PRESSBOOK

TRIBECA FILM CENTER November 15-17, 2012 375 Greenwich Str NY, NY 10013.

THE NEW GENERATION OF POLISH FILMMAKERS

MUNK STUDIO, ONE OF A KIND, DEDICATED TO DEBUT FILMS, IS NEW YORK BOUND.

After a series of screenings in Moscow, London, Paris and Berlin, Munk Studio is bringing the new generation of Polish filmmakers to .

We cordially invite moviegoers to the TRIBECA FILM CENTER and the NEW GENERATION of POLISH FILMMAKERS, a feast of works by some of ’s most outstanding young filmmakers. Running from November 15 to 17, the event will offer audiences a rich and varied bill of shorts, together with two full-length features. Director Bartek Konopka, whose documentary short Rabbit à la Berlin received an Oscar nomination, makes his full-length debut with Fear of Falling and the program will open with the premiere of Women's Day, directed by Maria Sadowska. The event will be crowned by a special screening of Andrzej Munk’s last work, Passenger.

There will an open Q&A session with the filmmakers after the screenings.

New York Women in Film and Television and Polish Cultural Institute in New York are our Partner organizations for the event, which is co-funded by the Polish Film Institute,

to find more and to register for the films please visit wwwpolishfilmmakers.com www.studiomunka.pl FULL-LENGHT FEATURE DEBUTS TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

WOMEN’S DAY 2012, 91'

Halina, a modest cashyer in a chain store is dreaming of a better life for herself and her gifted 13 years old daughter-Misia. She soon gets her chance as Halina becomes the store manager. She discovers that the price for a higher salary and a better standard of living is dishonesty, manipulation and deceit. She turns from victim to villain to her former cashyer friends. She is so consumed with her work that she failes to notice her daughter’s addiction to computer games. She will soon have to start her journey for forgiveness…

Maria Sadowska

Director, singer, composer, producer . A graduate of the Academy of Film and TV in and Film&TV Directing Department of PWSFTviT in Lodz. Her student feature film entitled ‘Wings’ was shown at numerous international film festival such as: Moscow, Taipei, Bologna, Barcelona, Istanbul or Paris. Her other movies include: ‘Interrogation’, ‘A moment before…’, ‘A couple scenes from the life of an artist’, ‘Who am I still’, and ‘Love me a little…’ Co-director of “Demaquillage”- an omnibus film consisting of three episodes, in which young female directors portray contemporary life. FULL-LENGHT FEATURE DEBUTS TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

FEAR OF FALLING 2012, 87'

Tomek (30) escaped from the province and decided to sort out his life in a big city. He has a career as a TV reporter and has just started a family when he receives a message from a psychiatric hospital in his home town. His estranged father is there. Against himself and the advice of his closest ones, Tomek decides to reach out to his father, although they haven’t seen each other for years. As a result, Tomek gets involved in a relationship on the verge of craziness and normality, which will make him re-evaluate his entire life

Bartosz Konopka

One of the most frequently awarded Polish directors. His latest film „Rabbit a la Berlin” is nominated for the Academy Award 2010 in the Documentary Short Subject category. So far the film has won awards at festivals such as Hot Docs Toronto, Hamptons, Jihlava, Krakow Film Festival, Planete Doc Review. Konopka’s short feature debut „Three For the Taking”(2006) produced by Munk Studio won 12 awards at many different festivals, i.e. Grand Prix at Brest Film Festival and Best Debut Award at Message To Man IFF in St. Petersburg. His documentary ”The Goat Walker”(2004) was awarded by Planete Television at the Berlinale in 2004 and was then shown by all Planete chanels worldwide. It also won a number of audience awards at various festivals. Bartek holds a Master degree in film studies from the Jagiellonian University and has graduated from the directing department in the Kieślowski Radio and Television School in Katowice and the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. SPECIAL SCREENING

PASSENGER 1963, 62'

The last film of Andrzej Munk, who died in a crash during the filming. A German woman on a ship coming back to Europe notices a face of another woman which brings recollections from the past. She tells her husband that she has been an overseer in Auschwitz during the war, but she has actually saved a woman's life. Her vision is shown and then the actual events. ź FIPRESCI Award and Special Jury Mention at Cannes Film Festival in 1964 ANDRZEJ MUNK

