A screen adaptation of a short story by the famous Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem (1921-2006) is premiered tonight at the Barbican Cinema in London.
‘The Mask’ is the work of Timothy and Stephen Quay. The soundtrack is by the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki.
The Quay Brothers have also designed the cover to a bilinqual edition of a selection of short stories and essays by Polish and British authors inspired by the writings of Stanisław Lem. The book, entitled ‘Lemistry/Lemiskalia’, is to be published in London by NewCon Press. The production of the film and the publication of the book have been supported by the Polish Cultural Institute in London.
The premiere of ‘The Mask’ will be followed by a concert by the internationally renowned Polish jazz trumpeter Tomasz Stańko with Adam Pieronczyk (saxophones), Dominik Wania (piano), Sławomir Kurkiewicz (bass) and Olavi Louhivuori (drums). The event is in tribute to the jazz pianist and composer Krzysztof Komeda, who died prematurely in 1969, aged 38. Komeda and Stańko were key personalities in the evolution of the Polish jazz scene in the 1960s. (mk)