Docs to Start and Docs to Go! – the list of selected projects is revealed

Three previous editions of Docs to Go! – presentation of Polish documentary film in post-production, a joint initiative of Polish Film Institute and Krakow Film Foundation,  enjoyed great popularity, which increased from year to year. The projects shown previously had their international premières at the most important film festivals (IDFA, Hot Docs, Locarno FF, DOK Leipzig, Moscow FF and many others) and won a number of prestigious awards. The earlier editions included such excellent films as "Something Better to Come" by Hanna Polak, "Father and Son"/"Father and Son on a Journey" by Marcel and Paweł Łoziński, "Domino Effect" by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski, "15 corners of the world" by Zuzanna Solakiewicz, "Fuck For Forest" by Michał Marczak, "A Diary of A Journey" by Piotr Stasik, "The Art of Disappearing" by Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosołowski, "One man show" by Jakub Piątek, "Deep Love" by Jan P. Matuszyński and "The Queen of Silence" by Agnieszka Zwiefka. We will see a couple of films, among others,  "K2.  Touch the Sky" by Eliza Kubarska, "The End of the World" by Monika Pawluczuk, "Agfa 1939" by Michał Wnuk and "The Life of a Butterfly" by Piotr Bernaś  will be shown at this year’s KFF. This year, broadening the event’s form to include projects at development stage and in pre-production, Krakow Film Festival began to co-operate with Doc Lab Poland, a new initiative dedicated to documentary film-makers.

The organiser of DOC LAB POLAND is Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation, and the strategic partner – Krakow Film Festival.  DLP is organised in co-operation with the most important German documentary film festival DOK Leipzig and European Documentary Network  – their directors participated both in the selection of the projects and in the consultations with the film-makers and producers. DOC LAB POLAND is a programme dedicated both to projects at development stage (Doc Lab Start) and projects in post-production (Docs to Go!)

The second session of DOC LAB START will be held at Krakow Film Festival. In the consultations at the session in Krakow, where the participants will undergo an intensive training and will present their projects, the following people will participate: artistic director of DOK Leipzig Leena Pasanen, the director of European Documentary Network – Paul Pauwels, one of the best known festival selectors – Rada Sesic, one of the leading European sales agents – Irena Taskovski, who, together with Pauwels, will prepare the participants qualified for the Docs to go presentation.

As a result of the project, each of the participants has a chance to develop their project, to work on a trailer, to develop their presentation skills, to prepare production, financing and communication strategy, to gain a producer or a co-producer and financing of the project or will receive aid in finishing the project ( content-related consultations, but also in the range of promotion and distribution) as well as a chance to show the film to potential buyers.

The projects within the frames of Docs to start are shown on June 4 at 10 o’clock.

Divine! directed by Barbara Białowąs and Katarzyna Trzaska; produced by Katarzyna Trzaska; Zygizaga

A portrait of three courageous and talented young women artists, graduates of the academy of fine arts – faced with lack of money, extreme opinions about their creative works, serious diseases and lack of understanding from the close ones, the women are suspended between the fabulous fiction of their art, the pursuit of unbounded freedom and the greyness and limitations of everyday existence.

I would like to tell you everything directed by Zvika Portnoy; produced by Maria Krauss, Joanna Plesnar; Plesnar & Krauss Films

Three recidivists want to find the answer to the essential question: Can they consider themselves fathers even though they were not present with their children when they were growing up?       

Diagnosis directed by Ewa Podgórska; produced by Małgorzata Wabińska; Entertain Studio

The first in the world psychoanalyst of cities comes to a shrinking city in Poland. He invites  the city’s inhabitants to his couch. They will have a chance to express their deepest yearnings and desires.

Where are you, Teresa O.? directed by Arkadiusz Bartosiak; Paweł Biniek; Medion Art Studio

It is a film about a former pornography star and producer, Teresa Orłowski. About an atypical, unusual and strong woman, who in spite of the political system and morals of Poland in 1980s, but in harmony with herself, decided to achieve something in her life.

New Blood directed by Paweł Ziemilski; produced by Łukasz Długołęcki; NUR

"New Blood" is a love story from 1980, which made 400 people from a small town in the north of Poland emigrate to Iceland.

