Polish Film Festival Los Angeles has been started on October 7 and will run until October 16. 2014 marks the 15th anniversary of this successful film festival that presents the best of Polish cinema in Hollywood every year. Here is the complete program of the festival for October 10 and 11:
Laemmle’s NoHo7 Theatre, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 (310-478-3836):
Friday, October 10, 2014 (in person: Lukasz Bedkowski, Emmanuelle Seigner)
7:00 p.m. THE CABARET OF DEATH (Kabaret smierci) by Andrzej Celinski (94 min.) The World War II story about the Jewish artists fighting for survival using the only weapon available to them – musical, theatrical and film creativity. They fend off the German Nazi apparatus of repression with the joke, cabaret performances, sketches, spectacles, songs, concerts… They organize them in concentration camps and ghettos. They fight for their lives, but most of all, as they emphasize, they fight for the soul and dignity. In the series of dramatized episodes, which are reconstructions of the facts, we see how music, sketch and Jewish schmonces, became the weapons to promote the fight for the will to live and the will to participate in resistance, both in performing artists and members of the audience, people who were often emaciated by the murderous work and hunger.
9:00 p.m. VENUS IN FUR by Roman Polanski (96 min.) An actress attempts to convince a director how she’s perfect for a role in his upcoming production.
Saturday, October 11, 2014 (in person: Elzbieta Szoka, Alek Pietrzak, Greg Strasz, Evan Fisher, Bob Mclean, Nicolas Neidhardt, Marco Khan, Mariam Vardani, Patrick Wolf, Adi Spektor)
1:00 p.m. GABRIEL by Mikolaj Haremski (83 min.) Tomek, 12, an orphan who lives with his grandparents since the death of his mother, loves cars and spends all his free time in the garage with Raszynski a mechanic who teaches the boy how to repair and build them. But Tomek has a nagging need to find his long lost father. One day he gives in to the urge, setting off on a journey across the southern province of Swietokrzyskie. Tom is not alone. He is accompanied by a mysterious friend, Gabriel, who proves to be a highly unusual road companion.
CASPARADE (Kacperiada) by Wojtek Wawszczyk (11 min.) Little Casper is glued to the TV watching the adventures of his favorite superhero. As his Dad tries to restrict access to television, Casper has a brilliant idea: He dresses up as his Grandfather in order to confuse his Dad. However, Dad knows how to strike back! In fact, the real superhero might be where you’d expect him least…
3:00 p.m. Doc. 1 ALBERT CINEMA by Agnieszka Zwiefka (50 min.) A group of homeless men living in the Brother Albert’s shelter began to shoot films, in which they are the actors, scriptwriters, directors and cameramen. Their films have official premieres in cinemas. For homeless filmmakers these meetings with their audience are more important than Oscar ceremonies. Very often they invite their long gone families and sometimes… miracles happen.
ALDONA by Iwo Kondefer (15 min.) This movie is about Aldona Plewinska – tough, young girl from Silesia (Slask), with strong character and ironic look on reality. Aldona is disabled– she was born without arms and leg. Despite it she wants her dream about carrier of being model to come true.
CHESTER by Elzbieta Szoka (25 min.) Story of one man’s life long recovery from a terrible car accident, one that initially left him a paraplegic. Faced with massive rehabilitation, both physical and spiritual, Chester (Polish descendant) stoically picks up the pieces. With help from family members and the community of his church, Chester goes on to college, graduates, and becomes a successful businessman in the medical supply industry in Austin, Texas. Living on his own, Chester is a role model for independence, strength, and survival. His family ties and faith fill out and complete his life.
5:00 p.m. Shorts1: THE KISS (Pocalunek) by Filip Gieldon (22 min.) After an alcohol-induced night out, Emilia, 20, wakes up in an apartment she has never been in before. To her surprise, the person that greets her is not a man, but Matylda, 32, claiming that not only did they meet last night, but that Emilia was the one who kissed her, before they made their way into bed.
