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 asIndependence Day, Lost Film Awards, two in 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 calledLeft , 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. meters. The Palace of Culture and Science has always been at the centre of events and history, thus becoming the symbol The building has 46 of a postwar rebuilt Warsaw. The deci- sion to construct the Palace was made stories and 3288 in the capital of the Soviet world, by rooms. Josef Stalin himself. It was designed by the architect Lev Rudnev. In the words of Prime Minister Jozef Cyrankiewicz, 3500 Soviet and 4000 it’s been “radiating over Warsaw” since Polish workers were 1955. The marble used for finishing the building’s interiors was brought from the employed in constru- Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and the cting the building. Świętokrzyskie Mountains. The Coldest Game is set in a number of rooms, corridors, as well as in never- 34 million bricks and fot. Krzysztof Wiktor Studio / Watchout before-seen canals and the Palace’s 50 thousand tons secret passages. of steel were used for the construction. Gdynia, 16-21 September 2019 / THE COLDEST GAME 3 WHO IS WHO IN THE GAME OF LIFE AND DEATH?

NAME: JOSHUA NAME: ALFRED NAME: ALEXANDER SURNAME: MANSKY SURNAME: ŚLĘGA SURNAME: GAVRYLOV OCCUPATION: EX CHESS PLAYER AND OCCUPATION: THE GENERAL MANAGER OF OCCUPATION: CHESS PLAYER A SCIENTIST, CURRENTLY A LECTURER THE PALACE OF CULTURE AND SCIENCE IN AGE: AROUND 53 AGE: AROUND 60 WARSAW HEIGHT: 192 CM HEIGHT: 185 CM AGE: ABOUT 50 PLACE OF BIRTH: USSR PLACE OF BIRTH: USA HEIGHT: 178 CM PLACE OF BIRTH: POLAND

A famous Soviet chess grandmaster, forced to A brilliant mind: a naturally talented chess player, accept humiliation from the authorities, capable a math prodigy, but at the same time withdrawn and of playing rough. In Warsaw he is playing against unpredictable, with a tendency to isolate himself. At A member of the Polish Socialist Party before the J. Mansky. During the game he is focused and the age of 27, he received the grandmaster title. Alco- war, an ex-soldier of Armia Ludowa (The People’s collected, but reacts very nervously to the chan- hol dependence has been observed, which significan- Army), currently the general manager of the Palace ge of player on the American side. When he loses tly affects his behavior. We don’t know how he will do of Culture and Science in Warsaw. His task is to at- a game, he flips his chair, storming off stage. Is it in moments of crisis. Will he retain his rationality and tend to the needs of the guests of the chess game. just a pretense and the truth about him will turn clear sense of judgement? Last seen in a pub, near his He has the unique gift of winning people over. Ślę- out to be different? place of residence, where he was approached by an at- ga demonstrates a tendency to befriend Americans tractive woman. Taken by the U.S. Secret Service, he is over vodka, and his unusual kindness gains him to replace Konigsberg who was supposed to represent J. Mansky’s trust. NAME: GRISWALD the USA before dying under mysterious circumstances. SURNAME: MORAN However, the chess game is not his only challenge. Will OCCUPATION: THE PRESIDENT OF the genius mathematician become the silent hero of the NAME: GENNADY STEPANOVICH THE UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION Cuban Missile Crisis? SURNAME: KRUTOV AGE: AROUND 63 OCCUPATION: MAJOR GENERAL OF THE HEIGHT: 175 CM USSR COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PLACE OF BIRTH: USA AGE: AROUND 55 NAME: DONALD HEIGHT: 175 CM SURNAME: NOVAK PLACE OF BIRTH: USSR OCCUPATION: ATTACHE OF THE U.S EMBASSY IN WARSAW AGE: AROUND 56 HEIGHT: 180 CM PLACE OF BIRTH: USA

A chess aficionado suddenly caught up in a com- plicated intrigue and a war between two intelligen- ce agencies, which he is unaware of. Responsible The General of Soviet counterintelligence is feared for ensuring that the Warsaw tournament goes off even by his colleagues. He is a member of the offi- without a hitch. cial USSR chess delegation. Tough, relentless and cruel. He is a firm believer in the communist cau- se. In his own words: “Truth will always be on our An ex-military man, currently posted in the Ameri- NAME: ELEANOR side”. His task is to identify the spy amongst the can embassy in Warsaw. He knows the answer to SURNAME: STONE officers of the Warsaw Pact. every question before it’s even asked. Skeptical of OCCUPATION: U.S. SECRET SERVICE AGENT J. Mansky: “That’s the guy that’s supposed to win AGE: AROUND 36 the Cold War for us?” May seem hostile at first. HEIGHT: 168 CM NAME: BRIAN PLACE OF BIRTH: USA SURNAME: WHITE OCCUPATION: U.S. SECRET SERVICE AGENT NAME: JOHN AGE: AROUND 28 SURNAME: GIFT HEIGHT: 178 CM OCCUPATION: AN OFFICER OF THE WARSAW PLACE OF BIRTH: USA PACT FORCES AGE: NO DATA HEIGHT: NO DATA PLACE OF BIRTH: NO DATA

