On 15th of Aprila documentary film by Magdalena Szymkow “My House Without Me”will be presented to theBritish audience at the 19th International Fim Festival at Bradford.
My House Without Me/ Wajda Studio
“My House Without Me” is one of the most promising cinema debuts of recent years: writer-director Magdalena Szymków’s name should go straight into every cinephile’s notebook. An award-winner at no fewer than four Polish festivals, her strikingly mature and quietly assured film interviews two elderly women - one Polish, one German - about the house in which both have lived, examining the upheavals and ironies of occupation and displacement. Experimentally-processed archive footage adds a haunting extra dimension to this searching, spellbinding exploration of history’s paradoxes. – says Neil Young,director of the festival and film critic.
“My House Without Me” is a story about displacement. Two women, one house. An intimate story about a Pole and a German placed by war on enemy sides and their parallel lives accidentally brought together. The film reflects on the concepts of invaders, victim, guilt and forgiveness. It confronts different experiences and their paradoxical similarities. It deals with the controversial subject of the post-war accountings. The visual narration is flowing guided by memories and archives. Traditional documentation confronts experimental use of archival footage in the cinematic impression about displacement.
“This is both a very personal film and the story of thousands of people whose world crumbled due the war. It is very rare in cinema that one finds such an exquisite combination of sensitivity and formal discipline. I found the gentleness of this film moving.” – says Marcel Łoziński, Oscar nominated and European Film Award winner film director.
“My House Without Me” was awarded at the 52nd Krakow Film Festival for the best editing, and at the 3rd International Festival for Film Producers REGIOFUN it got the prize for the best short.
Bradford International Film Festival is an art house film festival, it lasts from 11th till 21st of April. Both the director, Magdalena Szymkow and the producer of Vezfilm, Francesco Ragazzi will be present in Bradford.
WAJDA SCHOOL | WAJDA STUDIO
more than a film school | more than a film studio
Wajda School has over 10 years. Was founded in Warsaw by Andrzej Wajda and Wojciech Marczewski. It’s based on film groups tradition and experience – method of group working and co-operation of different generations. We offer a unique combination of production and education for film professionals.
Since 2011 Wajda and Marczewski have also started the production company - Wajda Studio. We focus on development stage and support our directors with artistic supervision from the best Polish and European filmmakers. We are looking for author- driven feature, documentary and short film projects which bring up contemporary issues. We are concentrated on international cooperation and co-productions.
The main Studio’s and School’s mission is to search for new talents among debutants. The most interesting young directors from Poland, but also from the whole Europe, has developed and produced their films here.
In our filmography we have more than 70 documentaries and short fictions, more than 200 students shorts. We have had screenings and awards at the festivals such as Berlinale, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, Hot Docs, IDFA and DokLeipzig. Wajda Studio’s documentary ‘Paparazzi’ was nominated for European Film Awards. The Studio is also ‘Christening’ by Marcin Wrona co-producer. In 2012 there was in theatres a new Wajda Studio feature - ‘Sanctuary’ by Norah McGettigan, which is co-production between Ireland and Poland. At the moment Wajda Studio is producing new feature film – “Performer”, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański and Łukasz Ronduda.
