Agnieszka Holland’s refugee drama The Green Border has taken the top prize for best film at the Polish Film Awards. The black-and-white feature, which looks at the inhumane treatment of refugees trying to cross the natural border between Belarus and Poland, premiered to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival last year but came under attack from Poland’s far-right government, which called the movie “Nazi propaganda” for its supposedly negative depiction of Polish police and border guards. The political attacks are thought to have influenced the Polish Oscar committee’s decision not to put Green Border forward as Poland’s best international film contender this year, instead selecting Dk and Hugh Welchman’s Hugh animated literary adaptation The Peasants (which did not get nominated).
But a lot has changed in Poland since. Parliamentary elections last October ousted the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which had ruled for 8 years,...
But a lot has changed in Poland since. Parliamentary elections last October ousted the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which had ruled for 8 years,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Deadline on Tuesday launched the streaming site for Contenders Film: Documentary, its annual showcase of the year’s best nonfiction films that are in the running for the Documentary Feature Oscar.
Click here to launch the streaming site.
A total of nine buzzworthy films participated in panel discussions during Sunday’s virtual event, featuring movies from Amazon MGM Studios, Apple Original Films, HBO Documentary Films, National Geographic Documentary Films, Paramount+ and MTV Documentary Films, Sony Pictures Classics, and Telemark and Greenwich Entertainment.
Panelists who joined to discuss their projects included directors Davis Guggenheim (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), Peter Nicks (Stephen Curry: Underrated), Jesse Moss and Amanda McBain (The Mission), Christopher Sharp (Bobi Wine: The People’s President), Raoul Peck (Silver Dollar Road), Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal (They Shot the Piano Player), Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson (Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project), Jakub Piątek (Pianoforte) and...
Click here to launch the streaming site.
A total of nine buzzworthy films participated in panel discussions during Sunday’s virtual event, featuring movies from Amazon MGM Studios, Apple Original Films, HBO Documentary Films, National Geographic Documentary Films, Paramount+ and MTV Documentary Films, Sony Pictures Classics, and Telemark and Greenwich Entertainment.
Panelists who joined to discuss their projects included directors Davis Guggenheim (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), Peter Nicks (Stephen Curry: Underrated), Jesse Moss and Amanda McBain (The Mission), Christopher Sharp (Bobi Wine: The People’s President), Raoul Peck (Silver Dollar Road), Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal (They Shot the Piano Player), Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson (Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project), Jakub Piątek (Pianoforte) and...
- 12/12/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Every five years, the capital of Poland hosts one of the most thrilling classical music competitions in the world: the International Chopin Piano Competition, known colloquially as the “Olympics of piano.”
Contestants from around the globe gather under the rigorous eye and ear of judges to perform works for solo piano composed by native son Frédéric Chopin, a virtuoso pianist himself who wrote music that demands tremendous skill and artistry of the soloist.
In his documentary Pianoforte, from Greenwich Entertainment and Telemark, Polish director Jakub Piątek documents the most recent Chopin Competition, an event of such prestige that it inherently involves “high stakes and high emotions,” as the filmmaker noted during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event.
Related: Deadline’s Contenders Documentary – Full Coverage
“We chose our protagonists during this preliminary round, which is like 160 of them, trying to get one of the 90 ‘tickets’ to the main competition,...
Contestants from around the globe gather under the rigorous eye and ear of judges to perform works for solo piano composed by native son Frédéric Chopin, a virtuoso pianist himself who wrote music that demands tremendous skill and artistry of the soloist.
In his documentary Pianoforte, from Greenwich Entertainment and Telemark, Polish director Jakub Piątek documents the most recent Chopin Competition, an event of such prestige that it inherently involves “high stakes and high emotions,” as the filmmaker noted during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event.
Related: Deadline’s Contenders Documentary – Full Coverage
“We chose our protagonists during this preliminary round, which is like 160 of them, trying to get one of the 90 ‘tickets’ to the main competition,...
- 12/10/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
By the time December rolls around, a frontrunner has typically emerged in the Oscar race for Best Documentary Feature. Not this year. The contest remains wide open, more so than in any year in recent memory.
For that reason alone, it’s essential to hear from the leading filmmakers in the mix. And that’s where Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary event comes in. Out essential guide featuring an awards-worthy slate of outstanding nonfiction films kicks off Saturday at 9 a.m. Pt featuring panels from nine of the year’s most buzzy titles.
Click here to sign up for and launch the livestream.
Among the all-star talent on hand is Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, director of Apple Original Films’ Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, about the beloved Hollywood icon. Guggenheim’s film recently won five prizes at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, including Best Feature and Best Director.
Also...
