Gdynia, 16-21 September 2019 / THE COLDEST GAME 1 THE COLDEST GAME Spies, the Cold War and the race between two superpowers – Łukasz Kośmicki’s The Coldest Game, Watchout Studio’s latest feature, is a gripping spy-thriller taking us to a unique setting of the Palace of Culture and Science in the ’60s, where the eponymous game takes place. The international star- -studded cast includes Bill Pullman, Robert Więckiewicz, Lotte Verbeek and Aleksey Se- rebryakov. The film is scheduled to hit the- aters on 8th November 2019. The Coldest Game takes us The Coldest Game is Łukasz behind the scenes of grand inter- Kośmicki’s directorial debut. national politics and the timeless He has won Golden Lions for conflict between two superpo- the script he penned for The wers. During the Cold War, the Dark House. The gripping plot American secret service kidnap’s and top-notch acting are com- a genius mathematician and plemented by Cesar-winning make him play a chess match Paweł Edelman’s (The Pianist, against a Soviet champion. The Walesa. Man of Hope) cinema- international tournament taking tography and Oscar-winning place inside the Palace of Culture Allan Starski’s (Schindler’s and Science in Warsaw turns List, Aftermath) set design. out to be merely a cover for a spy Watchout Studio (Gods, The Art game in which preventing a nuc- of Loving. The Story of Michalina lear conflict is at stake. Wislocka) handles the production. Award-winning filmmakers Wojciech Smarzowski exerci- and acclaimed actors active ses artistic supervision of the in international cinema were film. involved in making the film. The partners of The Coldest The protagonist is played by Game are the capital city of Bill Pullman (Independence Day, Warsaw and the Management Lost Highway). Robert Więckiewicz Board of the Palace of Culture (The Mighty Angel, In Darkness) and Science Ltd. The film appears as the general mana- is co-financed by the Polish ger of the Palace of Culture and Film Institute. Hyde Park Science. The cast also includes, International is the internatio- among others, Lotte Verbeek nal sales agent. The worldwide (Nothing Personal, Outlander), distribution is coordinated by James Bloor (Dunkirk), Aleksey K5 Film, and the domestic by Serebryakov (Leviathan) and NEXT FILM. The film was shot Corey Johnson (Captain Phillips, in Poland. Bourne’s Ultimatum). ONE MOVE CAN CHANGE HISTORY The world holds its breath – a chess tournament in the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw is supposed to decide the fate of an international conflict. The tournament turns out to be a cover for a spy game between two superpowers. It’s the early ’60s. The American Dream is itself of the chess wunderkind from the mid 20th turning into a nightmare, as Soviet forces are century. The fate of the game is in balance up sailing towards Cuba and Nikita Khrushchev until the very end. is threatening the USA with a nuclear attack. What will happen during this meeting? Who Tensions between the USA and the USSR are will turn out to be the real winner? One thing is reaching a boiling point. In Warsaw, two gran- certain: Joshua Mansky is going to play the game dmasters are preparing for a chess game: an of his lifetime, a game determining the fate of the American and a Russian. It’s not going to be world. your usual game, for not only are the grand- masters participating in the game, but also U.S. and Soviet military counterintelligence agencies. The Coldest Game is a spy-thriller/ The world holds its breath in fear of a nuclear war, while an unprecedented event takes place in political fiction film. Our goal wa- Warsaw, in the Palace of Culture and Science’s sn’t to evoke direct comparisons or parallels Congress Hall. to the current socio-political events, but to tell The tournament’s participants and spectators an exciting story. The spy plotline, tensions be- experience moments of terror at the very begin- fot. Krzysztof Wiktor Studio / Watchout tween two superpowers and the risk of a nucle- ning of the competition, when it turns out there’s one person missing in John Konigsberg’s team... ar conflict are topics that, despite the passage and it’s John Konigsberg himself. He died sudden- of time, don’t lose relevance. ly three days before the game and was replaced – Łukasz Kośmicki, director and scriptwriter by Joshua Mansky – that’s how the world reminds 2 Gdynia, 16-21 September 2019 / THE COLDEST GAME appearances in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster Dunkirk and the horror Leatherface, which is a prequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Aleksey Serebryakov GENNADY STEPANOVICH KRUTOV One of the most popular actors of Russian descent, Aleksey Serebryakov is known for such films as the award-winning Leviathan, 9th Company, Cargo 200 and