MAKING A SCENE by Janusz Kaminski (14 min.) The year’s best big-screen performers in 11 original (very) short films for New York Times Magazine.
STRONG COFFEE ISN`T THAT BAD (Mocna kawa wcale nie jest taka zla) by Alek Pietrzak (49 min.) Story about relationship between father and son. In this comedy-drama, the son comes back home after 18years abroad. It is a story about two men too stubborn to admit their true feelings.
BROKEN by Greg Strasz (6 min.) A young woman consumed with finding a man from her past, must choose between revenge and forgiveness in war-torn Middle East.
7:00 p.m. THE HOLLY SINNER (Wybraniec) by Michal Wegrzyn (82 min.) This is a drama about the search for self-identity. Film is an example of modern 20 –30-year-old conversations about how young people rashly and unwisely decide about marriage and having children.
THE CROW (Wrona) Przemyslaw Jan Chrobak (10 min.) The film is a kaleidoscope of human behavior to the unusual event on one of Warsaw’s estates.
9:00 p.m. BUNNY by Annika Glac (95 min) Pregnant Blanka wakes up, and puts on her bunny costume. Out on the wintry Warsaw street she wearily hands out advertising flyer’s. When she faints, a stranger, Alexander, fresh out of prison with only freedom on his mind, rescues her. Desperate to earn money he joins forces with the Bunny and becomes the Fox. Against his nature he falls for the Bunny and is caught in a trap of his own making. But their lives were intertwined long before they ever met by a brutal mistake which Alexander is now desperate to hide. Two people swirling in one destiny.
HOW TO ROB A HOUSE by Adi Spektor (7 min.) Two thieves find themselves robbing the wrong house at the wrong time.
Laemmle’s Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310-478-3836)
Friday, October 10, 2014 (in person: Antoni Pawlicki)
7:00 p.m. BIG LOVE by Barbara Bialowas (100 min.)
9:00 p.m. PAPUSZA by Joanna & Krzysztof Krauze (131 min.)
Saturday, October 11, 2014 (in person: Zbigniew Czapla, Balbinka Korzeniowska, Tadeusz Torzecki)
1:30 p.m. WARSAW UPRISING (Powstanie Warszawskie) (76 min.)
3:00 p.m. Animations Program: BEACH (Plaza) by Pawel Prewencki (4 min.)
ENDEMIT’S GREED by Natalia Dziedzic (11 min.)
EX ANIMO by Wojciech Wojtkowski (7 min.)
THE GOVERNANCE OF LOVE (O rzadach milosci) by Adela Kaczmarek (13 min.)
MOONSHINE by Michal Poniedzielski (11 min.)
POCHLEBA by Barbara Mydlak (4 min.)
SPIDER AND FLIES (Pajak i muchy) by Tessa Moult-Milewska (4 min.)
SUMMER 2014 (Lato 2014) by Wojciech Sobczyk (13 min.)
THE TENEMENT BUILDING (Kamienica) by Agnieszka Burszewska (13 min.)
TO THY HEART (Do serca twego) by Ewa Borysewicz (10 min.)
TOTO by Zbigniew Czapla (12 min.)
VANITAS by Kamila & Miroslam Sosnowski (7 min.)
5:00 p.m. Doc. PADEREWSKI A MAN OF ACTION, SUCCESS AND FAME (Paderewski, czlowiek czynu, sukcesu i slawy) by Wieslaw Dabrowski (32 min.)
A LITTLE POLAND IN INDIA by Anu Radha (52 min.)
7:00 p.m. LITTLE CRASHES (Male stluczki) by Aleksandra Gowin (82 min.)
AN ARTIST AND A SON by Balbinka Korzeniowska (3 min.)
AWAKEN by Balbinka Korzeniowska (7 min.)
9:00 p.m. THE VULTURE (Sep) by Eugeniusz Korin (113 min.)
Informatio: www.polishfilmLA.org , 818/982-8827
Program subject to change without prior notice