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Tofifest 2014: the top 15 films of Tofifest

Every year, just on the eve of the festival, we give you a list of 15 most interesting film titles to be presented during the festival. It is a strictly subjective selection, which you may or may not use as a guide. Nonetheless, we recommend that you become familiarised with this selection, before marching on to Tofi-cinema and finding your own route through more than 160 film titles and 30 music concerts.

  1. I am Femen, dir. by Alain Margot; Switzerland / Section: FOCUS: UKRAINE, Polish premiere. It is a fascinating documentary about Oksana Shachko – one of the leaders of the protest group Femen. Why do the members of Femen show their breasts to defy Putin? You will know that, when you have watched the film.
  2. The Postman’s White Nights, dir. by Andrei Konchalovsky; Russia / Opening film of the festival. It is the winner of this year’s Silver Lion in Venice. It is very quiet and personal film by this internationally recognised and award-winning author of House of Fools, Siberiade, or Tango & Cash.
  3. Polish Shit, dir. by Grzegorz Jankowski; Poland / Section: FROM POLAND (Polish film competition). It is both a film and a provocation. It is a perverse story about the Polish music world and “provincial show-business”. Well, who would know what the film is really about, as the script was written by Tymon Tymanski, after all?
  4. The Tribe, dir. by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy; Ukraine / ON AIR Main Competition. It is a winner of three awards at this year’s festival in Cannes. It i san absolutely unique film without any words spoken, which tells a story about an Ukrainian boarding school for deaf & mute, which is governed according to the rules taken straight from the world of street gangs. In order to survive there, one must win the favours of the title “tribe”.
  5. Kebab & Horoscope, dir. by Grzegorz Jaroszuk; Poland / ON AIR Main. This year, the film has been coined the “most Czech film of the festival”, during the film festival in Karlovy Vary. Just a week ago, it was recognised the best debut, at the prestigious Raindance FF in London. It is a story about two fraudsters, who pretend to be marketing specialists, in order to save a carpet shop from collapsing. A true blast, this one is.
  6. Gottland, dir. by Lukáš Kokeš, Petr Hátle, and Viera Čákan; Czech Republic / Section: FORUM 2013/14; Polish premiere. The Polish love the Czech Republic unconditionally, which makes them a growing, albeit still a secret sect. One of their gurus is journalist Mariusz Szczygiel. The film is “an adaptation” of his book about the Czech, shot by Czech directors. In a word: a “Czech film”!
  7. Mommy, dir. by Xavier Dolan; Canada / Section: FORUM 2013/14. The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2014 for Best Film, and it is also the Canadian candidate for Academy Awards. It is the latest project by Xavier Dolan – “the golden boy of international cinema”. This time, he focuses on mothering.
  8. Insomnia, dir. by Erik Skjoldbjærg; Norway / Section: PHENOMENA: NORDIC NOIR. Polish premiere. Before Christopher Nolan made a remake of Insomnia starring Al Pacino, there had already been the Insomnia with Stellan Skarsgård (the one starring in Nymphomaniac and a multitude of other films). The Norwegian original preceding the Hollywood remake is a perfect example of the Nordic Noir genre.
  9. Two days, one night, dir. by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne; Belgium / Section: FLANDERS vs. WALLONIA; Polish premiere. It is the latest child of the Jury in Cannes’ favourites – the Dardenne brothers. It is a story of a woman, who has only two days to stop a kangaroo court firing her from work – the film is based on true events.
  10. Stations of the Cross, dir. by Dietrich Brüggemann; Germany / ON AIR Main Competition. Polish premiere. It is a piece of cinema that is particularly controversial in Poland, as it discusses the effects of Catholic faith interpreted fanatically.
  11. Millennium: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, dir. by Niels Arden Oplev; Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden / Section: PHENOMENA: NORDIC NOIR. It is another original version of an American blockbuster. Prior to the film with Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, there had already been a Swedish version, which much more faithful to the trilogy by Stieg Larsson and starred Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander. Extra information: the face of Noemi Rapace that constitutes the visual identification of Tofifest 2014 is taken from this very film.
  12. Bydgoszcz from dawn till dusk, dir. collectively; Poland / Section: LOCALIZATIONS. Polish festival premiere. In this film, Bydgoszcz represents Poland in the “From Dawn till Dusk” international project that portrays big cities. It is the first comprehensive portrait of the city of Bydgoszcz and its residents in the 21st century, which has been made under the tutelage of Miroslaw Dembinski (winner of this year's Flisak of Tofifest), Maciej Drygas, and Jacek Blawut. It is definitely worth seeing. Let us add, that it will be particularly interesting to people living in Torun.
  13. Jules & Jim, dir. by Francois Truffaut; France / Section: MASTERS: FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT. It is a multi-layered and beautiful story starring Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, and Henri Serre in the leading roles, shot by the Master of Cinema Francois Truffaut. It is a story about people divided by war, nationality, and sick ideologies. It is a must-see for cinema admirers.
  14. Viridiana, dir. by Luis Buñuel / Section: THREE Bs. It is a story about a would-be nun, which ends with the legendary scene of a vulgar feast of beggars, who stage the famous fresco by Leonardo da Vinci – “The Last Supper”. It is a great artistic event. This piece of film art has a pared-down form and has been made flawlessly – each scene has a hidden meaning.
  15. Fury, dir. by David Ayer; USA / Closing film of the festival. Polish festival premiere. It is a worthy successor of Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg. It is a story about the crew of a tank under the pet name “Fury”, who are sent on a suicide mission behind German front lines, in 1944. Film critics claim it to be a strong candidate for Academy Awards, in 2015.

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Tofifest news

Submission of films for the 22nd edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region officially begins

We start accepting submissions for two competitions included in the 22nd edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region. The deadline for sending filled-in submission forms is 15th May. This year’s edition of the festival will take place from 25th June to 30th June, 2024, in Torun.

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Magdalena Zawadzka and Eryk Lubos to receive the Golden Angels of Tofifest. We are ready to present to you the Jury of the On Air Competition

Magdalena Zawadzka is going to receive the Golden Angel Award for a Lady of Polish Cinema, while the Golden Angel for Artistic Insolence is going to Eryk Lubos.