1997-2001, on Beta

 

Documentary Films

 

            All these movies are in Polish with English subtitles

 

 

Poland has a tradition of making excellent documentary movies.  Several famous directors, to mention only Krzysztof Kieślowski, started with documentaries. During the last few years we have had the opportunity to see several great documentary films at our Film Festival. This year’s movies will not disappoint you.

 

 

Screening at 6 pm on Nov 9, 2002, (total of 103 min)

 

Such a Nice Boy I Delivered, directed by Marcin Koszałka (1999, 25 min)

This debut film by a young director, a student at the Katowice Film School, is the story of a young man's search for independence, at the expense of unending quarrels with his parents. The author portrays the hell of every-day family life as exemplified by his own family where the "toxic mother", undoubtedly loving her son, tortures him with unceasing reproaches. This documentary became a cult film for young viewers who are of the opinion that by disclosing the atmosphere prevailing in thousands of Polish homes, this film may trigger off a collective catharsis.

 

Document...?, directed by Małgorzata Szumowska (2001, 32 min)

A young female asks her friends to appear in front of the camera, in order to leave their film record in the same way one makes an entry in a memoir book. It's not that simple. People who are aware of the camera's presence behave unnaturally.  To what extent does a documentary present us with the truth about human beings?

 

Arizona, directed by Ewa Borzęcka (1997, 46 min)

            Grand Prix – the Gold Lajkonik at the Festival of Documentary and Short Films in Cracow, 1997

Ewa Borzecka has become a specialist in portraying the poorest people rejected by new capitalism. In this film she portrayed the life, hopeless and without any prospects for the better future, of the unemployed residents of a former State Farming Unit (Polish version of a collective farm in the communist block) who were not adapted to living in capitalism. The title, “Arizona” stands for the name of the cheapest wine which, for people like the heroes of the film, is the only way to escape reality.

 

 

Screening at 3:30 pm on Nov 10, 2002, (total of 117 min)

 

Hanky Panky, directed by Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz (1997, 55 min)

Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, who specializes in "sociological documentaries," has pursued diverse subjects. This film is an ironic essay that explores the reasons for the success of disco-polo music in Poland - a trashy kind of pop music.

 

The Way My Uncles Lived, directed by Krzysztof Magowski 2001, 34 min)

            Special award – a Bronze Lajkonik at the Festival of Documentary and Short Films in Cracow, 2001

The elderly Doerffer brothers document the memories of their youth (inter-war period), recording both trifle events and those that the authors themselves consider critical. We see the family property of the titled aristocracy with all its wealth and splendor.

 

Musher, directed by Beata Hyży (2001, 28 min)

This is a story about the right to dreams, understanding, and perseverance; about a true relationship between people and animals that can be therapeutic; about acceptance and true friendship that can work miracles; about love.