Andrzej Munk is recognized today as one of the most outstanding Polish film directors; he was one of the most interesting representatives of the so-called "Polish Film School". In 1951 he graduated from The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz, with a diploma in directing. Later on he was also a lecturer at the same school in the years 1957-1961. For five years after graduation Munk worked at the Documentary Film Studio, first as the camera operator at the Polish Film Chronicle and then as a documentary film director. Feature films of Andrzej Munk are characterized by a highly original and innovative approach to the topic of Polish heroism and national mythology, which he presented with the cool detachment typical of documentary filmmakers. The first feature film by Andrzej Munk was “The Men of the Blue Cross” (original title Błękitny krzyż) released in 1955, which was largely similar to a documentary. The reconstructed scene of rescue by the Tatra Mountain Rescue Service (GOPR) was interpreted, apart from professional actors, also by real-life participants of the original rescue of 1945 on which the story was based, when the wounded from the field hospital in Slovakia were carried right across and behind the Nazi posts. In 1956 he made, based on his joint script with Jerzy Stefan Stawiński, " The Man on the Tracks" (Człowiek na torze). Ranked among the classics and considered the director’s masterpiece, "Heroism" (Eroica) from 1957, is thanks to Studio Kadr available now in restored version. "Bad Luck" (Zezowate szczęście) was made in 1959, and two years later Munk began work on his last film "The Passenger" (Pasażerka). The work on the film, was interrupted by the tragic death of the director on September 20, 1961. Few years later film was finished by Munk’s colleague and coworker Witold Lesiewicz. Since 1965, The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz presents the Andrzej Munk Film Award to the best debutants. SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

DRAWN FROM MEMORY 2011, 24' Marek decides to make a documentary about his grandmother. She agrees, but only if she can fulfill her dream of playing a vampire. As he films both a series of home horror movies and his documentary, Marek comes to realize that his grandmother's memory is failing and that his movie is turning into something completely different from the one he set out to make.

Marcin Bortkiewicz

Marcin Bortkiewicz, film and theatre director, dramatist, screenwriter and actor, was born in Słupsk in 1976. A graduate of the University of Gdańsk and the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing, his theatre work to date has encompassed Theatre Rondo, Słupsk, the Wojciech Bogusławski Theatre in Kalisz, the Witkacy New Theatre in Słupsk and Ecce Homo Theatre in Kielce. His latest premiere, Super Susan, with Ewa Kasprzyk, took place on 12th March 2011 in Warsaw’s Kamienica Theatre. He has collaborated with film producer Darek Ditki and his Biuro Pomysłów production company, the KALEJDOSKOP Film Studio, the Munk Studio, the HARPOON FILMS Studio and Sebastian Petryk of PS FILM. He has written and directed a number of non-fiction shorts, namely Silence, The Rules of the Game, Cat Trail, From the Diary of a Young Filmmaker. His debut short non-fiction film, Early Learning received an Honourable Mention from the jury of the 2009 Krakow Film Festival. He wrote and directed the sixth of the Decalogue 89 cycle, The Lodger . SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

HANOI - WARSAW 2010, 30'

A young Vietnamese woman, Mai Anh, illegally enters Poland through the green border with Ukraine. Now she only has to reach Warsaw, where she will join her boyfriend and start the life she has dreamed of. But the journey through Poland turns into one of humiliation and violence. Mai Anh escapes her brutal traffickers and tries to reach Warsaw on her own

Katarzyna Klimkiewicz

KATARZYNA KLIMKIEWICZ studied film directing at the Polish Film School in Lodz and the Northern Film School in Leeds (as part of the student exchange programme). In 2003 she received a scholarship at the prestigious Binger Film Lab, where she wrote her first full length script Daughters (nominated by the Binger Lab for Sundance/NHK International Filmmakerʼs Award 2005). In 2006 she went to Berlin and co-directed (with Andrew Friedman) a documentary film Wasserschlacht- The Great Border Battle (winner of the Berlin Today Award at Berlinale 2007). A year later she went to Israel and made a documentary film Nothing to Lose - a portrait of Israeli hippies. In 2009 she finished her short fiction Hanoi-Warsaw. She currently finished her feature length debut film "Flying Blind". SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK ROOM 2009, 35'

