Arkadiusz Jakubik, Maria Sadowska and Roma Gąsiorowska sitting on the jury of the 19th edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region
Six of the best films from the last season have been qualified for the On Air Competition at the 19th edition of the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region. The winner in this competition will be selected by a jury comprised of the following people: Arkadiusz Jakubik, Maria Sadowska, Roma Gąsiorowska, Piotr Domalewski and Philippe Tłokiński.
“This has definitely been a difficult year for cinema. In this context, I am more than happy that Tofifest can show so many unusual débuts or sophomore films,” says Kafka Jaworska, director of Tofifest. “We are going to give you screenings of unique productions from filmmakers hailing from all over the world, which will be evaluated by a jury comprised of extraordinary artists, all of whom are great cinema enthusiasts themselves. Some of the films are going to have their Polish premières,” she adds.
Just as it was done last year, the films qualified for festival competitions will not only be available to viewers coming to visit Toruń in person, but also to those opting to watch them on-line. Nonetheless, everybody is invited to participate in Q&A meetings with filmmakers, which will follow the screenings of films.
The following films will compete in the On Air competition:
Azor, directed by Andreas Fontana, Switzerland
Yvan De Wiel, a private banker from Geneva, travels to Argentina, at the time a country under the rule of a military junta. He is supposed to step in the shoes of his predecessor, a man who vanished into thin air just overnight, leaving behind him a lot of disturbing rumours. Inside quite sitting rooms, at swimming pools and gardens under close observation, we follow a duel between two bankers, both of whom are complicit in a discreet and at the same time merciless form of colonisation, despite the different strategies each of them uses to accomplish their goals.
Ballad of a White Cow, directed by Behtash Saneeha, Iran
Mina's life has been marked by the death of her husband, which came as a great tragedy. Her entire life is turned upside down, when she learns that her husband Babak was imprisoned and then sentenced to death for a crime he had not committed. The authorities refuse to take any responsibility for it and try to hush up the whole matter. They decide to apologise to the woman and offer her financial compensation. The desperate woman decides to fight the cynical system, willing to do everything in her power to uncover the truth. It will take strength, determination and quite a lot of money to make it happen. When both the woman and her daughter are at their wits end, a stranger comes knocking at Mina's door trying to convince her that he has come to pay the money he had borrowed from her late husband.
Beasts, directed by Naël Marandin, France
Constance and her fiancé hope to take over a farm from the woman's father, now falling into decline. They plan to modernise and expand it, and then turn into a major farmstead. The woman accepts help from Sylvain, an influential and charismatic man, and soon becomes completely dependent on him. The fate of Constance and her fiancé is now totally controlled by Sylvain, but the personal gain he hopes to achieve goes well beyond a purely professional relationship. When Constance realises the hidden agenda, she will have to face a new kind of violence... The film from Naël Marandin is a story set deep within the world of raw male domination, in which a woman has to fight for respect.
Karnawal, directed by Juan Pablo Félix, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Norway
Cabra is a rebellious teenager, who lives with his mother in the northern part of Argentina, close to the border with Bolivia. His biggest dream is to become a professional Malambo dancer, which is a folkloric tap-dance of the gauchos. When in preparation for an important competition, his father pays him an unexpected visit. El Corto, a swindler currently doing time, is granted a few-day pass and decides to take Cabra and his mother on a mysterious trip through the Argentinian wilderness. Before the two of them even have a chance to see the true intentions behind El Corto's idea, they get involved in a brutal robbery. When trying to escape through the desert, Cabra will try the best of his luck to make it for the dance competition. Will he succeed?
Shiva Baby, directed by Emma Seligman, USA, Canada
Danielle is a student settles her accounts with the sponsor and goes to visit her neurotic parents, during the Jewish Shiva ceremony. The numerous relatives, who have come to take part in the week-long mourning ceremony, pester the girl about her looks and lack of plans for the future, while at the same time praising Maya for enrolling in a law school. Everything takes an unexpected turn, when Max, Danielle’s sponsor, arrives at the Shiva ceremony. He is accompanied by his wife and a crying new-born baby... How can one confront such a situation?
