the prestigious Slowacki Theatre in Krakow since 1969. He
has also starred in more than 50 Polish films. At the
Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, in 2004 was
awarded Best Actor Award for his role in THE
WEDDING and in 2011 Best Actor in Supporting
Role for his role in THE MOLE. For his role in THE
WEDDING he was awarded Eagle (Orzel) Polish Film Award - Best
Actor Award and Audience Award. In 2012 at the The Antalya
Golden Orange Film Festival, Turkey Marian Dziedziel was awarded
Best Actor Award in the International Film Competiton for his role in
the SUPERMARKET. At the 2012 Cairo International Film Festival was
awarded the Isis Prize for Best Actor for his role in THE FIFTH SEASON OF
THE YEAR.
Łukasz Simlat Born in 1977 in Sosnowiec. Theatre,
television and film actor. In 2000 graduated from
the Warsaw Theatre Academy.
Awarded several times for his role in the theatre
and film. For his role in THE LOVERS OF MARONA
was nominated for the Zbyszek Cybulski award.
Maciej Bochniak Born in 1984 in Cracow. Director
and Screenwriter. Graduated in scriptwriting
from Lodz Film School. He created
the
acclaimed full-length documentary ONE BILLION
HAPPY PEOPLE (produced by HBO), based on the
Chinese adventures of the Polish “disco/folk”
band Bayer Full. He made his debut with a short
film I LOVE YOU SO MUCH (2009) and a documentary RECEPTION (2011), as a part of the first
documentary program at the Munk Studio. He is
the co-author of the short feature film THE ROOM which apart from
many awards and recognitions, received the award for Best
Independent Film at the 37th Gdynia Film Festival. DISCO POLO is his
feature debut and has been best Polish Box Office of 2015. Bochniak
is also the creator of tv commercials, music videos and scripts for
short and feature films.
A Message from the Consul
General of the Republic of
Poland in Vancouver
The third week of October in Vancouver, so it’s
time for the Polish cinema! Instead of taking
showers on lovely streets of the city one can visit
Poland and taste some bites of the Polish culture
participating in Polish Film Festival in Vancouver.
This year we have a chance to see12 Polish films over three days! There
will also be an opportunity to meet two outstanding Polish actors:
Marian Dziędziel who after playing in more than 100 productions
suddenly became a real icon of the Polish cinema and Łukasz Simlat
who plays in the wonderful way an everymen from Poland as he
would be a hero of the humanity. All who will join the Festival on
Sunday evening will have a chance to meet Maciej Bochniak. This
young Polish film director is an excellent story teller. He is extremely
good in making films about our days in Poland and it socio-cultural
changes.
It is very hard to say which of those 12 films “must” be really seen. All of
them are good, interesting and bring a lot of fun. The Vancouver Polish
Film Festival panel are excellent in making the film selections. But
attending the 4th VPFF no one can miss “Bogowie - Gods” of Łukasz
Palkowski.
This film is the biggest revelation of the 39th Gdynia Film Festival. It is
excellently written on-screen biography of Zbigniew Religa, a legendary Polish professor of cardiology which offers a gripping rhythm and a
seductive sense of humour. The young doctor Religa, having come
back from the US, intends to apply the latest world improvements in
transplantology, but is blocked by the restrictions ruling the People’s
Republic of Poland. The old ward heads do not allow their younger
colleagues to operate, while the hospital authorities ban any innovations. Even when Religa opens his own clinic and gains some independence, he does not escape the same problems – the communist
government declines funding for the equipment and medicine
becomes the victim of politics. Palkowski’s protagonist wants to
destroy the fossilized political structures and the public superstitions,
according to which the heart is seen as a relic, and not a “glorious
pump.” At the same time, Religa faces his own pride – each death of
a patient is a painful blow to his ambition. He relieves his helplessness
through alcohol. Palkowski is honest in his narration of that process – he
is not interested in Religa’s grandeur, but his humanity.
This story is not only about Religa himself. It is also the story about
passion, sense of creativity and determination. In fact it is the story of
Polish pride, able to defeat communism and any other obstacle to be
free and creative.
I wish to express all my gratitude to the crew of Polish Film Festival in
Vancouver for your excellent organization, passion and the taste of
the Polish culture.
Krzysztof Olendzki
Ambassadeur Titulaire
Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Vancouver
Projekt jest wspolfinansowany w ramach funduszy polonijnych
Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych R.P.
FRIDAY | OCT 16 | 6:00 PM
THE MOLE (KRET)
108min | 2011 | Poland | Thriller |
dir. Rafael Lewandowski
A political and psychological thriller
which tells the story of Paul, whose
family’s happiness is threatened by
an article smearing the good name
of his father and business partner.
Paul begins a private investigation
to discover the truth and clear his
father of the allegations.
SAT | OCT 17 | 3:50 PM
CLOSE-UPS (ZBLIZENIA)
76min | 2014 | Poland | Drama |
dir. Magdalena Piekorz
Marta, an attractive young sculptor,
is emotionally dependent on her
overbearing mother who controls
every aspect of her life. When
Marta finally gets married and
asserts her independence, her
mother desperately tries to keep
Marta's love only for herself.
FRIDAY | OCT 16 | 8:10 PM
STRONG COFFEE ISN’T THAT BAD
(MOCNA KAWA NIE JEST TAKA ZLA)
49min | 2014 | Poland | Short,
Comedy, Drama | dir. Aleksander
Pietrzak
A comedy-drama about a fraught
relationship between a father and
son who haven’t seen each other
for 18 years, both of them too
stubborn to admit their own feelings.