For that reason alone, it’s essential to hear from the leading filmmakers in the mix. And that’s where Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary event comes in. Out essential guide featuring an awards-worthy slate of outstanding nonfiction films kicks off Saturday at 9 a.m. Pt featuring panels from nine of the year’s most buzzy titles.
Click here to sign up for and launch the livestream.
Among the all-star talent on hand is Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, director of Apple Original Films’ Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, about the beloved Hollywood icon. Guggenheim’s film recently won five prizes at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, including Best Feature and Best Director.
Also...
- 12/10/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Animal, with Thursday previews of just over $1.25 million, looks set for the biggest North American Bollywood opening day since Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva last year. Both star Ranbir Kapoor.
The Hindi revenge thriller by Sandeep Reddy Vanga about a son’s toxic relationship with a father he idolizes opens on 700 screens (nearly 100 in Canada) with the subtitled trailer below at 81 million views. Co-stars Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna. Opening numbers look especially good since the film is violent (it has the equivalent of an R rating in India), likely taking some families out of the mix.
Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, Murad Khetani, Krishan Kumar. Distributors are Moksha Movies and Nirvana Cinemas.
Neon presents Sundance-premiering Eileen with Anne Hathaway from director William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth) in limited release at six theaters. Based on the 2015 debut novel by Otessa Moshfegh,...
The Hindi revenge thriller by Sandeep Reddy Vanga about a son’s toxic relationship with a father he idolizes opens on 700 screens (nearly 100 in Canada) with the subtitled trailer below at 81 million views. Co-stars Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna. Opening numbers look especially good since the film is violent (it has the equivalent of an R rating in India), likely taking some families out of the mix.
Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, Murad Khetani, Krishan Kumar. Distributors are Moksha Movies and Nirvana Cinemas.
Neon presents Sundance-premiering Eileen with Anne Hathaway from director William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth) in limited release at six theaters. Based on the 2015 debut novel by Otessa Moshfegh,...
- 12/1/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The International Chopin Piano Competition is the closest thing that concert pianists have to the Olympics. You might even say that, since the prestigious contest only happens every five years, the Olympics are the closest thing that athletes have to the International Chopin Piano Competition. Twice a decade, the world’s greatest virtuosos descend upon the city of Warsaw for a grueling three weeks of trials in which every mistake is placed under the world’s largest microscope. Contestants are limited to performing the works of Frédéric Chopin, so there’s little room to mask errors with creativity. Win the contest, and you’re on a fast track to classical music superstardom. Play a wrong note? Your dreams of glory are instantly dashed.
“Pianoforte,” Jakub Piatek’s documentary about the 2021 competition (postponed from its original 2020 date), follows a group of young musicians during their three weeks in Warsaw vying for the title.
“Pianoforte,” Jakub Piatek’s documentary about the 2021 competition (postponed from its original 2020 date), follows a group of young musicians during their three weeks in Warsaw vying for the title.
- 11/30/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Premiering at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Jakub Piatek’s documentary Pianoforte goes inside the International Chopin Piano Competition, held only once every five years, in which the world’s most talented young pianists compete. Now set for a release on December 1 from Greenwich Entertainment, the first trailer has arrived.
Here’s the official synopsis: “During the preliminary round, there are 160 of them. Then, about 80. Then 40. At last, only 10 lucky ones make it to the final. These are the contestants in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. Pianoforte follows an eclectic group of young musicians from around the world who have prepared since they were children for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Offering a rare behind the scenes look backstage at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition, filmmaker Jakub Piatek captures the intense pressure these musicians face in an experience that combines...
Here’s the official synopsis: “During the preliminary round, there are 160 of them. Then, about 80. Then 40. At last, only 10 lucky ones make it to the final. These are the contestants in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. Pianoforte follows an eclectic group of young musicians from around the world who have prepared since they were children for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Offering a rare behind the scenes look backstage at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition, filmmaker Jakub Piatek captures the intense pressure these musicians face in an experience that combines...
- 10/30/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"They train their whole lives..." Greenwich Ent. has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film called Pianoforte, made by Polish filmmaker Jakub Piatek. This initially premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it received a warm reception during the fest. The film is a fly-on-the-wall profile of young pianists taking part in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition (in Poland). A unique chance of a lifetime, portrayed from backstage and set to Chopin's music. The world's most talented young pianists compete in this prestigious competition, known as the place where the greatest pianists are rewarded and immortalized, held every five years in Warsaw. The film presents a rare behind the scenes look at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition. It is both a testament to the remarkable power of music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait. It's a captivating journey into this world most of us aren't familiar with,...
- 10/25/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Coming of age in the world of professional musicians is another feat unto itself.