An experienced U.S. secret service agent - cold and disciplined. However, she can also be seducive and feminine, for example when recruiting Mansky in a lowly pub, to whom she will later say: “We wo- uldn’t have been able to do it without you. There is still hope”. She participates in the brutal events A young, inexperienced U.S. secret service agent, in the Palace of Culture. Is it possible that she is determined and dedicated to the cause. His signi- putting on a cruel act? ficance in the game gradually increases. He may The real data on him is unknown. A Soviet intel- have a special mission to accomplish during the ligence operative, probably providing Americans chess game. Because of his limited experience with information on the USSR’s plans of installing and the weight of the task, his vigilance as well as fot. Krzysztof Wiktor Studio / Watchout nuclear warheads in Cuba. Due to exposure which his ability to assess the situation might be weake- resulted in the expulsion of a few employees of the ned. He is the one that must get in contact with U.S. embassy in Moscow, it’s been decided to ce- the Russian informer. This absorbs him so much ase all contact with John Gift. Warsaw may be the that he doesn’t notice a grave threat which is clo- new point of contact. His life is in extreme danger... ser than he thinks. 4 Gdynia, 16-21 September 2019 / THE COLDEST GAME

CROSSWORD

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e. WHO HAS MADE THE KEY MOVE? 1

design credits include Panic Attack, Jak Pies Łukasz Kośmicki z Kotem and The New World. Daniel Baur DIRECTOR, AUTHOR OF THE SCRIPT PRODUCER A director, award-winning cinematographer, Producer of K5 Film and co-founder of K5 a scriptwriter, and Lodz Film School gradu- Ewa Drobiec Media Group. Besides The Coldest Game ate. For the script of the film The Dark House, he finished production on JILL directed by 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 MAKE-UP ARTIST he received the Best Script Award at the Stephen Hayes starring Tom Pelphrey, Juliet Gdynia Film Festival. His cinematography A make-up artist who has worked on Rylance and Dree Hemingway. Before that Fill in the grid for solution for the filmsPoznan ’56 and Street Games several dozen Polish film productions. he produced the feature film Anon directed won him an award at the 21st Gdynia Film She is credited for make-up in Wojciech by Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, In Time) and Festival. The script for The Dark House and Smarzowski’s films. Her work on the film starring Clive Owen and Amanda Seyfried. a. Jackie’s famous husband’s h. If it was removed, Palace of the cinematography for Gniew earned him Volhynia won her a Golden Lions award at He is the executive producer of the follo- occupation. Culture and Science would be nominations at the Polish Film Awards. He the Gdynia Film Festival. wing films: Martin Zandvilet’s Land of Mine b. Alluring and deadly dangerous 70 metres shorter. won Polityka’s Passport (an annual presti- (nominated for Academy Award in the Best atoll. i. Old-fashioned way — ... with gious Polish award presented by the weekly Foreign Language Film category) and Jim c. She was singing for Mr. Pre- swords. magazine Polityka) in the Film category. An Agnieszka Hodowana Jarmusch’s Paterson. He lived and worked in sident. j. A time of intense difficulty acclaimed creator of over five hundred ads Los Angeles for many years, being responsi- d. Comrade Khrushchev. or danger. MAKE-UP ARTIST produced on five continents. ble to produce films for K5 Film. e. The city of columns, Fidel’s home. k. A chess opening in which a player A make-up artist who gained experience f. A chess move involving a player’s sacrifices material with the hope by working on such productions as Katyń, king and either of the player’s of achieving an advantageous Paweł Edelman Demon, Body and Baby Bump. In 2014, her Justyna Pawlak original rooks. position. work on Gods won her an award at the Gdynia g. Clergy on a chessboard. l. Should not be crossed without CINEMATOGRAPHY LINE PRODUCER Film Festival. She completed Neill Gorton’s appropriate documents. A highly acclaimed Polish cinematographer. special effects course in Great Britain. Pawlak graduated from the University Nominated for an Academy Award and of Silesia in Katowice with a Master of a BAFTA for Polański’s The Pianist. In 2005 Arts degree in Film & TV Production, he won a Hollywood Film Award in the Magdalena Malisz as well as from the Film Academy in HYDE PARK INTERNATIONAL “Cinematographer of the Year” category. Cracow. She gained professional expe- HEAD OF PRODUCTION Edelman has won a Cesar, Eagles statues rience on all levels of production while Hyde Park International is a company known to the entertainment industry all around at Polish Film Awards, as well as Golden She was the head of production of the Oscar- working on numerous feature films, tv the world, run by award-winning Ashok Amritraj. Its portfolio