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Film Archive

United States of Love

Horizons 2016 / Zjednoczone Stany Miłości / Poland, Sweden 2016

The advent of the 1990s brought fundamental social change and a wealth of new possibilities. The film’s four heroines of different ages long for fulfilment in their lives and want to be part of that change. Created by one of the most distinctive artists working in Poland, the picture is dominated by exquisitely captured moments of searing, wretched desire for love and intimacy, and also by precise lensing from Oleg Mutu. Silver Bear for Best Script at this year’s Berlinale.

United States of Love United States of Love

Synopsis

The advent of the 1990s brought fundamental social change and a wealth of new possibilities, and the film’s four heroines want to be part of it – Marzena, a former local beauty queen whose husband works abroad; Renata, a Russian teacher nearing retirement; Agata, a young mother trapped in an unhappy marriage; and Iza, a headmistress in love with the father of one of her students. They all have one thing in common: They yearn for change and fulfilment in their lives. One of Poland’s most striking contemporary filmmakers, Tomasz Wasilewski already demonstrated in his previous pictures his wonderful flair for capturing the visceral experiences of his characters, and his latest film is likewise dominated by exquisitely captured moments of searing, wretched desire for love and intimacy. Moreover, the precise, grey-blue lensing of leading European cinematographer Oleg Mutu coolly underscores the loneliness suffered by the individual characters. The film was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Script at this year’s Berlinale.

Lenka Tyrpáková

About the film

104 min / Color, DCP

Director Tomasz Wasilewski / Screenplay Tomasz Wasilewski / Dir. of Photography Oleg Mutu / Editor Beata Walentowska / Art Director Katarzyna Sobańska, Marcel Sławiński / Producer Piotr Kobus, Agnieszka Drewno / Production Mañana / Coproduction TVP S.A, Common Ground Pictures, Film Väst / Cast Julia Kijowska, Magdalena Cielecka, Dorota Kolak, Marta Nieradkiewicz / Sales New Europe Film Sales / Distributor Asociácia slovenských filmových klubov

About the director

Tomasz Wasilewski

Tomasz Wasilewski (b. 1980, Toruń, Poland) studied direction at the Film and Television Academy in Warsaw (2001) and graduated in film and television production from PWSFTviT in Łódź (2006). He shot the short Flameless (Nawiść, 2001) and the short documentary One Man Show (Show jednego człowieka, 2008). His feature film debut In a Bedroom (W sypialni) received its international premiere in KVIFF’s Forum of Independents in 2012 and enjoyed huge success at a series of other international festivals. He returned to Karlovy Vary a year later for the European premiere of his next film, Floating Skyscrapers (Płynące wieżowce​​), which garnered him Best Film in the East of the West Competition. Wasilewski was a member of the East of the West jury in 2014. His third feature United States of Love premiered in competition at this year’s Berlinale.

Contacts

New Europe Film Sales
Puławska 152/5, 02-670, Warsaw
Poland
Phone: +48 609 804 296, +48 600 173 205
E-mail: [email protected]

Asociácia slovenských filmových klubov
Grösslingová 43, 811 09, Bratislava
Slovakia
Phone: +421 254 652 017
E-mail: [email protected]

Guests

Tomasz Wasilewski
Film Director

Jan Naszewski
Sales Agent

Marta Nieradkiewicz
Actress

Magdalena Cielecka
Actress

Julia Kijowska
Actress

Silvia Učňová Kapustová
Distributor, Festival Organizer

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