Should the Wind Drop, directed by Nora Martirosyan, Armenia, Belgium, France
Alain is an international auditor entrusted with evaluating the condition of an airport situated in a small, self-proclaimed republic in the Caucasus, and make a decision about its potential re-opening. In the meantime, he meets Edgar, a young boy running a small business outside the airport area. Meeting the boy and other local people helps Alain discover a country, which has remained isolated for so long. Alain decides to risk everything to bring the country back to the world. This début film from Nora Martirosyan will enrapture you with its masterly execution and the script that weaves the whole narrative with impressive delicacy and caution.
The competing films will be closely watched and evaluated by the following jury:
Arkadiusz Jakubik — actor, director, scriptwriter, vocalist and a charismatic leader of the music band Dr Misio. He was born in 1969, in Strzelce Opolskie. In 1992, he graduated from the Department of Acting at the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts, Branch in Wrocław. Following graduation, he performed on stage of Operetka Warszawska, in the season 1993-1994 (Warsaw Operetta), and then at Rampa Theatre, in the period from 1997 to 2000. He was cast in such film productions as: Jak to się robi z dziewczynami, Rozmowy nocą, Jesteś Bogiem / You Are God, or Polskie gówno / Polish Shit. He has also had a career in dubbing spanning many years. In the recent years, you could see him in the very best Polish film productions, for example in Chce się żyć / Life Feels Good (2013) and Jestem mordercą / I’m a Killer (2016), both directed by Maciej Pieprzyca, in Sztuka kochania. Historia Michaliny Wisłockiej / The Art of Loving. Story of Michalina Wislocka (2017) directed by Maria Sadowska, in Najlepszy / Double Ironman (2017) directed by Łukasz Palkowski, or in Cicha noc / Silent Night (2017) directed by Piotr Domalewski.
He has played some of his most interesting roles in the films directed by Wojciech Smarzowski, for example in Wesele / The Wedding (2004), Dom zły / The Dark House (2009), Drogówka / Traffic Department (2013), Pod Mocnym Aniołem / The Mighty Angel (2014), Wołyń / Hatred (2016), and Kler / Clergy (2018). He has received the Polish Academy Award: Eagle four times already. Arkadiusz Jakubik has directed two full-length films: Prosta historia o miłości (2010) and Prosta historia o morderstwie (2016).
Maria Sadowska — she was born in 1976. She is a film director, screenwriter, singer, arranger and producer. She has graduated from Akademia Filmu i Telewizji (Film and Television Academy) in Warsaw and from the Film and TV Direction Department at the Film School in Łódź. She is the author of a number of music videos for Polish singers, for example Kasia Nosowska and Renata Przemyk. As a vocalist, she has recorded and released the following albums: Tribute to Komeda (2006), Demakijaż (2009), Jazz na ulicach (2014) and Początek nocy (2020). She has also directed the short film Demakijaż (2009) and the multi-award-winning feature film Dzień kobiet / Women's Day (2012). She received the Janusz Morgenstern's Award “Perspective”, which is given to the most promising and debuting film directors. She was also nominated for the Andrzej Munk Award in the “directing début” category. The biopic Sztuka kochania. Historia Michaliny Wisłockiej / The Art of Loving. Story of Michalina Wislocka portraying the life of the famous Polish sex therapist is definitely the most popular film she has made to this day. She is currently working on two new film projects: Dziewczyny z Dubaju and Miłość na pierwszą stronę. Maria Sadowska was a juror in four editions of the popular TV format Voice of Poland.