consists of commercial Lions at Gdynia Film Festival. He has worked winning Ida, the feature filmMemories of and commercial productions. Munich, hits, such as Ghost Rider or Machete, as well as the critically acclaimed films:99 Homes with Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański and Summer and Zbrodnia TV series. She wor- Get Low and True Crimes are among her and Blue Valentine. Władysław Pasikowski. He graduated culture ked on Paweł Pawlikowski’s The Cold War. international production credits. studies from Lodz University and cinemato- Malisz debuted in the film business on the graphy from the Lodz Film School. set of Andrzej Żuławski’s Szamanka. Since K5 then, she has worked on such productions Marcel Sawicki as: The Congress, Ewa, November, Past Life, K5 Film is part of K5 Media Group, which is a rapidly growing company specializing in AUTHOR OF THE SCRIPT Allan Starski I Am Lying Now. developing, selling and producing international English language feature films. It was Marcel Sawicki is a director and scriptwriter founded by producers with impressive track records – Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur. K5 PRODUCTION DESIGN of Polish descent. He works both in Polish Film is headquartered in Munich. K5 worked with many known directors together like The man behind the production designs of Piotr Woźniak-Starak and American markets. He has created se- for example Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, Bille August, Tom McCarthy and Andrew Niccol. many renowned features and theatre plays. He veral short films, ads and music videos. His PRODUCER won an Academy Award and the Los Angeles films have won numerous awards on presti- Film Critics Association Awards for the pro- The founder of the Watchout Studio pro- gious festivals. The Loneliness of the Short- WATCHOUT STUDIO duction design in Schindler’s List, as well as duction company. He worked on Gods as Order Cook premiered at the Cannes Film other film awards, such as a Cesar forThe the producer, and on The Art of Loving. The Festival and received the Audience Award at Watchout Studio is a production house founded in 2007, run by Piotr Woźniak-Starak Pianist and Polish Film Awards for the Pianist, Story of Michalina Wislocka as the execu- the Gdynia Film Festival. He divides his time and Krzysztof Terej. Its credits include six feature films, a TV show in production, as Pan Tadeusz and Aftermath. Starski was awar- tive producer. These films have received, between Los Angeles and Warsaw. well as over 100 advertisements. The most important titles: Gods (2,2 million viewers) ded a Golden Frog at the Camerimage Festival. among other awards, Golden Lions at and The Art of Loving. The Story of Michalina Wislocka (1,8 million viewers), both of He has worked with Faith Akin, Andrzej Wajda, Gdynia Film Festival, Eagle statues at the which garnered awards at festivals in Gdynia, Camerimage and the Polish Film Awards. Krzysztof Kieślowski, Agnieszka Holland, Polish Film Awards, an award for the Best Łukasz Targosz Roman Polański and Władysław Pasikowski. Producer at the PKO Off Camera Festival MUSIC He was honored with the Commander’s in 2015, and Golden Tapes by Polish Cross of the Order of Polonia Resituta and Filmmakers Association. He graduated A film score composer and a music producer. Gloria Artis - the Medal of Merit to Culture. He from Emmerson College in Boston and He graduated from the Karol Szymanowski CONTACT INFO: graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Parsons in New York. Academy of Music in Katowice in the Jazz Warsaw. and Popular Music Department. Targosz DOMESTIC REPRESENTATIVE (U.S. / CANADA) scored such films as Planet Single, all the DANIEL BAUR – PRODUCER / +49 177 625 8800 / films in the Letters to Santa series, as well [email protected] / K5 INTERNATIONAL A COMPANY Ewa Gronowska Krzysztof Terej as both seasons of two HBO Poland series: OF K5 MEDIA GROUP GMBH / KONRADINSTR. 5 / 81543 MÜNCHEN The Pact and The Border. INTERNATIONAL PR: IZABELA KISZKA / +48 514 254 490 / COSTUME DESIGN PRODUCER [email protected] / WATCHOUT STUDIO SP. Z O.O. A costume designer, two times nominated A board member of Watchout Studio, the OBSERWATORÓW 7, 02-714 WARSAW, POLAND / WWW.WATCHOUTSTUDIO.PL for Polish Film Awards in the Discovery co-producer of Gods and the producer of The INTERNATIONAL SALES: CARL CLIFTON – PRESIDENT of the Year category for Gods (2015) and Art of Loving. The Story of Michalina Wislocka. +44 7900 561 071 / HYDE PARK INTERNATIONAL, LLC / 14958 VENTURA The Art of Loving. The Story of Michalina He graduated from the law and psychology BOULEVARD – SUITE 100 / SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91403 / OFFICE: +1 818 783 Wislocka (2018). She has worked on faculties from the Kozminski University in 6060 | FAX: +1 818 783 6319 / [email protected] fot. Krzysztof Wiktor Studio / Watchout over 20 productions, Her film costume Warsaw. WWW.HYDEPARKENTERTAINMENT.COM