06-07-2010

FNE at KVIFF 2010: Mother Teresa of Cats Screens Today in Main competition

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    In his new drama Mother Teresa of Cats, Paweł Sala presents a moving image of a contemporary brutal crime that shocked Poland.

    {mosimage}Based on the true story of two brothers (ages 12 and 22) who murdered their mother, Mother Teresa Of Cats begins one year before the killing, and details the last days and the investigation leading to the arrest of the boys. The film recreates the atmosphere in the family home, with psychological portraits of the brothers and their mother, who appear to be a normal and modest family with nothing to indicate the impending tragedy.


    Paweł Sala's credits include screenwriting and directing for TV and film.

    "We believe Mother Teresa of Cats to be an exceptional project that makes for a fascinating and moreover contemporary story, that deserves to be told on the big screen. The screenplay was based on true story. It deals with social issues, focusing on a family collapse In the contemporary society. It touches upon a universal topic that could be understood all over Europe," the production company Zespół Filmowy ROZWÓJ told FNE.

    The location shoot for the movie took place in March 2009 and the main shooting period took place in June-July 2009 in Warsaw. The producer of the film is Studio Filmowe ROZWÓj (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), with co-production companies DeLOrd (www.delord.pl) and Syrena Films (www.syrenafilms.pl). The total budget of the film was 2.1 million PLN ( EUR 450,000) with 1.5 million PLN in financing from the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl). The project took part in the 2009 edition of the CentEast Market in Warsaw.

    The premiere of the film is planned for September 2010 and the Polish distributor of the picture is Syrena Films. Mother Teresa Of Cats is screening at the Cannes IFF film market and will have it's international official premiere at the IFF at Karlovy Vary.

    Crew:
    Scriptwriter/director - Paweł Sala
    Producer - Sławomir Rogowski - Zespół Filmowy Rozwój
    Executive Producer - Adam Sokołowski - DeLord
    Director of photography - Mikołaj Łebkowski
    Production designer - Katarzyna Jarnuszkiewicz
    Film editor - Agnieszka Glińska
    Production manager - Maja Zupok
    Costume designer - Monika Jagodzińska
    Casting directors - Dorota Ignatiew, Joanna Gromek
    Music/ composer - Marcin Krzyżanowski
    Sound - Wacław Pilkowski
    Make up - Anna Dąbrowska

    Cast:
    Ewa Skibińska
    Mariusz Bonaszewski
    Filip Garbacz