AUGUST FESTIVALS
In Europe, August is a holiday month, so it is not surprising that there are less film festivals during this time period than during the rest of the year. However, this month, Polish documentary films will be present on seven film festivals in different corners of the world.
The most important event in August in the festival life of Polish documentaries will be the screening of "15 corners of the world" by Zuzanna Solakiewicz in Semaine de la Critique competitive section of Locarno Film Festival. More information about it can be found here.
"Sati" by Bartek Świderski will have two screenings this month. First, it will be shown in Kosovo, at the 13th International Documentary and Short Film Festival Dokufest, and a bit later in the Czech Republic, at the 31st International Mountain Film Festival in Teplice nad Metují. In both cases, these are competition screenings.
"Sati" is a cinematic memorial of Piotr Morawski, who conquered six eight-thousanders and was the participant in the first in history winter ascent of Shishapangma. He died on 8 April 2009 in the Himalayas, on the slopes of Dhaulagiri. The story about him, told by the Himalaya-climber's wife, Olga, is full both of regret and respect for her husband's passion.
"Our Curse" by Tomasz Śliwiński and "Seven Men At Different Ages" by Sławomir Witek will participate in the festivals on the other side of the Atlantic. The former will compete for the awards in the competition section of the International Film Festival in Monterrey, Mexico, and the latter - in the competition of the 25th International Short Film Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The director of "Our Curse," Tomasz Śliwiński, documents the first months of his family's life after the birth of the child. The boy is ill with a very rare, incurable disease, called Ondine's Curse (congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, CCHS). People afflicted with this disease stop breathing during sleep and require life-long use of respirator to support their respiratory functions.
The protagonists of the film "Seven Men At Different Ages" are men who train boxing. Seven scenes shows the boxers at various stages of their career - from childhood to the old age. The film makes references to the classic documentary by Krzysztof Kieślowski.
In August, the films "The Man Who Made Angels Fly" by Wiktoria Szymańska and "Abu Haraz" by Maciej J. Drygas will have a chance to win the awards at European festivals. The documentary by Szymańska will participate in the French festival Grand Cru Bretagne. "Abu Haraz" will be shown in the competition at the Italian Festival della Lessinia.
Michael Meshke, the protagonist of "The Man Who Made Angels Fly" spent over 60 years giving life to various marionettes: political, historical and symbolical ones. By breaking the boundaries of the reality, he tells stories which shaped our culture for centuries. Creating this magical world, Michael makes invisible things visible.
The eponymous "Abu Haraz" is a small village located among the deserts of northern Sudan. Building a large dam on the Nile is in conflict with the ancient, natural rhythm of life of the local population. The filmmakers spent many years with the inhabitants of Abu Haraz, observing their urgent attempts to reverse the course of history.