It is a story of an endless love of an eleven-year-old girl, Łata, to her father. Eleven-year-old, Łata is preparing a song for a school play, organised to celebrate the forthcoming Father's Day. In an attempt to describe her feelings for her dad as best as she can, she slowly begins to uncover his hidden secrets...

Kuba Czekaj

Born 1984 in Wroclaw, Poland. The graduate of directing, certificate at Radio and Television Department under Krzysztof Kieslowski's name at Silesia's University in Katowice and The Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. The Scholarship holder by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in 2009 and also in 2011. He's a laureate of the second edition awards of Magnificence vice-chancellor of Silesia's University for active and PhD students. SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

THE LAKE 2012, 30'

"The Lake" tells a story of a man who tries to uncover his wife's secret after her death. The title Lake was a large part of the wife's life and once she passes away it becomes an obsession of the main character. The place enchants with its beauty but it also poses a threat. The overwhelming curiosity, a desire to get closer to his wife, and maybe even a need to search for faded emotions and so far unfamiliar to him sensitivity make the main character go deeper and deeper into the lake abyss.

Jacek Piotr Bławut

Born in 1978, lives in Łódź. graduate of the documentary course at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing and the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, Department of Ceramics and Glass. Co-author of the scenarios of feature films: "Not evening yet"(Jeszcze nie wieczór), “Butterfly Dream"(Sen motyla), "The Chocolate Day"(Dzień czekolady), "Hotel Horrible"(Hotel potworny). Cinematographer for many documentaries. SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

ARIA DIVA 2006, 38' Thirty-year-old Basia runs her household and raises her two sons together with her loving husband. It seems to her that she leads a settled life and has everything she needs to be happy. It is apparently so until the moment an opera diva moves into an apartment above hers and starts to seduce Basia with her voice.

Agnieszka Smoczyńska

Agnieszka Smoczyńska - graduated from Wroclaw University with a degree in cultural studies, then from the film directing department at the Kieślowski Radio and Television School in Katowice and Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. Awarded numerous scholarships for talented young artists in Poland. Her short film “Aria Diva” won prizes at Krakow Film Festival, "Era New Horizons” International Film Festival, Batumi International Art House Film Festival and Polish Film Festival in New York. SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

ALIEN VI 2008, 30'

A young Jewish man unexpectedly arrives in a small town. His image, with his long and curly sideburns sticking out from under his black hat, reminds the locals of an era that is long gone, or one that might have never really existed. The town will never be the same as it was once he leaves, and certainly not during the first two weeks

Borys Lankosz

Graduated from the Lodz Film School. His graduation film "Evolution” won, the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival and Silver Dragon at the Krakow Film Festival. His short film "Alien VI" won the Silver Phoenix Award at the IFF “Jewish Motifs” in Warsaw in 2008. His first feature ”Reverse” (2009) won 11 awards at Polish Film Festival in incl. Best Picture and was Poland’s official entry for foreign language Oscar. It also won Fipresci Award at the and Bronze Frog Award at the Camerimage Festival in Lodz. The film was also a box office hit in Poland (430,000 entries). SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

PLAY WITH ME 2010, 30'

Hania and Paweł;a young married couple going through their first serious crisis. They run from their problems; Hania becomes enthralled by a video game in which she creates Lucjan – the perfect man. One day Lucjan comes to life and moves in with Hania and Paweł... A story about escaping into the most selfish of fantasies.