Documentary “Pianoforte,” which premiered at Sundance 2023, follows talented young musicians as they compete in the International Chopin Piano Competition, which is held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. “Pianoforte” is directed by “Prime Time” helmer Jakub Piatek and debuted in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival this year.
Per the official synopsis, the film charts the “highest highs and lowest lows for this select group of musicians as the competition unfolds. The film is both a testament to the remarkable power of music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait.”
Greenwich Entertainment is handling U.S. distribution for the Telemark documentary. “Pianoforte” is produced by Maciej Kubicki (“Kubrick by Kubrick”). The feature was co-funded by the Polish Film Institute and co-produced by HBO Max with BBC Storyville acquiring U.K. rights. The film was shot during the pandemic,...
Documentary “Pianoforte,” which premiered at Sundance 2023, follows talented young musicians as they compete in the International Chopin Piano Competition, which is held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. “Pianoforte” is directed by “Prime Time” helmer Jakub Piatek and debuted in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival this year.
Per the official synopsis, the film charts the “highest highs and lowest lows for this select group of musicians as the competition unfolds. The film is both a testament to the remarkable power of music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait.”
Greenwich Entertainment is handling U.S. distribution for the Telemark documentary. “Pianoforte” is produced by Maciej Kubicki (“Kubrick by Kubrick”). The feature was co-funded by the Polish Film Institute and co-produced by HBO Max with BBC Storyville acquiring U.K. rights. The film was shot during the pandemic,...
- 10/25/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The fall festival circuit features a powerhouse lineup of Polish cinema that showcases an industry in full stride, with hard-hitting topical dramas, award-season hopefuls and potential box-office breakouts highlighting the strength and diversity of filmmaking in a country with a storied cinematic history.
Among the hotly anticipated premieres at this week’s Toronto Film Festival is “The Peasants,” a lavish, hand-painted animated feature from the filmmaking team behind Oscar nominee and box-office sensation “Loving Vincent.” Meanwhile, three-time Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland will be on hand for the North American premiere of “Green Border,” her searing portrayal of Europe’s refugee crisis that just bowed in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
Also on the Lido, two-time Berlin Silver Bear winner Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert are vying for the Golden Lion with “Woman Of,” their decades-spanning portrait of a transgender Polish woman on a journey of self-discovery.
Producer Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska,...
Among the hotly anticipated premieres at this week’s Toronto Film Festival is “The Peasants,” a lavish, hand-painted animated feature from the filmmaking team behind Oscar nominee and box-office sensation “Loving Vincent.” Meanwhile, three-time Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland will be on hand for the North American premiere of “Green Border,” her searing portrayal of Europe’s refugee crisis that just bowed in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
Also on the Lido, two-time Berlin Silver Bear winner Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert are vying for the Golden Lion with “Woman Of,” their decades-spanning portrait of a transgender Polish woman on a journey of self-discovery.
Producer Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Pianoforte directed by Jakub Piatek (Prime Time).
The Telemark documentary premiered to good reviews at Sundance and Greenwich is planning to release on December 1.
Pianoforte follows an eclectic group of young musicians from around the world who have spent years preparing for the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. In the coming-of-age portrait, director Piatek goes backstage to look at the highs and lows the musicians face.
Pic was produced by Maciej Kubicki (Kubrick by Kubrick). Greenwich’s Andy Bohn negotiated the acquisition with Submarine’s Matt Burke and Ben Schwartz on behalf of the filmmakers.
“We are excited to be working with Greenwich to bring this beautiful music and talented young artists to cinemas across the US,” said director Jakub Piatek.
Greenwich’s previous releases have included Oscar winner Free Solo, music doc Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,...
The Telemark documentary premiered to good reviews at Sundance and Greenwich is planning to release on December 1.
Pianoforte follows an eclectic group of young musicians from around the world who have spent years preparing for the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. In the coming-of-age portrait, director Piatek goes backstage to look at the highs and lows the musicians face.
Pic was produced by Maciej Kubicki (Kubrick by Kubrick). Greenwich’s Andy Bohn negotiated the acquisition with Submarine’s Matt Burke and Ben Schwartz on behalf of the filmmakers.
“We are excited to be working with Greenwich to bring this beautiful music and talented young artists to cinemas across the US,” said director Jakub Piatek.
Greenwich’s previous releases have included Oscar winner Free Solo, music doc Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,...
- 8/18/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Polish Days runs July 23-25.
New films by Jan P. Matuszyński, Jakub Piątek, Agnieszka Zwiefka and the makers of Loving Vincent are among 22 projects being presented at the 2023 edition of Polish Days, the industry event for Polish cinema running during New Horizons International Film Festival (July 20-30) in Wrocław.