SAT | OCT 17 | 5:30 PM
WARSAW BY NIGHT
99min | 2014 | Poland | Drama,
Comedy | dir. Natalia KorynckaGruz
A portrait of four women who seek
love, each of whom break boundaries and learn something about
themselves. The film depicts a
yearning for love and for meeting a
person one can be close to,
meetings which are valuable even if
they only last a moment.
FRIDAY | OCT 16 | 9:30 PM
SAT | OCT 17 | 3:00 PM
GODS (BOGOWIE)
112min | 2014 | Poland | Drama,
Biography | dir. Łukasz Palkowski
JOANNA
40min | 2013 | Poland | Documentary | dir. Aneta Kopacz
A fact-based film story about the life
and career of Polish cardiac
surgeon Zbigniew Religa, who
performed the first successful heart
transplant in Poland in 1985.
An intimate portrayal of a young
mother, diagnosed with cancer,
who must contemplate what she
wants to leave behind for her son
and husband. A moving story about
the meaning of death, life, and
love.
SAT | OCT 17 | 7:30 PM
ABOUT MY PARENTS (PANI Z
PRZEDSZKOLA)
89min | 2014 | Poland | Drama,
Comedy | dir. Marcin Krzysztalowicz
Colorful adventures and nostalgic
observations create a picture of a
family, which experiences its ups
and downs, and the hero who
critically reviews his past in order to
solve an awkward problem
connected with his love life and the
erotic fascinations of his parents.
GEMINI JEWELS
WEST VANCOUVER
SAT | OCT 17 | 9:45 PM
ANATOMY OF EVIL (ANATOMIA ZLA)
105min | 2015 | Poland | Thriller |
dir. Jacek Bromski
Shortly after being released from
prison on parole the prosecutor
responsible for the arrest several
years before makes the man an
offer he can't refuse. In exchange
for a large sum of money, clearing
his file, and the opportunity to
quietly leave the country, “Lulek” is
to eliminate the chief of the Central
Bureau of Investigations.
SHTETL MEDIA
SUN | OCT 18 | 12 PM
THE HART AND THE SWEETHEART (SERCE SERDUSZKO)
114min | 2014 | Poland |
Drama | dir. Jan Jakub
Kolski
A fairy tale road film about
a meeting of two women –
an adult and a child – who
long for love. Their story
proves that dreams may
not only come true but
most of all that they can
change someone’s life for
good.
SUN | OCT 18 | 2 PM
GRAIN OF TRUTH (ZIARNO
PRAWDY)
110min | 2015 | Poland |
Thriller | dir. Borys Lankosz
In this crime story based
on the novel of the same
name by Zygmunt
Miłoszewski, prosecutor
Teodor Szacki conducts
an investigation of a
strange and mysterious
murder case. Alienated in
a small-town morass, he
struggles to find a killer.
Things get worse as the
murders intensify...
SUN | OCT 18 | 4 PM
SUN | OCT 18 | 6 PM
CARTE BLANCHE
106min | 2015 | Poland |
Drama | dir. Jacek Lusinski
ONE BILLION HAPPY PEOPLE
(MILIARD SZCZESLIWYCH
LUDZI)
65min | 2011 | Poland |
A story of a high school
Documentary | dir. Maciej
teacher who learns that he Bochniak
is losing his sight. In order to
keep his job and not
The powerful story of a
disappoint his students, he clash between two
decides to keep his
powerful personalities – a
condition a secret.
Bayer Full front man and a
Polish-born Chinese
businessman who must
learn to cooperate. Will
the most popular disco
polo band make it big in
China?
SPECIAL THANKS
VANCOUVER
Adam Alcalde
POLISH
Agnieszka Sławek
FILM FESTIVAL Aleksandra Beer | Toronto Polish Film Festival
Beata Czekajło
Rafal Czekajło
Dariusz Korzeniecki
Żaneta Korzeniecki
Jędrzej Kowalski
Victoria Kowalski
SUN | OCT 18 | 7:15 PM
DISCO POLO
103min | 2015 | Poland |
Comedy, Music | dir.
Maciej Bochniak
The story of two friends,
Tomek and Rudy, who
dream of a glittering
career as a musicians; no
obstacle is too big for
them. They start a band
called ‘Laser’ and their
lives change overnight.
Andrzej Jar | AHA!
Andrzej Manuski | Takie Zycie
Andrzej Wrzosek
Anna Citak
Caroline Czekajło
Connie Pavone | City of Vancouver
Daria Strzałkowska
Davis Ship | SFU Woodword's
Emilia Piestrak | Polish Filmmakers Association
Gerry Kowalenko | Co-op Radio
Jacek Bromski | Polish Filmmakers Association
Joanna & Robert Szpakowski
Joanna Olendzka
Kate Ship | SFU Woodword's
Kenneth Russel | Kinetica Print
Klub Rekraacyjno Sportowy “Polonia”
Krzysztof Olendzki | Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Vancouver
Laura Moore | Georgia Straight
Linda Gale | New Westminster Record
Magdalena Sroka | Polish Film Institute
Marta Pozniakowska | Toronto Polish Film Festival
Maya Beckersmith | Georgia Straight
Michael Boucher | SFU Woodword's
Michał Boniewski | Vice-Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Vancouver
Paweł Małaszynski
Stanisław Janecki | Radio NoFa & Radio MIKS
Tamara Messacar | SFU Woodword's
Zbigniew Pietrzyk | Seattle Polish Film Festival