Four Polish docs-in-progress, all made by female directors, were presented November 13 to the great and the good of the international documentary sector. Two are by debutant filmmakers. These are Go&See by Julia Kuzka and Hasan’s Joy by Natalia Pietsch. The other projects are by established filmmakers. Eastern Trees is directed by Agnieszka Zwiefka (Queen of Silence, Vika!) while Superhumans sees the return to documentary of Malgorzata Szumowska who won Berlinale Best Director Silver Bear for Body (2018).
Julia Kuzka’s Go&See is described as “a story about sisterhood and family bonds, about tightening and loosening them so that they are not broken.” Produced by Furia Film, the 50-minute project has a mooted delivery date of February 2024. Half of the project’s €200,000 budget is raised.
Hasan’s Joy concerns ‘keyf,’ the Middle Eastern art of taking pleasure in being ‘here and now.’ The film is co-directed by Natalia Pietsch and Grzegorz Piekarski. Budgeted at €110,000 with €30,000 yet to be raised, the 63/72-minute project is in post-production and will be ready May 2024.
The logline of Małgorzata Szumowska’s Superhumans reads how, “in the midst of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the film unveils the war’s tragic consequences, contrasting its brutality with the resilience of humanity.” The budget is €630,000, with €70,000 left to raise. The producer on the 72-minute film is Nowhere Films. Deliver is expected December 2024.
In Agnieszka Zwiefka’s Eastern Trees, after her mom’s tragic death on the Polish‐Belarusian border a 16‐year‐old Kurdish girl Runa has to become a mother for her four younger brothers. Produced by Chilli Productions, the 82-minute film will be delivered in 2024. Producer Zofia Kujawska is looking to raise the final €55,000 of the overall €327,000 budget.
KFF Sales & Promotion is also handling four other titles during IDFA. Radical Move by Aniela Gabryel is described as “a shocking story about the legendary theatre collective Workcenter founded by Jerzy Grotowski, one of the most important revolutionaries in the world theatre.” Meamnwhile, Girls’ Stories by Aga Borzym, which international-premiered in IDFA Youth Competition, “introduces us to a ‘girlish’ world that every woman remembers and every boy who watches the film will be able to discover,” says KFF Sales & Promotion boss Barbara Orlicz‐Szczypułs. “Both films are directed by very talented female filmmakers and are available at Docs for Sale.”
Orlicz‐Szczypułs is also presenting Pianoforte by Jakub Piątek, which premiered at Sundance, and the debut film by Agnieszka Iwańska’s Ula, a portrait of the famous jazz vocalist, Urszula Dudziak.
