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BERLINALE 2016 Poland

United States of Love in the running for the Golden Bear

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- The new film by Tomasz Wasilewski, who made a huge splash with Floating Skyscrapers, will have its world premiere in the most prominent showcase at Berlin

United States of Love in the running for the Golden Bear
Julia Kijowska in United States of Love

United States of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomasz Wasilewski
film profile
]
, the third feature by 35-year-old Polish filmmaker Tomasz Wasilewski, who was popular with his previous opus, Floating Skyscrapers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomasz Wasilewski
film profile
]
(winner of the East of the West section at Karlovy Vary in 2013 and presented at a raft of international events), will be unveiled as a world premiere in competition at the 66th Berlin Film Festival (11-21 February 2016). 

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“It’s a story about women, starring women, and told by women. I chose this angle because a woman’s point of view interests me particularly and has done for a long time,” Wasilewski confessed to Cineuropa. “The plot of United States of Love unfolds against a very important social and political backdrop that puts the emphasis on a specific point in history. But it’s also a reflection of the emotional states of women, who, in my opinion, were more sensitive than men to the political turning point represented by the fall of communism.”

The film, with a screenplay written by the director, begins in 1990, just after the toppling of the communist regime. Poland is now free, but the atmosphere of the totalitarian era is still palpable. Feelings of euphoria and uncertainty about the future start to mingle. Four women of different ages (Magdalena Cielecka, Julia KijowskaDorota Kolak and Marta Nieradkiewicz) decide to change their lives, seek independence, fight for their happiness, and find answers to their dreams and desires.

A joint effort between Poland and Sweden, United States of Love was produced by Piotr Kobus and Agnieszka Drewno for Mañana. The feature, which was co-produced by TVP SA, Film i Väst and Common Ground Pictures, also benefited from the support of the Polish Film Institute. The DoP was talented cinematographer Oleg Mutu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
film profile
]
). International sales are handled by New Europe Film Sales.

Two Polish co-productions will also be presented at Berlin: I, Olga Hepnarova [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Tomáš Weinreb, Petr Kazda
film profile
]
by Czech duo Tomas Weinreb and Petr Kazda (which has a cast including Polish actress Michalina Olszanska) will have its world premiere in the Panorama section, and the German-Polish documentary Zud by Marta Mironowicz will feature in the Generation Kplus programme. 

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(Translated from French)

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