Saint 2023
Story of an investigation into the daring theft of a statue of Saint Adalbert from the Gniezno Cathedral in the 1980s, inspired by real events.
Story of an investigation into the daring theft of a statue of Saint Adalbert from the Gniezno Cathedral in the 1980s, inspired by real events.
A little known episode from the life of Stalinist security police office Julia Brystiger. Her nickname Bloody Luna was a reference to her incredibly brutal methods of interrogation. In the early 1960s, she appears in a centre for the blind on the outskirts of Warsaw, a place often visited by Cardinal Wyszyński, whose imprisonment in 1953-1956 Brystiger supervised personally. During a difficult and heated discussion with the cardinal, Brystiger denounces the communist ideology and begs for forgiveness for her crimes and for guidance in her search for God.
Strong and independent Eliza works as the Polish teacher in a village school and begins an affair with local delinquent Stach. They have a child out of wedlock. When Stach is sent on forced labourer in Germany, Eliza and her child set off on an epic journey to be reunited with her lover.
"The Nixie", is a dark folk tale, based on an old Polish legend, immortalized by Adam Mickiewicz in a poem of the same name. It tells the story of a water nymph who takes on a human form to seduce a young man she encounters in the forest. Mesmerized, he makes a vow of love towards her, and the woman transforms back into the nymph to test his love. The young man, who does not know the nymph and woman are the same, succumbs to her mystical beauty and breaks his vow. The nymph then takes her revenge by swallowing him into the lake, where he will eternally remain as his punishment. The film begins in a life-like world and slowly morphs into the fantastical as the line between the real and the mystical blur. A coming-of-age fairy-tale, "The Fairy of Switez Lake" is a modern, seductive, filmic poem with a catchy new wave soundtrack for this timeless cautionary tale.
Cosmogonic is a 10 minute interactive science fiction animated short. It is the first VR experience inspired by the famous Polish science-fiction writer Stanisław Lem — a futurist, well acquainted with how fictional worlds can often encroach upon reality. This adaptation of a 1964 novel speaks perfectly to today’s world, where populism and disinformation threaten democracy. This experience is a testament to the importance of knowledge and community in the universal drive to freedom.
A short music film, a feature illustration of Vivaldi’s opera Stabat Mater performed by Jakub Józef Orliński and Capella Cracoviensis. The music here accompanies events in which the theme of the Sorrowful Mother is originally interpreted by the director and set in an undefined contemporary time. Atmospheric, strangely wandering, emotional narrative with a surprising finale, starring Jakub Józef Orliński himself, not only as a countertenor but also as a stirring actor.
It's hard for us to imagine a day without a phone or computer. What if using electricity caused unbearable pain? This is the story of Peter, who suffers from EHS. He hasn't listened to music or watched TV for 15 years.