email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

FESTIVALS France

Holy Field Holy War unveiled at FIDMarseille

by 

- World première for Lech Kowalski’s film, which tackles the controversial topic of shale gas drilling in Poland

124 films from 36 countries are on the programme of the 24th FID - International Film Festival of Marseille that begins today under the honorary presidency of Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang. Amongst the 16 titles (including 13 world premières) taking part in the international competition, only one documentary stands out, with the Franco-Polish coproduction Holy Field Holy War by Lech Kowalski (photo).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

From his Grand Prix at Sundance for Rock Soup in 1992 to his victory in the Orizzonti section at the Mostra in Venice in 2005 with East of Paradise, without forgetting The End of the world begins with one lie which deconstructedLouisiana Story by Robert Flaherty by delving into the Internet images of the oil spill that took place in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the filmmaker, who was born in London of Polish parents, has had an amazing career. He is now back withHoly Field Holy War, a cinematographic version of his immersion into the Polish countryside, a land of choice for shale gas drilling. Pollution, invisible threats, lies, unequal struggle for angry peasants? Lech Kowalski, the initiator of the "camera war", joins the announced losing team.

It is also worth noting in competition A Girl and a Tree by Slovenian director Vlado Skafar (who had previously directed Dad [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vlado Škafar
interview: Vlado Škafar
film profile
]
), the German-Polish coproduction Sieniawka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Marcin Malaszczak, (discovered in the Forum of the Berlinale 2013 - review) and Lacrau by Portuguese director João Vladimero.

The FIDMarseille 2013 also proposes, amongst other events scheduled until July 8th, a French competition (with films by Jean-Charles Fitoussi, Pierre Creton and duo Judith Abensour - Thomas Bauer) and encounters with cinematography director Caroline Champetier (César 2011 for Of Gods and Men [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Xavier Beauvois
film profile
]
and nominated in 2013 pour Holy Motors [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Leos Carax
film profile
]
), editor Yann Dedet (who worked with Truffaut and Pialat, César 2011 for Polisse [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maïwenn
film profile
]
) and director Khalil Joreige (video interview).

Finally, amongst the ten films selected this year for the FIDLab coproduction support platform (5th edition on July 4th and 5th), two feature film projects are worth mentioning: Elle(s) by French director Valérie Massadian and Cemetery by Carlos Casa (a coproduction between Poland and Uzbekistan). 

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy