Renata Łukasiak

Life and Deaths of Max Linder

Searching for documentation about Max Linder, we found in an abandoned house a trunk sealed for 100 years, with a film from 1926 by an unknown filmmaker. The film depicts Max Linder, the first international screen star who was once revered in France, throughout Europe and in Hollywood. This pioneer of early silent film comedy was a mentor to Charlie Chaplin. Max miraculously avoided death five times. And finally, at the height of his artistic powers, he and his adored wife committed a double suicide. How was this possible?

Altered States of Consciousness

A film about the possibilities of our brain. A poetic journey deep into the world of thoughts of people with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Where do the boundaries of our minds lie, and how much does culture confine or even extinguish our creativity in everyday life and even in love? In the film, we meet people of various ages who experience autism to differing degrees on the spectrum of the illness. With some, there is practically no contact at all, whereas others at first glance give the appearance of being “healthy.” Each of our subjects is a separate world and a unique means of seeking his or her own path in life.

The Naked King - 18 Fragments on Revolution

In 1979, a revolution in Iran. In 1980, a revolution in Poland. The fall of the Shah, the “King of Kings,” in Iran. Mass strikes and the foundation of Solidarność (Solidarity) in Poland. What was in the minds of the young women and men who fomented revolution in their own country? What did they think when their revolution was quelled, or – as in Iran – an authoritarian regime was instituted under the name of an “Islamic Republic”?

The Antarctic Syndrome

Does doctor Jan Terelak belong to an “elitist” group of the most unethical experimenters? The Polish scientist tested boundaries of human mental resilience in extreme conditions of solitude in Antarctica. The starting point for Piotr Jaworski's documentary is the psychologist's journal. The project from forty years ago was focused on studying the mental condition of polar explorers at the Polish station. Men were in the situation of confinement, comparable to a space mission. The film reconstructs these events, referring to the then contemporary context and changes in the perception of science.

A Sky Without Stars

A story of the love between a father who is losing his eyesight and his seven-year-old son who learns to become his father’s guide and his eyes. What the son sees for the first time, the father is most likely seeing for the last. Their unique relationship illustrates the saying that love is invisible to the eye.

I Grew Up As You Slept

Out of the 30 students that graduated from Karalina's class at a Minsk conservatory, only one chose to remain in the country. The totalitarian Belarus is gradually becoming deserted, and well-educated people are migrating in droves to the furthest reaches of the world in search of happiness, better career opportunities and a dignified life. I Grew Up As You Slept is a story about emigration, nostalgia and longing for one's family, friends and country. Karalina's film journey, during which she visits her grandmother, who lives in the depopulated Belarusian village of Achaniany, is primarily a journey through time to the land of childhood and memories.

Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski. The Statesman

Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski is a widely forgotten politician and economic activist who greatly contributed to Poland’s growth. Where did he come from? What is the secret to this phenomenon of a man whose initiatives form the basis of the Polish economy to this day? Why was he so ruthlessly banished from public life?

Hugo

Zdzislaw Misiak, known as Dzidek, is the retired king of amusement parks. After his daughter's death his 7 year-old grandson Hugo comes to live with him in one of the left over barracks. In the enchanting surroundings of the amusement park a bond grows between the boy and his grandfather. This helps them both heal wounds caused by their tragic loss. But this cannot last. Soon, they are brought to the attention of the System and the peace of Dzidek-land is disturbed. Hugo is a film about love and the courage to live this life by one's own rules, and to undermine traditional upbringing models in which most of us are still entrapped.

Stanisław Lem: Autor Solaris

An account of the life and work of the Polish writer Stanisław Lem (1921-2006), a key figure in science fiction literature involved in mysteries and paradoxes that need to be enlightened.

You Have No Idea How Much I Love You

Relationships with the people you love most are often the most complicated. This is the problem Hania and her mother Ewa face during their sessions with a psychotherapist, filmed intimately and with the utmost respect by director Paweł Łoziński. The camera always focuses on one person at a time, revealing every emotion hidden behind the words and silences. The empathetic therapist carefully but purposefully peels away the hard layers under which mother and daughter shield themselves. Little by little, the personal tragedies that hamper their communication rise to the surface, as well as the source of the longing for love and acknowledgement that they find so hard to fulfill.