A retrospective of one of the most outstanding and renowned Polish directors. She has received numerous awards at international and Polish film festivals. Known for 33 Scenes from Life, Elles and In the Name Of.
IN THE NAME OF… (W imię…), dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Poland, 2013, 96 min
Berlin IFF 2013 – Teddy Award for Best Feature Film, Golden Berlin Bear nomination
Gdynia Polish Film Festival 2013 – Best Director, Best Leading Actor (Andrzej Chyra)
A story of impossible love of a priest set in the catholic community. A moving story of a man entangled in an intimate drama.
Priest Adam takes up a new parish and organizes a centre for teenagers with behavioral problems. He quickly wins people over with his energy, charisma and openness. Friendship with a local outsider will force the priest to face his own problems he was once trying to get away from while embracing the priesthood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVahFW6ZLrg
ELLES (Sponsoring), dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, France, Germany, Poland, 2011, 96 min
Gdynia Polish Film Festival 2012 – Best Supporting Actress (Joanna Kulig), Best Costumes
Eagle 2013 (Polish Film Awards) – Best Supporting Actress (Joanna Kulig)
Anne, a journalist for a luxurious magazine for women, is preparing an article about female student prostitution in Paris. While working on the material she meets two call girls – Charlotte and Alicja. The girls introduce her into the world of sex for money, which to Anne’s surprise turns out to be extremely attractive and helps to unveil the true colours of her own relationship. Sex, money, men and love will never be the same for her…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzwm7sDsVTo
33 SCENES FROM LIFE (33 sceny z życia), dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Poland, Germany, 2008, 95 min
Eagle 2009 (Polish Film Awards) – Best Film
Gdynia Polish Film Festival 2008 – Best Director, Best Score, Best Cinematography
Locarno IFF 2008 – Special Jury Prize for Małgorzata Szumowska
Julia is a successful photographer in her thirties. Her husband Piotr is a highly regarded composer. Julia’s mother, Basia, is a renown detective writer and her father Jurek is a documentary filmmaker. Their happy life suddenly comes to an end. First their beloved dog dies. Soon after that Basia complains of stomach aches – doctors diagnose cancer. Jurek is depressed with his wife’s disease and dies soon after her. Julia’s husband is busy with his work and doesn’t support her. There comes a time when Julia needs to completely verify her previous way of seeing the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU41866g6lA
STRANGER (Ono), dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Poland, Germany 2004, 94 min
Gdynia Polish Film Festival 2004 – Best Supporting Actor (Marek Walczewski), Best Score
Sundance FF 2005 – Nomination for the Grand Jury Prize
European Film Awards 2005 – European Discovery of the Year Nomination
22-year-old Ewa works at a petrol station and has a boring and monotonous life. When she accidentally becomes pregnant she decides to remove it. However, pure coincidence and doctor’s words who tells her that foetus can hear make Ewa change her mind. She decides to give a birth to her baby but before that happens she wants to prepare everything. She calls her unborn baby “ono” (it). She starts speaking and reading to it. She even plays the piano. It turns out that it helps Ewa to come to terms with her life, repair relations with her family and look at her life from a different perspective.