Mr Jan and his 40 girls directed by Jacob Dammas; produced by Jacob Dammas; GRANIZA

A portrait of the only one in Poland – and unique on the international stage – wind instrument orchestra consisting only of women, whose 40 young girls are taught on the rough attic of a historic school in Szczecin by 75-year-old, peculiar conductor Mr. Jan Skroś.

Such a small town "Batory" directed by Anna Dejczer, produced by Anna Dejczer GRIFILM

300 people.  70 professions.  One crew. Town on a ship. A legendary ship. Will the crew of the legendary Polish transatlantic liner ‘TSS Stefan BatorY’ manage to meet in the last cruise together after many years!?? Will they play their old, familiar roles?

Wiatr Wind directed by Michał Bielawski; produced byMaciej Kubicki; Telemark

Halny (a foehn wind) is the most unpredictable, though at the same time, the most repetitive element of life in Podhale.  Its coming is preceded by nervousness, increase in the number of heart diseases and aggression. Every few months, the wind reminds humankind what is its place in confrontation with the powers of nature. "Wiatr" is a documentary story about change and encounter with the power of nature. From the choir moved by the wind emerge the portraits of the people living in the mountains, exceptional places and various ideas about how to live.

Ahead of Bill directed by Paulina Gawęcka, produced by Tomasz Gaj; Workshop

Computers changed our life. And this is a story about a man who changed the lives of computers. He was called neither Bill nor Steve, his name was Jacek. At the turn of 1960s and 1970s, engineer Jacek Karpiński constructed one of the first personal computers in the world, 10 years ahead of his own times.

Guests Projects from Lithuania:
People, Animals and Things, dir. Aistė Žegulytė, prod. Giedrė Burokaitė (Meno avilys)
El Padre Medico, dir. Vytautas Puidokas, prod.: Paulius Juoceris (Ironcat)

After the screenings, there will be individual meetings with the film-makers.

Docs to go!  appears for the fourth time at Krakow Film Festival. It is a joint initiative of Polish Film Institute and Krakow Film Foundation, the aim of which is to promote and to present the most interesting Polish documentary films in  post-production,  the première of which  is  anticipated   within   few  months. Producers and directors of 12 selected projects will show fragments of the assembly edit of the films and will talk about the production to the distributors, representatives of television channels, programmers of film festivals and other experts and decision-making persons present at the meeting. The qualified participants will be prepared for the presentation by brilliant consultants: one of the leading European sales agents – Irena Taskovski  and the director of European Documentary Network  – Paul Pauwels.

The presentation of the projects is on June 5, at 10 o’clock.

White Cube, dir. Wojciech Pustoła, prod. Marta Golba (Endorfina Studio)

As every precious thing white marble of Carrara has its worshippers – stone sculptors. They indulge their passion hidden in countless laboratories covered with marble dust from head to toe. It has always been that way. It is no more. ‘White Cube‘ depicts people torn by a conflict between conservative and progressive aproach in contemporary art. Carrara is a scene of an uneven fight, where old confronts the new and the stake is survival.

21 x New York, dir. Piotr Stasik, prod. Agnieszka Wasiak (Lava Films)

"21 x New York City" is a documentary symphony about a city and a philosophy of life. We get to know New York City through personal stories of 21 of its citizens. Some of them introduce themselves by only one sentence or only one event, while others keep us with them for longer. We start in the underground. Then, we follow the most interesting protagonists.

Noislessly, dir. Maciej Mądracki, Michał Mądracki, Gilles Lepore, prod. Anna Wydra (Otter Films)

At the doors of the desert, in the south of Morocco lies a small town called Ouarzazate. It was founded by the French legions in the early 20’s of the past century as the furthest military base for colonial conquest of the East in the region of North Africa. As one of the tools used for this "civilizing mission", as it was named and believed by the French empire, came the new apparatus – camera. Ouarzazate and its long lasting relation with cinema served as a point of departure from which whole film developed. Since 2010 we start to collect and capture signs relating the fiction and the reality of Ouarzazate, city growing to the modernity influenced by the economical and imaginary emphasis of film production. As the story evolved, it grew to include the immediate surroundings and the people living there and working for the mov
ies, the world and the people devoting their lives to the cinematic illusion.  

