FOCUS TOFIFEST 2005
Focus TOFIFEST - New Cinema from Poland.
FOCUS TOFIFEST is a nonprofit action which promotes young Polish filmmakers and their works. It has been created and put into life by Torun Film Festival TOFFI, in co-operation with MULTIMEDIA company which supports young film authors.
We thank you in advance for the help in promoting our filmmakers in your country.
Meet „new Polish wave”!
We declare first FOCUS TOFIFEST open.
Kafka Jaworska, TOFIFEST Director
FOCUS idea
POLISH POWER
Matwiejczyk, Kox, Cuske, Marczewski – these names are worth attention. Now in Poland there is a generation growing, which will run to conquer the cinemas from Seattle to Auckland. Among them all, one will surely find five guests of FOCUS TOFFI – a Torun Film Festival’s special section, which promotes young Polish filmmakers of great future.
Polish young cinema is almost not known abroad except narrow circles of film experts. Wojcieszek, Jadowska, Smoczyńska, Kazejak, Migas, Marczewski, Matwiejczyk, Cuske, Kox, Sauter, Wrona, Fabicki, Komasa… a revolution, which was started in the end of the twentieth century in Poland by the authors of small digital camera made movies, gave birth to dozens of perfectly shaped film personalities. Polish cinema now is definitely not only Wajda and Zanussi any more...
That is why we have established – as the only Polish film festival – the initiative of promoting the new wave of cinema from Poland - FOCUS TOFIFEST. In the beginning we have invited five young directors and actors, which are: Dominik and Piotr Matwiejczyk, Filip Marczewski, Bodo Kox and Maciej Cuske. The works of these five youngsters - most of whom aren’t 30 yet – have altoghether gained over 100 awards on film festivals from Moscow to St.Louis, and Marczewski has just been nominated for student OSCAR’2006.
Each of them, despite young age, is now a firmly shaped film personality. Dominik Matwiejczyk is considered as a prodigy child of Polish cinema. A self-taught man from small village near Wrocław, he now wins at the prestigious Polish feature films festival in Gdynia [independent section] and starts making movies with a million worth [as for now – in Polish zlotys] budgets. As he says himself: „I prefer to make movies than talk”, that is why he is famous of exceptionally short thanks while receiving successive film awards. „Everything has already been shown in the cinema, each story is similar to the previously filmed one. That’s why the most important thing is to tell one’s own stories” – he says. His cinema is an acute analysis of everyday life of young Poles from large, anonymous block quarters and villages forgotten by everyone. Dominik’s mastership, though, is in the ability of talking difficult matters with warm, humoristic distance. He says that he would very much want to make a movie with Natalie Portman playing the main part. Dominik was awarded twice with Golden Angel - TOFIFEST's Grand Prix. In 2004 for the film „Krew z nosa”, and in 2005 for „Ugór”.
His brother – Piotr until recently has been known as a comedy and pastiche maker – ie. the contrary versions of Polanski’s „China Town” or Jean Jacques Annaud’s „Amelia”. „My secret is simple – I would like to show the real life stories” – he says about himself. His breakthrough was „Homo Father”, a film in which he decided to break up with the image of a comedy maker and turn to more serious themes, for the picture tells about two young gay men living in the average Polish block-of-flats suburbs. At this moment Piotr’s another movie is being made – „Wstyd”, a piece co-produced by a Polish mainstream’s star, actor Cezary Pazura. In the story of raped 13-year-old girl Kieślowski’s favourite actors – Artur Barciś and Mirosław Baka – took part. Piotr was awarded with the Second Prize at TOFIFEST’2004 for the film „Między nami dzieciakami”.
Marczewski is a candidate to become a personality the size of mentioned Wajda or Zanussi. „When it comes to making movies - the most important thing is not to give the answers but to ask questions“ that is Filip Marczewski's film credo. At first look, his cinema are average stories which evolve, though, into undercovering the net of complicated, psychological interhuman relations. On his cinema he says: ”I only make movies which are close to me. I have to be fair with them, otherwise they just won’t succeed”. In April Filip was nominated for student OSCAR’2006 for TOFIFEST’2005 Silver Angel [2nd award] Winner „Melodramat”.
Bodo Kox is the greatest scandalist of Polish independent cinema. „I wouldn’t like to be permanently labeled. They say: <he makes movies like Tarantino>. But I make movies like me!” – says about himself. He fought his way into film industry. First, he succeeded on international festivals as an actor in Dominik Matwiejczyk’s films. Later on he directed himself the best independent short film of the year 2005 – „Marco P. i złodzieje rowerów”. He feels well playing both gay men [„Homo father”, P. Matwiejczyk, 2005] and country boys [„Ugór”, D. Matwiejczyk, 2006]. He greeted Poland’s entering The European Union with a short movie, in which he uses the balloon with an EU logo to play with his... penis. He likes to act and be photagraphed naked, and in the same time he is exceptionally modest, almost shy man. He loves Scandinavian cinema: „That is the cinema I would like to make and through it to reach the wide audience. A cinema without tension, without compulsion of making large shows”. He would like to direct a film with Vincent Gallo and Johnny Depp as main characters.
Maciej Cuske – last of those five, is a hope of Polish documentary. A student of such masters as Jacek Bławut and Marcel Łoziński, a pupil of OSCAR winner Andrzej Wajda’s school. „I’m interested in simple issues, futile at first, and them I’m trying to become acquainted with, to explore them” – he describes his way in films. Each of his films surprises viewers and gains awards at festivals. Despite his young age, he has already found a recognizeable style. His documentaries are the studies of humanity. In front of the viewers they undercover the fascinating truth about people who we hardly notice in everyday life. He was awarded with TOFIFEST special prize FLISAK’2004.