Scroll down for full line-up
The event runs July 23-25 and is aimed at sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The line-up includes four completed Polish films, including Marcin Koszałka’s historical drama White Courage, produced by Warsaw-based Balapolis, and Amp Polska’s production of Edward Porembny’s docudrama The Life...
New films by Jan P. Matuszyński, Jakub Piątek, Agnieszka Zwiefka and the makers of Loving Vincent are among 22 projects being presented at the 2023 edition of Polish Days, the industry event for Polish cinema running during New Horizons International Film Festival (July 20-30) in Wrocław.
Scroll down for full line-up
The event runs July 23-25 and is aimed at sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The line-up includes four completed Polish films, including Marcin Koszałka’s historical drama White Courage, produced by Warsaw-based Balapolis, and Amp Polska’s production of Edward Porembny’s docudrama The Life...
- 7/12/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The Loads‘ Ognjen Glavonic, Autobiography‘s Makbul Mubarak & Medusa‘s Anita Rocha da Silveira are among the selected filmmakers for TorinoFilmLab’s ScriptLab Participants. Glavonic will be at the lab with In The Shadow Of The Horns – his sophomore fiction feature. Indonesian filmmaker Mubarak comes with Watch It Burn – his sophomore feature while Brazilian filmmaker Anita Rocha da Silveira will be workshopping her third feature in I Can’t Dance. The 20 projects come from 20 writer-directors and eight co-writers, and have been selected from 550 submissions. Here are the ScriptLab 2023 projects and participants:
A Perfect Family – Writer: Adriano Valerio / Co-writer: Aude Py
All The Crows In The World – Writer: Yi Tang
Alma – Writer: Laura Herrero Garvin / Co-writer: Jorge Gil
Amari – Writer: Domien Huyghe, Co-writer: Wendy Huyghe
Blind Spots – Writer: Ely Chevillot
Brilliant Melody – Writer: Carlo Francisco / Co-writer: Jeremie Dubois
Counting Cards With My Father – Writer: Lydia Rui
Detour – Writer: Jakub Piatek / Co-writer:...
A Perfect Family – Writer: Adriano Valerio / Co-writer: Aude Py
All The Crows In The World – Writer: Yi Tang
Alma – Writer: Laura Herrero Garvin / Co-writer: Jorge Gil
Amari – Writer: Domien Huyghe, Co-writer: Wendy Huyghe
Blind Spots – Writer: Ely Chevillot
Brilliant Melody – Writer: Carlo Francisco / Co-writer: Jeremie Dubois
Counting Cards With My Father – Writer: Lydia Rui
Detour – Writer: Jakub Piatek / Co-writer:...
- 3/27/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
There is a particular focus on comedies.
TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has selected 20 projects for its ScriptLab 2023, plus five story editors, in what it describes as the first ‘fully international’ iteration of the annual development scheme.
The 20 projects come from 20 writer-directors and eight co-writers, and have been selected from 550 submissions.
Scroll down for the full list of participants
Those selected will take part in three week-long residential modules in April, June and November; with two online modules in September and October. The participants will be divided into five groups, and tutored by script consultants Philippe Barriere, Severine Cornamusaz, Aleksandra Swierk, Marietta von Hausswolff and Gino Ventriglia.
TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has selected 20 projects for its ScriptLab 2023, plus five story editors, in what it describes as the first ‘fully international’ iteration of the annual development scheme.
The 20 projects come from 20 writer-directors and eight co-writers, and have been selected from 550 submissions.
Scroll down for the full list of participants
Those selected will take part in three week-long residential modules in April, June and November; with two online modules in September and October. The participants will be divided into five groups, and tutored by script consultants Philippe Barriere, Severine Cornamusaz, Aleksandra Swierk, Marietta von Hausswolff and Gino Ventriglia.
- 3/27/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel has revealed the first titles of its 54th edition, which runs April 21 to 30. The event will open with the world premiere of “Nightwatchers” by Juliette de Marcillac, which was filmed at night in an idyllic Alpine resort a stone’s throw from the French-Italian border. As night falls family ski days give way to a game of chase between the police and the volunteers who help migrants.
Mostly doctors, they roam the mountain slopes at night, watching for the arrival of migrants who have just completed long, life-risking journeys. Police surveillance is permanent and denunciation is commonplace, pushing the exiles ever higher up the mountain.
“Nightwatchers”
“It is a cinematic experience in a breathtaking twilight setting, bringing to light a vital and powerful closely-knit network,” the festival said.
Twelve feature films will compete for the Audience Award in the Grand Angle section, including three world premieres.
Mostly doctors, they roam the mountain slopes at night, watching for the arrival of migrants who have just completed long, life-risking journeys. Police surveillance is permanent and denunciation is commonplace, pushing the exiles ever higher up the mountain.
