08-06-2011

FNE at Gdynia Polish Film Festival Competition: Essential Killing

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    Jerzy Skolimowski tackles the themes of war drama and imperialism in his challenging artistic drama, Essential Killing, considered one of the most significant Polish films of the year. Skolimowski portrays the tragic journey of a fugitive, who escapes from the U.S. military in Afghanistan. He tries to combat not only the winter conditions but also his overwhelming fear and paranoia.

    {mosimage}The film is an international coproduction with executive producer Skopia Film (www.skopiafilm.com) from Poland in coproduction with Cylinder Productions ( www.cylinder.no) from Norway, Element Pictures (www.elementpictures.ie) from Ireland and Mythberg Films (www.mythbergfilms.hu) from Hungary in association with Canal + Poland (www.canalplus.pl) and Syrena Films (www.syrenafilms.com). Essential Killing was shot in the winter of 2010 in Poland, Israel and Norway. The budget was 8 million PLN (EUR 2 million) with 3.5 million in financing from the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl). The film also received financing from Akson Studio (www.akson-studio.pl) and Task Films .

    {mosimage}Essential Killing is one of the most awarded Polish productions of the last decade. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the IFF in Venice, and Vincent Gallo receieved the Best Actor Prize for his performance. The film also dominated the Polish Film Awards: Polish Eagles 2010 and won awards for Best Film, Best Directing, Best Editing and Best Music. The Polish Film Institiute considered the production to be one of the most important projects for the year and launched a large-scale campaign in order to get an Oscar nomination outside the foreign film category. "Essential Killing is a masterpiece,a film from a director who creates cinema that is artistic and formally tasteful. It is worth pointing out that Vincent Gallo was awarded for best actor even though the movie has no dialogue. It is a universal story about a man who is terrified and fights for his life," Agnieszka Odorowicz, the Director of the Polish Film Institute said in a statement.

    {mosimage}Skolimowski is one of the most awarded and recognized Polish filmmakers. One of the main filmmakers of the Polish new wave, he has directed more then twenty films. He is the co-author of the scripts for Innocent Sorcerers by Andrzej Wajda and Knife in the Water by Roman Polański. He made his directing debut in Poland in 1960 with The Menacing Eye, after which he emigrated to USA where he worked mainly as a painter and visual artist but never gave up on directing and acting. In 2008 he came back to Poland and directed Four Nights With Anna, considered to be one of the best Polish dramas of the decade. His recent projects include writing the script for Ixjana From Hell, a thriller directed by his sons Michał and Józef, as well as playing the Polish king Jan III Sobieski in the international coproduction September Eleven 1968 directed by Ranzo Martinelli.

    Essential Killing had its international premiere at the IFF in Venice in 2010 and was distributed in Polish cinemas on 22 October 2010. The Polish distributor of the picture is Syrena Films and the international sales agent is Hanway Films (www.hanwayfilms.com).

    Official website of the film: www.essentialkilling.com


    Credits:

    Director - Jerzy Skolimowski
    Written by - Jerzy Skolimowski, Ewa Piaskowska
    Director of Photography - Adam Sikora
    Music - Paweł Mykietyn
    Production Design - Joanna Kaczyńska
    Sound - Robert Flanagan
    Film Editing - Réka Lemhényi
    Costume Design - Anne Hamre
    Production manager - Andrzej Stempowski
    Production - Skopia Film
    Producer - Ewa Piaskowska, Jerzy Skolimowski
    Co-production - Cylinder Production, Element Picture, Mythberg Films, Canal+, Syrena Films
    Distribution - Syrena Films
    World Sales - Hanway Films

    Cast:

    Vincent Gallo
    Emmanuelle Seigner
    David Price

    Skopia Film

    Ul. Górczewska

    15/3101-186 Warsaw

    email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    www.skopiafilm.com