The end of the valley of tears, dir. Jarosław Wszędybył, prod. Przemysław Miękinia (Before My Eyes)

This is the story of Tichilesti, the last leper colony in Europe. Located in Romania, the Valley of Tears is marked by a tragic history as it was pushed into obscurity for decades by the Communist government. In a town where hundreds of people lived, only 15 remain. With each passing year, more die off. When the last inhabitant dies, the village will disappear off the maps for good. “The End Of The Valley of Tears” will be a documentary that creatively links various styles of film narrative. The film will tell two stories: one being about the dramatic past of the Valley of Tears as remembered by the last living inhabitants; and the other story showing everyday life in Tichilesti today, a place that is waiting for its end.

 

When you return, dir. Anna Zamęcka, prod. Zuzanna Król (Wajda Studio), Anna Wydra (Otter Films)

A teenage girl prepares her autistic brother for the holy sacrament of church confirmation, while juggling taking care of her father and house that is falling apart. She dreams of picture perfect family with her mom coming back home for good, but instead she learns her first lesson of mature life – sometimes the hardest thing to do, is to let go of your own dreams.

 

The Hypnotist, dir. Przemysław Kamiński, prod. Maciej Kubicki (Telemark)Trophy, dir. Mateusz Romaszkan, Marta Wójtowicz-Wcisło, prod. Kuba Kosma (TAK Film)

The Hypnotist is a creative documentary, whose protagonist Yuriy is a Ukrainian immigrant with an unusual gift for hypnotising people. Yet, his extraordinary talent doesn’t make it easier for Yuriy to take life-changing decisions or solve problems all of us face every day.

Trophy, reż. Mateusz Romaszkan, Marta Wójtowicz-Wcisło, prod. Kuba Kosma (TAK Film)

The protagonist of the film is a Tourist – mental heir of the colonisers, a provincial from the West – who takes part in a trip organized by a travel agency. During the trip he does not stop filming all that he sees. The Tourist desires to experience something real and exceptional, but his very presence makes everything around him turn into kitsch and trinkets. TROPHY is a film about a global journey seen through the eye of an amateur camera. It will be assembled out of amateur videos filmed by tourists during their trips. The Tourist’s aim during his journey is to gain a trophy – unique and authentic shots. In order to obtain them he wants to get to the most distant places, see exotic nature and people or witness some extraordinary situation.

At the bottom of the Sea, dir. Marcin Sauter, prod. Barbara Ławska (SF Kronika)

The film will be the collective memory of the inhabitants of Aralsk. This used to be beautiful,rich port town, full of hope and people, who were coming to work from entire Soviet Imperium. Today’s buried in poisonous, present Mokondo. Dying Ghost Town."At the bottom of the sea" will be universal film, tells about memory, about the power of memories of dying "better" world, but also firmly documents the bigest world ecological disaster.

The Dragon Spring, dir. Jarosław Wszędybył, prod. Magdalena Bryk (Moth Films)

Football is more than a sport. It’s a religion. All over the world, on all of the Earth’s continents millions of people play football. Brwiny Red Dragons do it as well. Although the results they achieve are quite mediocre, it does not deprive them of hope that their fate will change one day. "The Dragon Spring" tells the story about this team and their coach Paweł, a man whose goal is to get The Dragons up from their knees. „The Dragon Spring“ is the story about outsiders and their pure and impeccable passion for life. In a wider perspective this is the story of harsh and frequently ruthless world of football.
 

Walking Spark, dir. Marcin Kopeć, prod. Dawid Janicki, Joanna Szymańska (Shipsboy)

The main protagonist of the film, Piotr, is a former member of Warsaw mafia, who after being released from prison, decides to try and change himself for the better. We watch the protagonist, who takes his first steps into normal society, struggling with his weaknesses but at the same time glorifying his gangster past.

Jarocin – the rise of freedom, dir. Marek Gajczak, Leszek Gnoiński, prod. Aneta Zagórska, Witold Bereś (Stowarzyszenie Film Kraków)

JAROCIN – a small town in Greater Poland becomes a symbol of independence, rebellion and freedom in a system of oppression. And it was all thanks to rock music.The film about Jarocin will be a film about freedom. Not just seen as freedom of the individual in a totalitarian world, but also freedom of art, freedom of creation and expression, freedom in all dimensions.

Land of the homeless, dir. Marcin Janos Krawczyk, prod. Marcin Krawczyk (Janos Film Production)

In addition, on June 5, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. DOC LAB POLAND invites you to Co-production Forum.  During this forum, international producers have a chance to meet Polish film industry and talk about potential co-production co-operation.