Three Colors: Red – leading film of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Retrospective

“Three Colors: Red” is the leading film of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Retrospective during the 6th edition of the Sokołowsko Hommage à Kieślowski Film Festival.

The Sokołowsko Festival provides us with an insight into the most interesting trends of ambitious and thought-provoking European cinema, and is complemented by meetings and panel discussions. This will also be true during this years 6th edition of the Festival. The Hommage à Kieślowski section is dedicated to the life and work of the late director, and will showcase two feature films and one documentary by Krzysztof Kieślowski. Each of them provides an opportunity for deep discussion inspired by the movie at hand – how it impacts the viewer, and what distinguishes it in terms of structure, aesthetics and lingual structures from other contemporary films, and how the plot, themes and underlying messages relate to current events. This year the focus will be on the life dilemmas we are faced with every day, conflicts and dramas of the protagonists, as well as the narration, meaning and style of each movie.

 

The leading film of the Hommage à Kieślowski section – a retrospective of the directors work – will be the Polish-French-Swiss co-production of 1994 “Three Colors: Red”. This psychological drama was nominated for the Golden Palm in Cannes, Golden Globe and the Oscars in three categories (best director, original screenplay and cinematography), and is Kieślowski’s farewell to work in film. Till this day many film critics and filmmakers see this film as a kind of artistic testament of Kieślowski. Piotr Sobociński, one of Poland’s most renowned cinematographers, who died before his time in Canada in 2001, is the director of photography for this movie. The music for the film was composed by Zbigniew Preisner, and awarded a Golden Cesar in 1995. The screenplay for “Three Colors: Red” was co-written with Krzysztof Piesiewicz. The script received a number of prestigious nominations including the Oscars, the Cezars, and the BAFTA British Awards – and is till this day considered as proof of the authors craftsmanship, precision of thought and interpretative abilities. The plot of “Red” intertwines the fates of two people: Valentine Dusseau (Irène Jacob) a young, vulnerable model and Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant) a retired judge, eavesdropping on his neighbors. The screening of the film, that will take place on the second day of the festival, will be complimented by a panel discussion with Krzysztof Piesiewicz. Special guests will include Piotr Sobciński Junior: cinematographer and son to Piotr Sobciński. The festival’s audience will have the never before had had opportunity to delve into the creative process of film-making – script writing and production, of the film that closes the “Three Colors” trilogy.

On the first day of the festival the outstanding documentary filmmaker Andreas Voigt will introduce the film “Conversation with Krzysztof Kieślowski” and talk about the making of the film. Andreas Voight is the winner of the prestigious German Film Awards; he started his career as an editor and writer for the DEFA Documentary Film Studio and Poczdam. The director is known for his lectures given at universities across Europe and America as well as in Singapore and India. His credits include the series of cinematic documentaries “Films from the City of Leipzig”, portraying selected citizens of Leipzig. The fall of the Berlin Wall is the historical background of the film, showing the unification of Germany and the accompanying process of profound transformation of the post-communist society, through the eyes of individuals. During the festival meeting with Andreas Voight titled “Blind Chances have to be earned”, referring to a statement made by Kieślowski during one of his workshops, the audience will learn about the workings of making documentaries in two social systems: the German Democratic Republic and Germany, but also about the limitations, hardships and blind chances involved in making a documentary, on the example of his work with Krzysztof Kieślowski in December of 1996, that resulted in the 1996 film “Conversation with Krzysztof Kieślowski”. The documentary, commissioned by the Bavarian Public Television is the penultimate film with Krzysztof Kieślowski. Distinguished by it’s narrative form, storytelling structures and the intensity of the conversation. From the conversation with the director slowly emerges a very personal, sometimes intimate and not devioid of bitterness reflection on the condition of modern man. Kieślowski’s answers help shine a new light on some of his directional decisions and his approach to his creative process and life in general, and this includes politics, friendships, responsibilities and the meaning of love – creating a multifaceted portrait of the director both as an artist and a human being.

Particularly noteworthy are the meetings about films and panel discussions with film experts: prof. Mikołaj Jazdoń, dr. Rafał Koschany, film critc Łukasz Maciejewski and film expert Piotr Pławuszewski, and the co-creators of the films in question. These meetings follow every screening in the „Hommage à Kieślowski” section. During the festival, apart from “Three Colors: Red” and the documentary “Conversation with Krzysztof Kieślowski”, will be presented: the controversial for it’s time political drama “No End”, set in the period of martial law in Poland of 1982, and the filmed in 1979 short documentary film “Seven Women of Different Ages”, commissioned by the WFD, showcasing Kieślowski’s mastery in constructing plots and montage.

The nominated for the Golden Lions Kieślowski’s psychological drama “No End”, after its premiere in 1985 arouse much controversy among artists, political activists and Church based organizations of the time. The protagonist is a dead lawyer (starring Jerzy Radziwiłowicz), who comes back to life, to represent a blue collar laborer on trial for political reasons. This film marks the beginning of a life long friendship between Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz. The film was met with harsh criticism from both regime friendly magazines, as well as opposition activists, who saw in it signs of Kieślowsi’s collaboration with the government.

Suggestive and not taking sides in terms of ideology, the films draws a vivid picture of the deep social rift and depression present in Poland of 1982. Numerous symbolic elements where highlighted mainly by foreign critics as well as ideologically and politically independent critics from Poland. The film also stars Grażyna Szapołowska, Maria Pakulnis, Artur Barciś and Aleksander Bardini. The audience reception of the film was enthusiastic, with great appreciation for the dark portrayal and the complexity of choices made by the protagonists. “No End” was also the beginning of a creative collaboration with composer Zbigniew Preisner. The film inspired panel discussion, with the participation of Krzysztof Piesiewicz and cinematographer Jacek Petrycki, will also be live streamed in the National Audiovisual Institute in Warsaw, under the joint project “Sokołowsko on Wałbrzyska”.

Seven dancers, seven days, seven stories – structured around the seven days of the week, the documentary “Seven Women of Different Ages”, awarded in 1979 at the National Short Film Festival, will be screened on the second day of the festival. The film will be a starting point for a discussion about the role of narration and the art of editing in documentary film-making. The story of the films conception, Kieślowski’s influence on his own artistic process and new interpretative threads – all this will be presented at the panel discussion that will take place after the screening, by our wonderful guests, including Ewa Wycichowska – one of the protagonists, today a choreographer, teacher, professor of musical arts, Head of the Department of Dance at Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Michał Żarnecki – music composer and Mikołaj Jazdon – film expert and professor at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

Screenings of Kieślowski’s films, and many films referring to the aesthetics of the works of the director, as well as the accompanying discussions, fit in well with the celebrations of the Year of Kieślowski, established by the Polish Film Academy on the 20th anniversary of the director’s death. The festival is co-financed, among others, by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Polish Film Institute.

This years 6th edition of the Hommage à Kieślowski Film Festival will be held on 9-11 September in Sokołowsko, Lower Silesia.

 

www.hommageakieslowski.pl

 

Organizer: Contemporary Art Foundation IN SITU
Strategic partner: Outdoor Cinema
Honorary patronage: Maria Kieślowska, Cezary Przybylski Marshal of Lower Silesia, Roman Szełemej Mayor of the City of Walbrzych, Jacek Cichura Starost of the City of Walbrzych, Marcin Raczyński Mayor of the City of Mieroszow, Lidia Turkowicz Provost of Sokolowsko, Petr Janyška Ddirector of the Czech Centre in Warsaw, Italian Cultural Institute in Cracow, TOR Film Studio
Sponsors: KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., Kopalnie Surowców Skalnych w Bartnicy Sp. z o.o., SEGEPO-REFA Sp. z o.o., RONAL POLSKA Sp. z o.o., Izusu Automotive Polska
Funded by: the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Polish Film Institute, Municipalities Mieroszów
Partners: National Audiovisual Institute, Legalna Kultura, Krzysztof Kieślowski Forum e.V. BERLIN, KPMG w Polsce, A’propos Hotel Restaurant Club, Nord-Wacht Group Sp. z o.o.
Patroni medialni: TVP 2, KINO Monthly, SENS magazine, Kino Polska television, Film&TVKamera magazine, Magazyn Filmowy and sfp.org.pl, WP.pl portal.

Contact:

Dorota Paciarelli, Artistic Director of the Festival: dorota.paciarelli@insitu.pl kieslowskiforumberlin@gmail.com

Maciej Pierzchała Festival Coordinator: maciek.pierzchala@insitu.pl

Festival PR:

STREFA 101 PR agency, Danuta Twardoch danuta@strefa101.com tel. +48 502 274 718

The Contemporary Art Foundation “In Situ”

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bank number 04 1240 1037 1111 0010 1603 1185

Address for correspondence: Różana 3, 58-350 Sokołowsko

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email: fundacja@insitu.pl

www.sokolowsko.org

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