The Center

Colour, 35 mm
Germany, 2004, 85 min
Section: Documentary Competition

Synopsis

Where is the geographical centre of Europe? Immediately a dozen places, as far as 2,000 kilometres from each other, lay claim to the distinction. So Polish director Stanislaw Mucha and his crew set out on a sometimes burlesque, sometimes tragicomic odyssey across the old continent in order to find the one-and-only true centre. As in his last film, Absolut Warhola, the director opted for a documentary road movie. His search once again includes brief encounters with interesting characters, and these meetings testify to the fact that determining the actual centre of Europe is more a matter of belief than topography. The director presents enthusiastic speeches, whether by local patriots or Euro-utopians, with his typical sense of humour, thus making The Center an original and lightly picturesque contribution to the European unification process.

About the director

Stanislaw Mucha (b. 1970, Nowy Targ, Poland) studied acting at the Ludwik Solski Drama School in Krakow, (1989-1993) then was a member of the company and assistant director at Krakow’s Old Theatre (1994). In 1995-2000 he studied at the “Konrad Wolf” Academy of Film & Television in Potsdam, and in 1999 he was granted a stipend to the Schloss Solitude Academy in Stuttgart. Filmography (documentaries unless otherwise indicated): Lekarz lalek (1995), Bausinn (1996, short), Polish Passion (Polnische Passion, 1997), Der Tisch (1998, short), Ein Wunder (1999), Back Home to the Reich with Bubi (Mit „Bubi“ heim ins Reich, 2000), Absolut Warhola (2001), The Center (Die Mitte, 2004).