Rafał Skalski

A film director and a screenwriter of documentaries, fictions and commercials. He finished studies at the Film Directing Department of the Lodz Film School, during which he directed a couple of short movies. His documentary debut, “52 percent" (premiere at Polish State Television in 2007) has received Grand Prix of the Krakow Film Festival National Competition and have been awarded and screened on many international festivals, from Amsterdam through Toronto, London, Hong Kong to Vancouver. His next documentaries – “Girls” (premiere at Polish State Television in 2009) and “Lovers” (made for HBO in 2009) continues journey through a festivals. kalski was awarded several scholarships for talented young artists in Poland, participant of Berlinale Talent Campus. He lives and works in Warsaw SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

GLASGOW 2010, 30'

Damian, a teenage boy raised by a single mother, believes that his father is a famous footballer playing for the Celtic Glasgow F.C. His dream is to visit him. In his everyday life he has difficulty finding a common language with his mother who is trying to make a new life for herself with a younger man. It is easier for him to get on with his pregnant friend, Monika, who is his senior by a few years. When the time comes, Damian will have to choose between his dreams and common sense, a consequence of his subconscious need to correct somebody else's mistakes.

Piotr Subbotko

Director and scriptwriter, he is a graduate of the Theatre Studies at the State Theatre Academy and of a course at the Andrzej Wajda School of Film Directing. The film 'Glasgow' is his directing debut. SHORT FEATURES FROM 30 MINUTES PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

BATTLEHEART 2011, 24'

Julia loves photography. Thanks to her passion, she meets Maciek. They both live on the same housing estate, one that’s none too safe, either. For years it has been the turf of two rival groups of football fans, the Blacks and the Hounds. Like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, Maciek and Julia are caught on opposing sides of the warring club factions. And, like the protagonists of Shakespeare’s drama, their love for one another is hit by a series of tragic events.

Tomek Matuszczak

Born in November 1979 in Bydgoszcz, a graduate of Directing at the Łódź Film School, and Image Production at the Camerimage Film School in Toruń. His projects until now: documentary TV series "September 1939" (for Discovery History channel) "Self-repair" (Autonaprawa) (National Film School diploma) „Cigarette holder" (Papierośnica), "Blissfully" (Błogo), "Two Hundred with assembly" (Dwie stówy z montażem), "With momentum" (Z rozpędu) Several television commercials. SHORT DOCUMENTARIES FROM „FIRST DOCUMENTARY” PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

A PIECE OF SUMMER 2010, 18'

It is the last days of the summer holidays. A grandfather, who works in Bieszczady Mountains, awaits the arrival of his grandson. Surrounded by wild nature they try to reach an understanding of each other. The camera keenly observes, with slow and subtle pace, their developing relationship to one another and to the world that envelopes them.

Marta Minorowicz

graduated from the History of Theater and English Filology at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Currently she is participating in the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing where she is working on the film, The House ( working title). For more than five years she cooperated with Polish television channel, TVN, as a researcher and director of many social reportages. For Discovery History channel she researched, wrote, and directed the documentary film, The Angel of Death, that is composed of interviews with surviving women who were victims of Dr. Mengele's pseudo-medical experiments. SHORT DOCUMENTARIES FROM „FIRST DOCUMENTARY” PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

MY FATHER LAZARO 2011, 30'

23 years old Jacquline travells to Cuba to find her father.He left her when she was a little girl. She doesn't remember him at all. There are only few photos, letters and her mother's stories left. On the way to vist father she decides to take her step cubian brother with her.

Marcin Filipowicz

Born in 1985. Since 2007 he has been studying Film Directing at the Radio and Television Faculty of Silesia University in Katowice. He combines film studies with his other passions – travelling and photography. He has received numerous awards at national film festivals for 7109 km, a film about a young boy’s journey from Poland to Irkutsk (2008). SHORT DOCUMENTARIES FROM „FIRST DOCUMENTARY” PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

MOTHER 2010, 10'

Tables screwed to the floor. One hour that must do for two weeks, sometimes a month. Meeting room in a Polish jail. On one side: husbands, sons, fathers; on the other: children, wives, mothers. The world of one of those mothers.

