The start of Małgorzata Szumowska’s retrospective, polonaises on the Big Market Square, the première of the Icelandic “Metalhead,” the Jamaican “Songs of Redemption,” and Allan Starski shedding light on the secrets of set direction – this is how the week at Two Riversides begins.

Polonaise is out of style? Not in the least. Tonight at the Big Market Square Marcin Masecki and his brass band will prove this. Elements of surf rock, hip-hop, samba, and jazz will lend a new flavour to the polonaise.

Małgorzata Szumowska fears no topic; she comes away unscathed from confrontations with the taboo. The director’s retrospective will begin with “Elles,” where Andrzej Chyra plays a small part – he is the guest of this year’s “And God Created Actor” section. His visit in Kazimierz starts today.

When Black Sabbath recorded their first album in 1970 they not only changed the face of music, but they shaped the life of Hera Karlsdottir, who was born that very year and now is the protagonist of “Metalhead.” The film is having its première at Two Riversides, and its director, Ragnar Bragson, is one of Iceland’s most acclaimed filmmakers and creator of numerous television series that made it to international distribution, including BBC airtime.

What does a jailhouse mixture of reggae and hip-hop sound like? We will find that out during the screening of “Songs of Redemption,” a documentary shot in a prison in Jamaica’s capital, where the convicts undergo rehabilitation through music. The titular songs are a form of therapy that lets the alienated and lost protagonists find the meaning of life. Amanda Sans Panting, the film’s director, will be inviting the audience to the screening.

Everyone has their favourite directors, composers, and actors. What about set directors? At Two Riversides during the “Cinema Lesson” Allan Starski will shed some light on the secrets of this trade. Awarded the Oscar for “Schindler’s List,” Starski has worked with Steven Spielberg, but also with Peter Webber (“Hannibal Rising”) and John Irving (“Eminent Domain”), as well as with the most renown Polish directors: Krzysztof Kieślowski, Roman Polański, Andrzej Wajda, and Agnieszka Holland.

During the 8th edition of Two Riversides we will present 90 feature films and 60 competition films. The little-great festival will last until August 10th.

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