“Nightwatchers”
“It is a cinematic experience in a breathtaking twilight setting, bringing to light a vital and powerful closely-knit network,” the festival said.
Twelve feature films will compete for the Audience Award in the Grand Angle section, including three world premieres.
- 3/14/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Swiss documentary festival is set to run April 21-30
The Visions du Reel film festival has unveiled the first titles for its 2023 edition, set to run April 21-30.
The documentary festival, based in Nyon, Switzerland, will open with the world premiere of French director Juliette de Marcillac’s feature debut Nightwatchers. Filmed at high-end ski resort Montgenèvre on the French-Italian border, it tells the story of volunteers trying to help migrants, and the authorities trying to catch them.
The film is part of the Grand Angle competition, with 12 titles competing for the audience award worth Chf 10,000.
The section includes...
The Visions du Reel film festival has unveiled the first titles for its 2023 edition, set to run April 21-30.
The documentary festival, based in Nyon, Switzerland, will open with the world premiere of French director Juliette de Marcillac’s feature debut Nightwatchers. Filmed at high-end ski resort Montgenèvre on the French-Italian border, it tells the story of volunteers trying to help migrants, and the authorities trying to catch them.
The film is part of the Grand Angle competition, with 12 titles competing for the audience award worth Chf 10,000.
The section includes...
- 3/14/2023
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Jakub Piątek’s documentary Pianoforte follows several young participants in the International Chopin Piano Competition, which has been held in Warsaw every five years since 1927. The competitors navigate intense qualifying rules, several stages and the intimidating presence of world renowned jurors as they vie for a shot at professional recognition. Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek, also the filmmaker’s spouse, discusses the process of cutting the documentary, including the “magic” often captured on stage that was palpable “even in the dark editing room.” See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the […]
The post “We Wanted To Create a Mosaic Film”: Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Wanted To Create a Mosaic Film”: Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Jakub Piątek’s documentary Pianoforte follows several young participants in the International Chopin Piano Competition, which has been held in Warsaw every five years since 1927. The competitors navigate intense qualifying rules, several stages and the intimidating presence of world renowned jurors as they vie for a shot at professional recognition. Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek, also the filmmaker’s spouse, discusses the process of cutting the documentary, including the “magic” often captured on stage that was palpable “even in the dark editing room.” See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the […]
The post “We Wanted To Create a Mosaic Film”: Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Wanted To Create a Mosaic Film”: Editor Ula Klimek-Piątek on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Founded in 1927, the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition provides the dramatic stage for Jakub Piątek’s Pianoforte. Tracking some of the talented performers from around the world entering the competition, Piątek’s crowdpleasing documentary, which premiered at Sundance 2023, is lensed by his longtime collaborator Filip Drożdż, who discusses his work on the project below. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Drożdż: I’ve known the director, Jakub Piątek, for a long time. We used to work on many different projects together […]
The post “We Had to Be Extra Quiet Moving Around”: Dp Filip Drożdż on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Had to Be Extra Quiet Moving Around”: Dp Filip Drożdż on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/26/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Founded in 1927, the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition provides the dramatic stage for Jakub Piątek’s Pianoforte. Tracking some of the talented performers from around the world entering the competition, Piątek’s crowdpleasing documentary, which premiered at Sundance 2023, is lensed by his longtime collaborator Filip Drożdż, who discusses his work on the project below. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Drożdż: I’ve known the director, Jakub Piątek, for a long time. We used to work on many different projects together […]
The post “We Had to Be Extra Quiet Moving Around”: Dp Filip Drożdż on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Had to Be Extra Quiet Moving Around”: Dp Filip Drożdż on Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/26/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? One of the obvious obstacles for us was lockdown. We are telling a mosaic story with different protagonists and, during the process, we found out that we couldn’t visit some of them because of Covid and really long quarantines in some countries. We asked our friends from the Film School in Łódź for help and built local teams to replace […]
The post “We Could Have Easily Ended Up Without Any Protagonists” | Jakub Piątek, Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Could Have Easily Ended Up Without Any Protagonists” | Jakub Piątek, Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/26/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? One of the obvious obstacles for us was lockdown. We are telling a mosaic story with different protagonists and, during the process, we found out that we couldn’t visit some of them because of Covid and really long quarantines in some countries. We asked our friends from the Film School in Łódź for help and built local teams to replace […]
The post “We Could Have Easily Ended Up Without Any Protagonists” | Jakub Piątek, Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Could Have Easily Ended Up Without Any Protagonists” | Jakub Piątek, Pianoforte first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/26/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Every 5 years, young piano prodigies from all over the world flock to Warsaw to test their mettle and skills in one of the most prestigious piano competitions on earth, the Chopin Piano Competition. For contestants, the competition is not just about the €40,000 cash prize. After all, as one contestant puts it, the prize money can be spent and you can still die impoverished and unknown. Instead, its is the esteem that comes with placing 1st, and the countless opportunities for the future that are offered to the winners. In Pianoforte, Jakub Piatek follows a handful of aspiring young pianists as they struggle through a grueling twenty one day contest which pits 87 pianists from 18 different countries against one another. Each subject is more interesting than the last, each one with their own unique traits and eccentricities that make them seem plucked from some music themed shonen manga. It is almost impossible...