Jakub Piątek

A student at the Polish National School of Film, Television and Theater in Łódź. Before he started studying directing, he worked as a journalist and culture manager. While studying he produced the documentary meditation When You Return (2006), the short feature films Uninhabited House (2007) and 350km (2009), and short documentary Carousel guys (2008). His debut Mother was produced by the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing as part of the ‘First document’ program. SHORT DOCUMENTARIES FROM „FIRST DOCUMENTARY” PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

THE CONTEST 2011, 10'

The Contest is a documentary observation made during the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition Preliminaries in 2010. It pictures world of contestants' inner deliberations and emotions. Documentary also questions the point of competition in art, which is tend to be judged in the same category as sport, and at the same time deprived of its main features such as intimacy, independence and individuality.

Jakub Cuman

Director. A graduate at Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw. The author of a documentary etiude "Podróż". He started with off-films. Later on, co-operated with TVP and TVN in creating television documentaries and short documentary forms. Co-worked with director Janusz Majewski on feature films: "Miłość w przejściu podziemnym" and "Mała Matura 1947". Member of FILM 1,2 Association. SHORT DOCUMENTARIES FROM „FIRST DOCUMENTARY” PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

HEAVEN 2011, 13'

38-years old Robert is happy because he is very ill. For him it's a blessing. Finally, he has time to do what he always wanted. Painting changed his life completely. Each day for him is only about painting another icon. Nothing else matters.

Jan P.Matuszyński

Born in 1984 and finished film directing at the Krzysztof Kieslowski Departement of Radio and Television; Matuszynski was also a participant of a documentary course at Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. He already filmed a number of short films and commercials. For more info please check: www.janpmatuszyński.com SHORT ANIMATON FROM „YOUNG ANIMATION” PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED IN MUNK STUDIO’S NOVEMBER SHOWCASE OF AWARD WINNING FILMS

NOISE 2011, 8'

In essence, this film is an audiovisual work. However, sound plays the leading role here to some extent, anticipating generating of images. At the same time, the film is also a play of imagination provoked by the sound. The noises seeping into the protagonist's flat are subject to his individual interpretation, offering random images which interact with each other. Individual sounds deprived of their visual correlations evoke images which are often remote from their sources in reality.

Przemysław Adamski

Przemysław Adamski - graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, graphic artist, designer. He has made several short films and music videos, shown in Gdansk, Warsaw, Lodz, Cracow, Koszalin, Wroclaw, Stuttgart, Madrid, Athens, Thessaloniki, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Hull, Seattle, Taipei, Ljubljana, Bratislava, Neum, Treboniu, Grundarfjor, etc. He was one of the winners of the intPrzemysław Adamski - graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, graphic artist, designer. He has made several short films and music videos, shown in Gdansk, Warsaw, Lodz, Cracow, Koszalin, Wroclaw, Stuttgart, Madrid, Athens, Thessaloniki, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Hull, Seattle, Taipei, Ljubljana, Bratislava, Neum, Treboniu, Grundarfjor, etc. He was one of the winners of the international competition "Bloom" (MTv/onedotzero), he received an honorary diploma at 47th Cracow Film Festival, and the Grand Prix of 16th Yach Film Festival. A UNIQUE STUDIO DEVOTED TO FIRST FILMS

Munk Studio which operates within the structure of the Polish Filmmakers Association, produces short and full-length debut films. Young artists who are seeking to make their first film can depend on Munk Studio for support and guidance during the entire process, from the development of their project, throughout its production under fully professional conditions, to the widest possible promotion of the finished product. l

At the Munk Studio, our primary concern is to ensure that young filmmakers can develop their talent under supportive conditions. We operate under the conviction that what is vital for a director making their crucial debut film is a creative atmosphere and the establishment of individualised conditions for growth. At the Munk Studio, every project has its Artistic Mentor, who guarantees individual, substantive support at every stage of the work on the film. The Artistic Programmes Committee also watches over the progress of the various projects. We strive to reflect the best traditions of the Zespoły Filmowe, Poland's former, unique film units; our young directors enter into penetrating discussions of their own and their colleagues' screenplays during weekly meetings. We immerse young artists in the work systems of professional film production, whilst, at one and the same time, assuring them of the time they need for the optimal development of their talent in order to achieve the very best final effect attainable.

Dariusz Gajewski, Programme Director, Munk Studio