Blog entry by Nora Kovacs in Berlin // Monday, Mar. 16, 2015
This month, Poland’s Short Waves Film Festival will be going on an international tour with its Grand Prix 2015 film selection. From March 19th-21st, the Polonischen Club Versager in Berlin will be hosting screenings of the festival’s short films, ranging from animated film to live action to documentary. The artists represented have incorporated a number of artistic mediums and have addressed aspects of Polish culture, society, and politics in creative and innovative ways.
Director Tomek Ducki presents Láznia (Baths), a dreamily animated film following two old women as they go for a swim. Ducki’s use of mixed media evokes a feeling of melancholia and gives his films a surrealistic edge.
Tomasz Siwiński‘s A Blue Room employs an illustrative and dark palette to evoke a more disturbing feeling as the film’s protagonist wakes up in a blue room with only a window as a portal to the outside world. Siwiński’s exploitation of color and painting in his films confuses the emotions we normally attribute to certain hues and leaves his viewers in a state of mystery and uneasiness.
Katarzyna Gondek‘s surprisingly ethereal film, The Supreme, documents the development of a 14-metre-high statue of John Paul II. The film’s delicate soundtrack and spiritual undertones form an interesting dialogue between belief and construction.
Aga Woszczyńska explores feelings of coldness in her live action film, Fragments. Combining performance, film, and an icy color palette, Woszczyńska puts her viewers on edge as they watch a monotonous relationship gradually break down. The film, like the protagonists’ relationship, is fragmented into a collection of scenes that are simultaneously connected and divided; a shattered reflection of a relationship gone sour.
Mrs. Aleksandra has decided to live on Mars in That Would Be Beautiful, a documentary by Anna Morawiec. The character makes this substantial life decision in light of her social insurance situation, thus presenting us with an unusual link between the Polish pension system and the universe, the concrete and the unknown.
Music and dance have also been incorporated into the film selection with Marek Skrzecz‘s 4-minute video clip, Fisz Emade Tworzywo – Dust, which tells the story of a tractor driver’s day off in the Polish countryside and The Dumplings – Technicolor Yawn, a fun and youthful music video written and directed by Arek Nowakowski. The film seems to vomit up vibrance and color with its half-tropical/half-carnival visuals and collaboration with Polish fashion label ALOHA FROM DEER.
There will be screenings each night of the festival (March 19-21) around 7pm at the Club der Polonischen Versager. Entry will be €2.
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Additional Information
SHORT WAVES FILM FESTIVAL
Festival: Mar. 19 – 21, 2015
Screenings: 7pm each night
Club der polonischen Versager
Ackerstraße 168 (click here for map)
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