POLISH-ROMANIAN CO-PRODUCTION AT THE BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
"Crulic – The Path to Beyond" directed by Anca Damian – the laureate of this year's edition of the Locarno Film Festival - will appear in the programme of one of the oldest and biggest film events in Europe, the 55th BFI London Film Festival.
Every year BFI London Film Festival presents the newest productions from all over the world, ranging from fiction and documentary film to animation. The programme of this year's festival includes over 300 titles. Along with the film screenings, a variety of events will albo be taking place, such as discussion panels, masterclasses, interviews, industry meetings and workshops.
"Crulic – The Path to Beyond", directed by Anca Damian and coproduced by Arkadiusz Wojnarowski, is the only film from Poland that is going to be screened at the festival.
The picture was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Ferdinand Magellan Foundation in Wrocław, and the Regional Film Fund. The music score was composed by Piotr Dziubek and the sound post-production was carried out by Alvernia Studios.
"Crulic – The Path to Beyond" is a full-length, partly animated documentary film about an imprisoned man, who, driven by the desire to prove his innocence and expose the miscarriage of justice, begins a hunger strike that finally leads to his death.
The film recounts the real events that took place in Poland. In a store on 11th July 2007 a judge's wallet with credit cards was stolen. A dark-haired man with swarthy complexion was the description of the theft's look. The police was in a hurry to please the judge and arrest the alleged wrongdoer: Claudiu Crulic, 33-years-old, of Romanian nationality. Claudiu Crulic claimed that he was in Milan when the theft had been committed. He announced the beginning of a hunger strike. Four months later, Crulic died in a Polish detention centre. During this time, neither doctors, guards, not even Romanian diplomats took note of his testimony and checked whether the man was in fact away from the country. The man passed away on 18th January 2008, only a few hours after he was released by Polish prison services so as to be hospitalised.
Recounting the controversial story that hit the headlines was only a starting point, and the film's message surpasses its factual character. The Romanian protagonist serves as a universal symbol of rebellion, an individual's desperate fight with the system, and the never fulfilled lust for freedom. The uncommonness of Crulic's story has found its reflection in the innovative film form. "Crulic - The Path to Beyond" combines techniques of animation, fiction, and documentary. The ironical first-person narration from the grave evokes "Casino"; they both share the uncompromising world vision that is also the characteristic of "Waltz with Bashir".
The review of "Crulic..." appeared in the online edition of the most popular in the U.S.A. magazine Variety, which comprises a matchless source of the latest news from the world of art, entertainment and show business (read here).
The world premiere of the Polish-Romanian co-production "Crulic..." took place during the 64th Locarno Film Festival. The International Federation of Film Societies awarded the film with a special mention.
The Polish premiere of the animated docu will take place during Warsaw Film Festival (7-16 October 2011).
In London, "Crulic – The Path to Beyond" will be shown three times between 13-15 October 2011.
More about the festival at: www.bfi.org.uk/lff.
More about the film at: www.crulic.ro.