Philippe Tłokiński was born in 1985, in Bois-Bernard, in France, but he grew up in Switzerland. He participated in drama courses conducted at Haute école de musique de Genève (Music Conservatory in Geneva). In 2008, he graduated from Nationale Supérieure d'Art Dramatique du CDN de Saint-Étienne (Superior School of Dramatic Arts), in France. Following studies, he performed on theatre stages in France and Switzerland, for example at Théâtre du Trèfle w Poitiers, Comédie de Reims, or Théâtre Saint-Gervais in Geneva. He started his film career with roles in French films and TV series. His big screen appearances include a role in Noc Walpurgii / Walpurgis Night (2015), directed by Marcin Bortkiewicz, in which he played journalist Robert. He was also cast in the action drama Kurier / The Messenger (2019) directed by Władysław Pasikowski, in which he played Jan Nowak-Jeziorański. He also played in the film Geniusze / Adventures of a Mathematician, which had its première at Palm Springs International Film Festival. He has also performed in theatre, in the stage play Irańska konferencja written by Ivan Aleksandrovich Vyrypaev.
Piotr Domalewski was born in 1983, in Łomża. He is an actor and director. He has graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw (branch department in Białystok), where he received a master’s degree as actor-puppeteer, in 2006. He also graduated from the Faculty of Acting at the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Cracow, in 2009, and from the Department of Film Directing at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Faculty of Radio and Television University of Silesia, in 2016. As a theatre actor, he performed on stage of Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk. He has made a number of film-school exercises and short films, since 2010, including Obcy / Stranger, Człowiek bez właściwości / The Man Without Qualities, Jedyne wyjście / The Only Way, Chwila / The Moment, or 60 kilo niczego / 60 Kilos of Nothing. His full-length début was Cicha noc / Silent Night (2017), which won the Golden Lions at Gdynia Film Festival and the Polish Academy Awards: Eagles for the best film, and many more. His sophomore feature film Jak najdalej stąd / I Never Cry was awarded the Golden Lions for the best script at Gdynia Film Festival. In 2021, he and Kalina Alabrudzińska worked together on the popular television series Sexify made for Netflix.
Roma Gąsiorowska was born in Bydgoszcz, in 1981. She has graduated from the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Cracow. He screen début came with the comedy Forecast for Tomorrow directed by Jerzy Stuhr. In 2004, she played in the multi award-winning short film 3 Love by Agnieszka Smoczyńska. In 2006, she performed in Oda do radości / Ode to Joy, which marked her first role well received by film critics. In 2009, she was nominated for the Zbigniew Cybulski Award. That same year, she performed in one of her most important roles to date, in the film Snow White and Russian Red directed by Xawery Żurawski. Her acting creation in Ki / My Name is Ki, directed by Leszek Dawid brought her the Golden Lions Award. She was frequently cast for comedy characters in films, for example in Listy do M. / Letters to Santa (2011) and Listy do M. 2 / Letters to Santa 2 (2015). She also played in the following TV productions: Sala samobójców / Suicide Room (2011), directed by Jan Komasa; Plan B, directed by Kinga Dębska, Ciemno, prawie noc / Dark, Almost Night directed by Borys Lankosz, Serce nie sługa directed by Filip Zylber, or Amatorzy / The Amateurs, directed by Iwona Siekierzyńska. In 2012, she founded AktoRstudio, her own elite private acting school.
This year's edition of Tofifest will last from 30th June to 4th July, as always in Toruń. It will have a hybrid nature, combining both stationary and on-line film screenings. Rest assured that one thing remains unchanged: the Tofifest International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region will be a great feast for all cinema enthusiasts, both those coming to visit Toruń in person, and those sitting in front of their screens at home. Just as it has been every single year, to this day.
The patron of the TOFIFEST International Film Festival. Kujawy Pomorze Region is the City of Toruń; the Main Partner is the Province of Kujawsko-Pomorskie; the Main Sponsor is TZMO S.A. and the Bella brand. Other sponsors include Nova Trading S.A., ONDE S.A., PGE Toruń S.A., Urbitor Sp. z o. o., the Honorary Consulate of Finland in Toruń, Clean Way, and Studio Podłóg Ablux.
