Kulesza and Trzebuchowska, Hungarians and Bulgarians
The Sunday at Tofifest 2014 was marked by the screenings of the first films in the On Air competition. There was an opportunity to see Ethiopian-American Difret by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, which discusses the battle against violence towards women in Ethiopia. Some of you may find it interesting that the film was co-produced by Angelina Jolie. The second of the films presented in the competition was the Polish premiere of Stations of the Cross by Dietrich Brüggemann from Germany. The film presents the effects of Catholic faith interpreted fanatically.
Following a special screening of Ida, there was a meeting with the leading actresses, i.e. Agata Kulesza and Agata Trzebuchowska. Both of them were very straightforward and established an excellent relationship with the audience. The meeting was focused both on the historical contexts in the film (Polish-Jewish relations) and on all the film tricks of the trade that led to the making of this masterpiece of film art. Many of the questions concerned the cooperation on set between Agata Kulesza, an experienced actress, and Agata Trzebuchowska, who is both an amateur and a beginner.
The audience had also a chance to meet Violetta Vajda and György Durst, i.e. the organisers of the partner Mediawave festival from Hungary. During the meeting, we were unpleasantly surprised with the news that currently auteur and ambitious cinema in Hungary has to face significant obstacles. Following the screenings in the Shortcut competition, there was a chance to meet a young film director from Bulgaria, Ana Kitanova, who is the author of The Lighthouse Woman. The film focuses on Eddie, who learns that he is an adopted child. This makes him investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of his mother, who committed suicide by jumping from the top of a lighthouse. Eddie comes to the conclusion that his mother was in fact murdered.
The screening of The Caged Swallow in the From Poland competition was followed by a meeting with its director Bartosz Warwas. This is a debut film by the young Polish filmmaker, which focuses on the difficult issue of sexual abuse in the family and its far-reaching effects. During the meeting, the director denied accusations that his film is against religion or, as some of the braver members of the audience suggested, a glorification of religiousness.
There was also a screening of the documentary Ukraine – The Birth of a Nation by Jerzy Hoffman, at the Centrum Cinema in the Centre for Contemporary Art. The presentation of this monumental film study about the history of our neighbours is one of the many reasons behind Jerzy Hoffman's visit to Tofifest. Just a day earlier, this master of cinema received a special Golden Angel for lifetime achievement.
The cinema at Dom Muz played host to the screening of the Films from the Heart of Poland project that focused on the best film productions from the region of Kujawsko-Pomorskie, in the 21st century.
Our recommendations for Monday, 20th October 2014
- 5:00 p.m., Od Nowa Club; A special meeting with the winner of Golden Angel 2014 Jerzy Hoffman;
- The following films will be presented in the On Air competition:
- Kebab & Horoscope by Grzegorz Jaroszuk – the film won the title of the best debut at the Raindance London FF; Following the screening, there will be a meeting with Bartlomiej Topa, Grzegorz Jaroszuk, and Piotr Zurawski, at 1:15 p.m., at Od Nowa Club;
- Hardkor Disko by Krzysztof Skonieczny – the film has won awards at the film festivals in Gdynia and Koszalin. Following the screening, there will be a meeting with Krzysztof Skonieczny and Marcin Kowalczyk, at 4:45 p.m., at Centrum Cinema;
- A Blast by Syllas Tzoumerkas (Polish premiere). Following the screening, there will be a meeting with the director of the film, at 9:30 p.m., at Centrum Cinema.
- As part of the From Poland competition, there will be a screening of Beavers. Following the screening, there will be a meeting with Hubert Gotkowski and Marcin Kabaj, at 7:15 p.m., at Centrum Cinema.
We particularly recommend seeing the following films:
- Insomnia by Erik Skjoldbjærg, which is the original version of the Insomnia by Christopher Nolan – Phenomena section: Nordic Noir;
- Main Street by Juan Antonio Bardem and Welcome Mr. Marshall! by Luis Garcia Berlanga – Masters section: Three Bs;
- Mommy by Xavier Dolan – winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes 2014 – Forum 2013/2014 section;
- Majdan by the outstanding filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa – Focus: Ukraine section;
- Screenings of the second and third sets in the Shortcut competition: films from Ireland, USA, Iran, Russia, France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Slovakia, and Germany.
Note! The day will end with Filmowy Slam Poetycki Tofifest (for enthusiasts of poetry) at 8:30 p.m., at Od Nowa Club.
Our recommendations for Tuesday, 21st October 2014
- On Tuesday, the following films will compete in the On Air main competition:
- Snow in Paradise by Andrew Hulme from Great Britain – a story about conversion to Islam, set in the British criminal underground;
- A story about a certain couple in peril, i.e. the Swedish Tourist by Ruben Östlund (Polish premiere) and
- the highlight of the day – the Georgian Corn Island by George Ovashvili; The film has won this year’s Karlovy Vary IFF and it will have its Polish premiere at Tofifest.
- There will be three interesting films in the From Poland competition:
- Polish Shit; following the screening, there will be a meeting with Tymon Tymanski, Robert Brylewski, Agnieszka Glinska, and Grzegorz Jankowski, at 9:10 p.m., at Od Nowa Club;
- No Matter How Hard We Tried by Grzegorz Jarzyna; and
- Little Crushes by Aleksandra Gowin and Ireneusz Grzyb, which portrays our reality in a somewhat funny way; after the film, there will be a meeting with both directors, at 5:30 p.m., at Centrum Cinema.
- We also recommend seeing Shoot the Piano Player by François Truffaut and Vanishing Waves by Kristina Buožytė from Lithuania, the latter of which is part of the Viva Baltic! section. All enthusiasts of short films will have a chance to sink their teeth in the fourth part of the Shortcut competition – this time, we will present films from Argentina, Belgium, Hungary, Ukraine, and Austria.
- Finally, Tuesday marks the beginning of concerts in the Audiowizje Tofifest music festival:
- Estrada Stage Bar Torun — Benzin Machine and 30daysofline;
- Dwa Światy (the main festival club of Tofifest) — TGI Teraz improvisational theatre;
- Kulturhauz — AlphaShip and Soundscape Mirror;
- NRD Club — Stardust Memories and Tau Ne;
- Galeria i Kawiarnia Muza — Hulajdusza.
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