TWO POLISH DOCUMENTARIES IN LOCARNO
On August 3, starts the 69th edition of the International Film Festival in Locarno. In the section La Semaine de la Critique, there are two Polish documentary films.
This year, the Film Festival in Locarno is held from 3 to 13 August and it is its 69th edition. It is one of the oldest film festivals in the world, apart from the festivals in Cannes, Venice and Karlovy Vary. Each year, the festival attracts several thousands of viewers, including stars and journalists from around the world. It is one of the most important events on the festival map of the world.
La Semaine de la Critique is an independent section of the festival, organised in co-operation with Swiss Film Critics Association since 1999. In the competition, only seven films will be shown, including two Polish ones: "Monk of the Sea" by Rafał Skalski and "Communion" by Anna Zamecka.
"Monk of the Sea" transports us to Thailand, where 70% of men become temporary monks.
According to the Thai tradition, each "real man" should enter a monastery once in his life and become a Buddhist monk, even only for a couple of days. Ball - a thirty-year-old party lover from Bangkok, who lives with his parents, fulfils this commandment and decides to become a monk for the period of two weeks. He spends this time in an extraordinary monastery surrounded by water, run by the charismatic Abbot.
"Monk of the Sea" had its première at the 56th Krakow Film Festival, in Locarno, its international première will be held.
In contrast, "Communion" will have its international première in Switzerland. The film's protagonist, 14-year-old Ola, not only takes care of the ineffective father, autistic brother and the mother who lives seperately; but most of all, she tries to bring the family together. She lives with the hope that she would be able to bring her mother back home. The pretext for meeting her is the Holy Communion of the 13-year-old Nikodem, and Ola assumes full responsibility for preparing an ideal family celebration. Nikodem himself observes the struggles of his loved ones from his own, unusual perspective.
"Communion" reveals beauty in the rejected, strength in the weakest, the need for change where there is no promise of change. This is an accelerated lesson in maturity, which teaches us that no failures are final. Particularly where it comes to love.
It is worthwhile to remind that last year, the documentary films "Brothers" by Wojciech Staroń and "Call Me Marianna" by Karolina Bielawska returned from Locarno with awards, and two years ago, the film "15 corners of the world" by Zuzanna Solakiewicz won in this section. We hope that this year the screenings of Polish documentary films will also be successful.
You can see the full list of qualified films on the website of La Semaine de la Critique.