She breaks the taboo, does not fear to ask difficult questions, does not judge poeple’s behaviour but tries to understand it. We will see the retrospective of Małgorzata Szumowska’s directorial work at the 8th Two Riversides Festival.

She is believed to be one of the most prominent directors of the young generation. Her graduatoin documentary “Cisza” (“Silence”) was placed on the list of 14 best films in the history of the Film School in Łódź. Her first feature “Szczęśliwy człowiek” (“Happy Man”) divided Polish critics and the audience abroad. From the beginnings of her career Time Magazine classified her as a “person to watch”.

The screenplay of her next film “Ono” (“Stranger”) was named one of three best European texts at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute contest. “33 sceny z życia” (“33 Scenes from life”), which is partially a biographic film, has been widely awarded and brought the author such awards as 6 Golden Lions at thr Gdynia festival. Success has won Szumowska the appeal of the European film industry and resulted in cooperation with the Zentropa production company, which produces films for such authors as Lars von Trier.

„Sponsoring” (“Elles”) with Juliette Binoche strengthened the opinion that Szumowska is a director who is not afraid of difficult subjects. The “scandalous film” label preceded her next picture, “W imię…” (“In the name of”). The story of a priest struggling with passion towards a young boy made it to  the main contest of Berlinale 2013.

Some of the pictures that we shall see in Kazimierz Dolny are “Mój tata Maciek” (“My father, Maciek”), a personal film about her perception of her father, “Dokument” (“Documentary”), about the impossibility of showing truth in documentary film, as well as a generation project “Jeden dzień z życia Tomka Karata”  (“One Day in the Life of Tomek Karat”). Other films proposed by the Program Section are an etnographic reportage “A czego tu się bać?” (“Nothing To Be Scared Of”), and the short film „Skrzyżowanie” (“Crossroad”).

LIST OF FILMS

33 Scenes from Life | 33 sceny z życia | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | DE, PL | 2008 | 100 min

Crossroad | Skrzyżowanie | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL, DK | 2004 | 5 min

Documentary… | Dokument… | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL | 2001 | 30 min

Elles | Sponsoring | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | FR, PL, DE | 2011 | 99 min

Happy Man | Szczęśliwy człowiek | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL | 2000 | 84 min

In the Name Of | W imię… | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL | 2013 | 102 min

My Father, Maciek | Mój tata Maciek | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL | 2005 | 50 min

Nothing to Be Scared Of | A czego tu się bać? | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL | 2007 | 39 min

One Day in the Life of Tomek Karat | Jeden dzień z życia Tomka Karata | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL | 1997 | 27 min

Silence | Cisza | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL | 1997 | 12 min

Stranger | Ono | dir. Małgorzata Szumowska | PL, DE, FR | 2004 | 101 min