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LETTERS FROM WOLF STREET

POLISH TITLE: LISTY Z WILCZEJ

A street in central Warsaw is the focus of this witty and personal portrait of Poland. Filmmaker Arjun Talwar immigrated to the country a decade ago but still struggles to fit in. Ulica Wilcza, the street where he lives, has not really helped matters. In an attempt to accelerate his integration, he begins filming his neighbours, sounding out his relationships with them and seeking ways to overcome his own feelings of alienation. With the help of his friend Mo, another immigrant-turned-filmmaker, Arjun uncovers the hidden secrets of the street, revealing a host of charming inhabitants. He finds other people like himself who are living between the past and present, between an imagined homeland and the real one. The street connects them all like an invisible thread, offering solace in the melancholy of everyday life. Along this kilometre-long stretch, a picture of modern Europe emerges, exposing a kaleidoscope of contradictions and anxieties as a foreign filmmaker holds up a mirror to a country that is often perceived as homogeneous, unwelcoming and politically right-wing.

GENRE:
documentary
COUNTRY:
Poland, Germany
RUNNING TIME:
97'
YEAR:
COLOUR:
colour
DIRECTING:
Arjun Talwar
SCRIPT:
Arjun Talwar
DOP:
Arjun Talwar
EDITOR:
Arjun Talwar, Sabina Filipowicz, Bigna Tomchin
MUSIC:
Aleksander Makowski
SOUND:
Franciszek Kozłowski
PRODUCTION:
Jarosław Wszędybył, Karolina Śmigie

Arjun Talwar »

Arjun Talwar grew up in Delhi. He studied Mathematics before joining the cinematography department of the Polish Film School in Lodz. His documentary «WHERE I CAN’T BE FOUND», about a hermit living in a South Indian village, won the prize for best short at the New Horizons film festival in 2014, and was nominated for the prestigious Silver Eye award at Jihlava and the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz documentary prize. The film «HABITAT» was screened at various festivals, among them Visions du Reel and Tampere. In 2018, Arjun made his first feature-length documentary, «A DONKEY CALLED GERONIMO», a fable about the inhabitants of a tiny island, who having lost their paradise, must return to the harsh reality of the mainland. The film premiered at DOK Leipzig and was released in cinemas.