Archive of films Ode to Joy / Oda do radości

Poland
2005, 110 min

Section: East of the West - Competition
Year: 2006

Three debut filmmakers, three visions of Polish reality – from Silesia, Warsaw and Pomerania. Three young heroes abandon hope of self-fulfilment at home and meet by chance on a bus heading for London. They may have mediocre jobs waiting for them, but they also hope for a better life which their home environment couldn’t possibly offer them.

Synopsis

Three stories of young Poles from Silesia, Warsaw and Pomerania. Three visions of reality. The three debuting directors endorse their heroes’ final encounter on a bus heading for London with the following words: “We are the first generation from a free Poland. We grew up in an atmosphere of economic boom, open borders, an indomitable media circus, so many possibilities and prospects ahead of us. But Polish reality had us convinced that all authority has failed, which meant that we stopped trusting not only state bodies but also institutions of any kind. Despite our disenchantment, we don’t want to leave the country just yet. We believe that things can change. For this reason, we want to make a noise and expose everything which pains and concerns us, we want to cause a stir and make people uneasy! We’d like to create celluloid dreams to goad people into truly believing and hoping, like children; to love openly and without compromise.”

About the director

Anna Kazejak-Dawid (b. 1979) chose culture studies at the Silesian and Lodź universities, then film direction at PWSFTViT in Lodź. She won a series of awards for her films Et cetera (2000), View from the Top (2002), Pulse (2003), My Place (2003), You Are There (2004).
Jan Komasa (b. 1981) studied philosophy at Warsaw university and film direction at PWSFTViT. He made the successful short features Off (2003) and It Is So Great That You Exist (2004), and the documentaries Łysy (2003) and Project the Family (2004).
Maciej Migas (b. 1976) studied journalism at Wroclav university and film direction at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing in Warsaw and at PWSFTViT. Awarded films: Birthday (2000), European City ( 2001), The Real Show (2003), Family Business (2003), The End of a Fairy Tale (2003), The Great Run (2003).

Contacts

TVP SA
J.P. Woronicza 17, 00-999, Warsaw
Poland
Tel: +48 225 478 501, +48 225 476 203
Fax: +48 225 474 248
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.international.tvp.pl

Akson Studio
ul. Piękna 44A, 00-672, Warsaw
Poland
Tel: +48 609856659
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.aksonstudio.pl

About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	East of the West - Competition

Director:	Anna Kazejak, Jan Komasa, Maciej Migas
Screenplay:	Anna Kazejak-Dawid, Jan Komasa, Maciej Migas
Dir. of Photography:	Klaudiusz Dwulit, Piotr Niemyjski, Radosław Ładczuk
Music:	Jacek Lachowicz
Editor:	Maciej Pawliński, Bartosz Pietras, Rafał Listopad
Producer:	Michał Kwieciński, Krzysztof Gierat
Production:	Akson Studio
Cast:	Małgorzata Buczkowska, Dorota Pomykała, Piotr Głowacki, Roma Gąsiorowska, Lesław Żurek, Tomasz Lengren
Contact:	TVP SA, Akson Studio

Guests

Aleksandra Biernacka

Publicist

Anna Kazejak

Film Director

Maciej Karpinski

Film Institution Rep., Film Institution Rep.