- 1/23/2023
- by Ty Cooper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sunday’s anticipated premieres include Drift, Flora And Son.
Heading into Sunday at Sundance studios and streamers were continuing to bid on Chloe Domont’s finance world psychological thriller Fair Play in what sources say could result in an eight-figure deal by the time a winner emerges.
The US Dramatic Competition entry has been the talk of the acquisitions scene since it premiered on Friday and MRC and T-Street have been taking their time mulling offers on the acclaimed feature directing debut that stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor as a newly engaged couple at a hedge fund.
After three...
Heading into Sunday at Sundance studios and streamers were continuing to bid on Chloe Domont’s finance world psychological thriller Fair Play in what sources say could result in an eight-figure deal by the time a winner emerges.
The US Dramatic Competition entry has been the talk of the acquisitions scene since it premiered on Friday and MRC and T-Street have been taking their time mulling offers on the acclaimed feature directing debut that stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor as a newly engaged couple at a hedge fund.
After three...
- 1/22/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Saturday premieres include William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth follow-up Eileen.
Multiple offers from studios and streamers are understood to have come in for Chloe Domont’s Sundance finance thriller Fair Play following the world premiere on Friday.
The film about a promotion at a New York hedge fund that pushes two newly engaged employees to the edge stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor and screens again in US Dramatic Competition today (January 21) to public and P&i.
Fair Play hails from the partnership between MRC and Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street to support emerging directors, and Star Thrower Entertainment.
Multiple offers from studios and streamers are understood to have come in for Chloe Domont’s Sundance finance thriller Fair Play following the world premiere on Friday.
The film about a promotion at a New York hedge fund that pushes two newly engaged employees to the edge stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor and screens again in US Dramatic Competition today (January 21) to public and P&i.
Fair Play hails from the partnership between MRC and Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street to support emerging directors, and Star Thrower Entertainment.
- 1/21/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Poland’s Jakub Piątek returns to Sundance with his new doc, “Pianoforte,” taking on the cutthroat Chopin Piano Competition. Held every five years since 1927 — and famous for discovering new pianists trying to qualify for its prestigious finale — it can make or break a promising career. Film premieres Jan. 20.
“It’s like ‘Game of Thrones’: everyone has one goal,” he tells Variety. “Every few days, half of them go home. It’s brutal, but great for a film.”
Piątek’s feature fiction debut, “Prime Time,” starring “Corpus Christi” breakout Bartosz Bielenia, premiered at Sundance in 2021. Now, he is hoping that the festival’s stamp of approval will help him reach more people than just music aficionados.
“It’s not like I used to listen to classical music either. I am a bit of a barbarian in this world, but this ‘civilian’ perspective can be helpful. I can ask the most basic questions,...
“It’s like ‘Game of Thrones’: everyone has one goal,” he tells Variety. “Every few days, half of them go home. It’s brutal, but great for a film.”
Piątek’s feature fiction debut, “Prime Time,” starring “Corpus Christi” breakout Bartosz Bielenia, premiered at Sundance in 2021. Now, he is hoping that the festival’s stamp of approval will help him reach more people than just music aficionados.
“It’s not like I used to listen to classical music either. I am a bit of a barbarian in this world, but this ‘civilian’ perspective can be helpful. I can ask the most basic questions,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Dead End is a Netflix thriller comedy series directed by Grzegorz Jaroszuk and Jakub Piatek starring Jasmina Polak, Anna Ilczuk and Michal Sikorski.
A thriller with loads of comedy that manages to find its own eccentric voice.
Premise
Four people are car-sharing when they accidental cross paths with a bank robber on the run.
Dead End (2022) About the Series
An interesting production, that takes from the classic American road-movies and sets it in Poland, with funny and distinctive characters, from the bank robber, to the four car passengers he has to deal with, or who have to deal with him in the this ‘Dead End’ road that is different and peculiar, and will surprise with its casual and lighthearted tone.
In six episodes in which the story unfolds in its own rhythm, and where comedy is successfully meshed with action and strangeness in equal parts. This is a refreshing bet,...
A thriller with loads of comedy that manages to find its own eccentric voice.
