The Car that Came Back from the Sea
Switzerland2023animated11'International Short Competition
Poland, 1981. A group of young people have a dream: to have a car, be free and go on a trip to the seaside. They are not really into politics, religion or economy even though shelves in shops are empty and it is impossible to get a passport. When they are having fun, somewhere near them Solidarity is protesting in the streets; and their car, falling apart, becomes the metaphor of the falling state. This animated road movie documents Poland during the communist era. With a sense of humour, in a comic book style and with Polish music in the background, it shows the story of people trying to evade martial law.
- directed by
- Jadwiga Kowalska
Born in 1982 in Bern, Switzerland. Joint Swiss and Polish citizenship. She studied animation and illustration at the HSLU (Hochschule Luzern, Kunst & Design) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. She has received numerous awards for her films and picture book, notably at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival and the Swiss Film Prize «Quartz 2009» for the best Animation Film for Tôt ou tard (2008) and at the Locarno Film Festival for "The Bridge Over the River" (2016).
- cinematography
- Jadwiga Kowalska, Ralph Kühne
- script
- Jadwiga Kowalska
- animated by
- Jadwiga Kowalska, Marco Ellensohn, Laure Clemansaud
- music
- Christian Aregger, Roland Bucher
- editing
- Fee Liechti Seigner
- production
- Jadwiga Kowalska (Fuzzy Yesterdays - Jadwiga Kowalska Animation & Illustration)
- Photo
- Trailer