East of the West - Competition 2011 / Jeż Jerzy / Poland 2011
George the hedgehog, the hero of this satirical animated film, has to do battle with a mad scientist who wants to clone him, and must also contend with the latter’s two pea-brained, skinhead henchmen, who are hot on his heels. As in the cartoon series on which the film is based, the authors use their refreshing and often considerably black sense of humour to take pot shots at the various ills of Polish society.
The animated film George the Hedgehog draws on the popularity of the satirical underground strip cartoon featuring the very same hero, a hedgehog who’s a big fan of skateboarding, who likes his beer and enjoys his status as a womaniser. In the cult comic series the filmmakers have used their humorous insight over a number of years to comment on a variety of topical domestic social themes, and also to criticise the country’s political scene. In the film, hedgehog George has to do battle with a mad scientist who wants to clone him and he must also contend with the latter’s pea-brained, skinhead henchmen, Zenek and Stefan. George must fight to regain not only his identity, but also the affections of his beloved Jola. As in the cartoon series on which the film is based, the authors use their refreshing and often considerably black sense of humour to take pot shots at the various ills of Polish society, including right-wing extremism; the Catholic Church doesn’t come out unscathed either. The main character is voiced by one of Poland’s most popular young actors, Borys Szyc.
80 min / Color, 35 mm
European premiere
Director Wojtek Wawszczyk, Jakub Tarkowski, Tomasz Leśniak
/ Screenplay Rafał Skarżycki na základě komiksové série / based on the comic book series by Tomasz Leśniak
/ Music Jacek Szymkiewicz, Jan Duszyński
/ Editor Wojtek Włodarski
/ Producer Jolanta Rojek, Maciej Ślesicki, Eliza Oczkowska, Stanisław Dziedzic
/ Production Paisa Films, Film Produkcja
/ Cast Hlasy / Voices: Borys Szyc, Maria Peszek, Maciej Malenczuk
/ Contact New Europe Film Sales
www: www.filmjezjerzy.com
Wojtek Wawszczyk (b. 1977, Cieszyn, Poland) works as a director and animator, writer, teacher and composer. He graduated from the Polish National Film School in Łódź and the Film Academy in Baden-Württemberg. His animated shorts Headless (Bezgłowy, 1999), Mouse (2001), Fly-Away Penguin (Pingwin, 2002) and Splinter (2008) won awards and credits around the world. Tomasz Leśniak (b. 1977, Warsaw) studied graphic design at the European Art Academy in Warsaw. He is one of Poland’s most popular cartoonists. He created the cult comic series George the Hedgehog with Rafał Skarżycki. Jakub Tarkowski (b. 1978, New York) is a film director and animator living in Warsaw. He graduated from the Polish National Film School in Łódz; in 2003 he won the Ridley Scott Award in the SFX category. George the Hedgehog is his feature-length debut.
New Europe Film Sales
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Poland
Phone: +48 609 804 296, +48 600 173 205
E-mail: [email protected]
Wojtek Wawszczyk
Film Director
Jakub Tarkowski
Film Director
Tomasz Leśniak
Film Director
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