Premise
Four people are car-sharing when they accidental cross paths with a bank robber on the run.
Dead End (2022) About the Series
An interesting production, that takes from the classic American road-movies and sets it in Poland, with funny and distinctive characters, from the bank robber, to the four car passengers he has to deal with, or who have to deal with him in the this ‘Dead End’ road that is different and peculiar, and will surprise with its casual and lighthearted tone.
In six episodes in which the story unfolds in its own rhythm, and where comedy is successfully meshed with action and strangeness in equal parts. This is a refreshing bet,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid - TV
The coming-of-age drama is set in a fish factory.
Leiv Igor Devold’s debut feature Norwegian Dream has received the Screen International Best Pitch Award as one of the works in progress presented at this year’s Polish Days, the industry event for the Wroclaw-based New Horizons International Film Festival (July 21-31).
The €1m Norway-Poland-Germany co-production by Spaett Film, Solo Film and Riva Film, is a coming-of-age drama about a 19-year-old Polish immigrant who works at a fish factory in Norway and is struggling with his feelings for his colleague. When a strike begins among the Polish workers at the factory,...
Leiv Igor Devold’s debut feature Norwegian Dream has received the Screen International Best Pitch Award as one of the works in progress presented at this year’s Polish Days, the industry event for the Wroclaw-based New Horizons International Film Festival (July 21-31).
The €1m Norway-Poland-Germany co-production by Spaett Film, Solo Film and Riva Film, is a coming-of-age drama about a 19-year-old Polish immigrant who works at a fish factory in Norway and is struggling with his feelings for his colleague. When a strike begins among the Polish workers at the factory,...
- 7/27/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Industry event to showcase four completed films, eight works in progress and 10 pitches.
New feature projects by Piotr Domalewski, Jan Holoubek and Daria Woszek are among 22 films being presented at the 10th edition of industry event Polish Days, which will run from July 24 – 26.
Polish Days takes place during the New Horizons International Film Festival in Wrocław, presenting new projects to festival programmers, sales agents, producers and distributors.
This year’s event will feature closed screenings of four completed films, the pitching of 10 projects in development and eight works in progress.
The closed screenings section will offer sneak previews of Łukasz Machowski...
New feature projects by Piotr Domalewski, Jan Holoubek and Daria Woszek are among 22 films being presented at the 10th edition of industry event Polish Days, which will run from July 24 – 26.
Polish Days takes place during the New Horizons International Film Festival in Wrocław, presenting new projects to festival programmers, sales agents, producers and distributors.
This year’s event will feature closed screenings of four completed films, the pitching of 10 projects in development and eight works in progress.
The closed screenings section will offer sneak previews of Łukasz Machowski...
- 7/4/2022
- ScreenDaily
Anna Jadowska’s fourth feature won Screen International’s Best Pitch Award at last year’s Polish Days.
French sales outfit Loco Films has secured international rights to Polish filmmaker Anna Jadowska’s fourth feature Woman On The Roof, the winner of Screen International’s Best Pitch Award at last year’s Polish Days during the New Horizons International Film Festival in Wroclaw.
The film centres around a woman, played by theatre actress Dorota Pomykala, who appears to be leading a normal life until she decides one day to rob a bank armed with a kitchen knife. It is then...
French sales outfit Loco Films has secured international rights to Polish filmmaker Anna Jadowska’s fourth feature Woman On The Roof, the winner of Screen International’s Best Pitch Award at last year’s Polish Days during the New Horizons International Film Festival in Wroclaw.
The film centres around a woman, played by theatre actress Dorota Pomykala, who appears to be leading a normal life until she decides one day to rob a bank armed with a kitchen knife. It is then...
- 5/13/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Polish Days is the industry event for the Wroclaw-based New Horizons International Film Festival (August 12-22).
Anna Jadowska’s Woman On The Roof was the winner of the third annual Screen International Best Pitch Award presented at this year’s Polish Days, the industry event for the Wroclaw-based New Horizons International Film Festival (August 12-22).
The €1.4m production, by Warsaw-based Donten & Lacroix Films with Paris-based Blick Productions and Sweden’s Garagefilm, is Jadowska’s latest feature film after Touch Me (2003), It’s Me (2005) and Wild Roses (2017).
She directed the Netflix series Ultraviolet 2.0. The Bear and a segment of its mini-series Erotica 2022,...
Anna Jadowska’s Woman On The Roof was the winner of the third annual Screen International Best Pitch Award presented at this year’s Polish Days, the industry event for the Wroclaw-based New Horizons International Film Festival (August 12-22).
The €1.4m production, by Warsaw-based Donten & Lacroix Films with Paris-based Blick Productions and Sweden’s Garagefilm, is Jadowska’s latest feature film after Touch Me (2003), It’s Me (2005) and Wild Roses (2017).
