Section: POLSKIE HORYZONTY: The Female Gaze

FUGA

FUGUE

Agnieszka Smoczyńska

PL/SE/CZ, 2018, 102 Min

Two years ago, the well-behaved mother from the Wroclaw region suddenly disappeared and reinvented herself in Warsaw without any memory. She fought her way through life as a strong, self-confident woman until a TV program revealed her identity. Now she is back in the arms of her family and could hardly feel more of a stranger there.

Using dark images and bold sound design, the director reveals the torn inner world of her main character, whom she always follows closely. The fact that she doesn't necessarily remain likeable, but always comprehensible, is thanks not only to skillful editing, but also to the fantastic performance of the leading actress, who allows us to look deep into her character's soul without completely unraveling it. The film was awarded the Polish Film Prize Orły in the “Discovery of the Year” category.

Text: Rainer Mende

Drehbuch
Gabriela Muskała

Kamera
Jakub Kijowski

Ton
Maria Chilarecka, Niklas Skarp, Marcin Lenarczyk

Schnitt
JarosławKamiński

Ausstattung
Jagna Dobesz

Musik
Filip Míšek

Darsteller
Gabriela Muskała, Łukasz Simlat, Małgorzata Buczkowska

Produzent
Agnieszka Kurzydło MD4

Co-Produktion
Odra-Film (Poland) Mazowiecki i Warszawski Fundusz Filmowy (Poland) Magic Lab (Czech Republic) Michal Křeček Film i Väst (Sweden)

Agnieszka Smoczyńska - Agnieszka Smoczyńska is a graduate of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice, Poland and has also participated in master classes at the Wajda Film School. She received a scholarship from The Minister of Cultureand National Heritage for outstanding artistic achievement, the “My Talent for Poland” prize and the Golden Pen,awarded by the President of Poland. In 2015 her first feature film The Lure experimented with the musical and horror genres and was recognized as the best debut at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. Smoczyńska was hailedas the “Discovery of the year” at the Polish Film Awards. The Lure has received numerous awards at festivals worldwide, including Fantasporto, Sofia, Montreal, Vilniusand the Sundance Film Festival, where she received the Special Jury Prize for “a unique vision and design”, and subsequently released in countries such as the US, Japan and Taiwan (including a Criterion Collection Blu-ray release). In 2017, Smoczyńska was invited by the Sydney FilmFestival, Variety and European Film Promotion to participatein the “European Cinema: Ten Women Filmmakers to Watch“program. She is a recipient of the Global Filmmaking Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

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