Once Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman. For years Serebryakov worked with two famous Russian theatres: Oleg Tabakov and Lenkom. Corey Johnson DONALD NOVAK Active in the film business for over 25 years, Johnson has worked with such WHO HAS JOINED THE GAME? directors as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and Paul Greengrass. He has acted in many high-profile films, such Holland (In Darkness), Marek Koterski as Jackie, The Bourne Ultimatum, X-Men: Bill Pullman (Baby są jakieś inne). In Walesa. Man First Class, Kingsman: The Secret JOSHUA MANSKY of Hope by Andrzej Wajda, where Service, Captain Phillips, The Mummy he portrayed the legendary leader of and United 93. In 2007 he made his An American actor known from such “Solidarity”. He has won four Polish Broadway debut in Frost/Nixon. Born films as Independence Day, Lost Film Awards, two Gdynia Film Festival in New Orleans in 1961, he currently li- Highway, Sleepless in Seattle and Spa- awards, and several international ves in London. His recent films include ceballs. He has worked with David awards at such events as the Chicago Hunter Killer and The Titan. Lynch, Lawrence Kasdan, Nora Ephron, International Film Festival and the and Rob Reiner. Pullman has more than Tokyo International Film Festival. 90 exceptional roles under his belt. In 2014 he was honoured with the He was honored with the Excellence Nicholas Farrell Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Award at the Locarno Film Festival GRISWALD MORAN Resituta. He started his career in (2016). Pullman was nominated for the theatre, where he worked with such Critics’ Choice Television Award (2018) and Screen Actors Guild Award (2019) directors as Grzegorz Jarzyna and A British actor known for his exciting for his portrayal of detective Harry Am- Krzysztof Warlikowski. theatre roles, as well as performances brose in the lauded crime series The in both cinema and TV shows. His fil- Sinner. His second passion, right after mography includes the Oscar-winning acting, is construction, which he stu- Lotte Verbeek Chariots of Fire and the blockbuster Pearl Harbor. Highly acclaimed for his died in college. He uses his technical ELEANOR STONE abilities by working for local commu- performance as Horace in Kenneth nities. He has built a barn, which serves Branagh’s Hamlet, he is also famous for as headquarters for a community Known for her starring roles in The his appearances in The Iron Lady, Blo- center. Bill Pullman works with Cor- Borgias and Outlander, Verbeek made ody Sunday and Legionnaire. nerstone Theatre in Los Angeles and her debut in a film called Left, in which Concerned Citizens organization from she played five different characters. Montana. He also actively supports St. She was nominated for a European Yevgeny Sidikhin James Hospital as well as Alfred Uni- Film Award and won awards on festi- ALEXANDER GAVRYLOV versity, both from his hometown – Hor- vals in Locarno and Marrakech. She nell, New York. is also known for her appearances in The Last Witch Hunter, The Fault in An actor well known to Russian audien- Our Stars, and Nothing Personal by ces. He has appeared in such films as: Robert Więckiewicz Urszula Antoniak. She comes from the A Woman in Berlin, Dark Planet, and Netherlands, however for the past few Leningrad. Born in 1964 in Petersburg, A symbol of an era: ALFRED ŚLĘGA, years her career has been gaining mo- he’s an actor and a presenter. In 1989, THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE mentum mainly in Hollywood. Verbeek he graduated from the Department of PALACE OF CULTURE AND SCIENCE is also an excellent dancer and a poly- Drama and Dramatic Arts at the Lenin- the palace of culture and science glot fluent in five languages. grad State Institute of Theatre, Music One of the most renowned Polish and Cinematography (now in Peters- actors. He has worked with the best burg, Russia). In his junior years he was contemporary Polish directors, inclu- James Bloor a very successful martial artist. ding: Juliusz Machulski (Vinci, How The film is set in The Palace of BRIAN WHITE The Palace of Culture Much Does The Trojan Horse Weigh?), Culture and Science in Warsaw. It beco- Wojciech Smarzowski (The Dark A Cambridge University graduate, mes a silent witness to the eponymous and Science is still House, The Mighty Angel), Agnieszka known to wider audiences for his game. The ever-present mystery of the the tallest building place, its undiscovered rooms and se- in Poland. cret passages, which rarely can be seen in other films, will make the Palace become an icon to its times once aga- The full height, from in. Through Allan Starski’s production design and Paweł Edelman’s lens, the the ground to the top Palace of Culture stands as one of the of the spire: 237 protagonists of this electrifying game.