She directed the Netflix series Ultraviolet 2.0. The Bear and a segment of its mini-series Erotica 2022,...
- 8/18/2021
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Photo: ‘Prime Time’/Netflix Technical difficulties aren’t usually accompanied by hostages and a gun, but these are. A 2021 Sundance pick directed by Jakub Piatek comes to Netflix starring Bartosz Bielenia as Sebastian, a young man that locks himself in a TV studio on New Year’s Eve 1999 taking the host and security guard hostage. History This fast-paced drama hits the ground running wasting no time with introductions. Within minutes the viewer is sucked into the dangerous situation that is based on true events when men stormed a television studio during the same time period. The film is taken place in Poland, December 31st, 1999. Before the day it was believed for the world to end. People overstocking on non-perishable items and waiting for the technology around them to fail at midnight. Though the phrase Y2K was never uttered in the film, the start of a new millennium was enough to get people worked up.
- 7/3/2021
- by Jack Colin
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
After roiling a Polish village as an impostor priest in Oscar-nominated “Corpus Christi,” star Bartosz Bielenia tries to rattle the entire nation in “Prime Time.” His character here is another malcontent, this one armed and ready to take over a TV studio on New Year’s Eve with a special message for the world. But he’s a bit too literally a rebel without a cause: We never discover just what this protagonist’s protesting gripe is. That lack makes director Jakub Piatek and co-writer Lukasz Czapski’s first feature a familiar hostage drama whose anticipated narrative raison d’etre is strangely Mia. The slick, watchable but ultimately somewhat pointless results, which premiered at Sundance six months ago, launch worldwide on Netflix June 30.
It’s New Year’s Eve 1999 at a Krakow network affiliate, and despite the Y2K fears glimpsed on other stations’ broadcasts, just another night’s labor for the staff here.
It’s New Year’s Eve 1999 at a Krakow network affiliate, and despite the Y2K fears glimpsed on other stations’ broadcasts, just another night’s labor for the staff here.
- 6/29/2021
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Pop culture, entertainment, hedonism—they’re all different sides to the same brain atrophy. Well, that’s how Sebastian (Bartosz Bielenia) sees it. He’s a 20-year-old kid with a statement to prove and he isn’t above going postal to do it. The main wrinkle in his plan is that he needs other people to see it, and everyone else is too busy ringing in the new millennium. Yep, there are only four hours left of 1999 in Warsaw when Sebastian enters a television studio with a gun and a backpack. Soon enough, he also has two hostages. One is the TV host, Mira (Magdalena Poplawska), the other a security guard (Andrzej Kłak).
But while this sort of pressure cooker seems like it’d play out in real-time, it doesn’t. This standoff goes on for four hours, but Jakub Piatek’s Prime Time is only 93 minutes including credits. Maybe...
But while this sort of pressure cooker seems like it’d play out in real-time, it doesn’t. This standoff goes on for four hours, but Jakub Piatek’s Prime Time is only 93 minutes including credits. Maybe...
- 1/31/2021
- by Matt Cipolla
- The Film Stage
New documentaries by Boris Mitic, Vitaly Mansky and Salome Jashi are among the projects being pitched at this year’s East Doc Platform in Prague (March 2-8).
Broadcasters, distributors, film funders, festivals and producers from Europe and North America will attend pitching sessions for the East European Forum, Project Market and the second edition of the cross-media showcase Doc Tank.
200 applications were submitted for the 15th edition of the East European Forum which will be presenting ten projects including:
Georgian film-maker Salomé Jashi’s The Station about the aspirations of the only journalist and anchor-woman of a small provincial TV station
Estonian Jaak Kilmi’s People From Nowhere which will also be presented at next week’s When East Meets West co-production gathering in Trieste
Jakub Piatek’s A Film For My Mom, a home video documentary with fictional scenes
Vitaly Mansky’s highly topically Close Relations – The Ukraine Crisis, My Family...
Broadcasters, distributors, film funders, festivals and producers from Europe and North America will attend pitching sessions for the East European Forum, Project Market and the second edition of the cross-media showcase Doc Tank.
200 applications were submitted for the 15th edition of the East European Forum which will be presenting ten projects including:
Georgian film-maker Salomé Jashi’s The Station about the aspirations of the only journalist and anchor-woman of a small provincial TV station
Estonian Jaak Kilmi’s People From Nowhere which will also be presented at next week’s When East Meets West co-production gathering in Trieste
Jakub Piatek’s A Film For My Mom, a home video documentary with fictional scenes
Vitaly Mansky’s highly topically Close Relations – The Ukraine Crisis, My Family...
- 1/16/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
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