Whilst Polish talents have failed to secure any nominations at the Oscars this year, a consolation has emerged in the form of the prestigious international History Makers Festival, which began today in New York.
Two Polish productions have been nominated in the high brow film festival, with the winning pictures due to be announced on Friday. The films, made by TVP and TVP Kultura, will compete against heavyweight international networks such as BBC, HBO and ABC.
Ewa Ptyka's The Tail Operation (Operacja Reszka) has been championed in the category of Best Historical Drama, whilst Krzysztof Rzaczynski is in the running for Best Current Affairs Production for his documentary My Father, the Iron Curtain, and Me (Tata zza Zelaznej Kurtyny).
The Tail Operation follows the attempts of Poland's communist era Security Services to puncture the network of famed 1970s dissident Piotr Jeglinski. The dramatised film, with Jan Wieczorkowski in the role of Jeglinski, explores the game of cat and mouse from both sides of the table.
Meanwhile, the documentary My Father, the Iron Curtain and Me investigates the experiences of Poles in the second generation after emigration. Jem Panufnik is a noted UK DJ and owner of cutting edge label Finger Lickin Records. However, his father – who spoke little of his wartime experiences – was the acclaimed composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik who defected from communist Poland in 1954. Director Krzysztof Rzaczynski coaxes the son to return to Poland to unravel his father's legacy, resulting in a poignant exploration of identity.
As the aforementioned productions battle it out in New York, three Polish documentary films are currently being screened at the 22nd Film Festival in Trieste.
Wojtek Slota and Leszek Gnoinski's Beats of Freedom (Zew Wolnosci), which looks at anti-communist sentiment in Polish punk, is one of the selected films. Likewise, two works by noted documentary filmmaker Marcin Koszalka are also showing. Declaration of Immortality (Deklaracja Niesmiertelnosci) looks at the career of noted climber Piotr 'madman' Korczak, whilst Escape from Her (Ucieknijmy od Niej) is an emotive exploration of the director's own painful family problems. (nh)
Source: culture.pl