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FESTIVALS Poland

Crime thriller Waterline stands out from the crowd at Tofifest

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- The feature debut by Michal Otlowski, starring the fantastic Jowita Budnik, is also showing in Polish theatres

Crime thriller Waterline stands out from the crowd at Tofifest

Presented in the “From Poland” competitive section of the Tofifest Festival in Toruń (18-26 October 2014), Waterline (Jeziorak), the feature debut by Michal Otlowski, has proved to be a real showcase for the talents of its lead actress, Jowita Budnik. Having already become very well known, particularly thanks to the films of Joanna and Krzysztof Krauze (Papusza [+see also:
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interview: Joanna Kos Krauze
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, Saviour Square [+see also:
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, My Nikifor [+see also:
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), she has now realised all her creative potential in the role of a police woman who, despite being heavily pregnant, fights to uncover the truth.

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Just before putting her job temporarily on hold in order to give birth to twins and go on maternity leave, Iza, a young police woman in a provincial Polish town, commits to taking on an inquiry into the mysterious death of a woman. At the same time, two other officers working at her police station disappear without a trace. One of them was Iza’s partner and the father of the children she is about to have. As she tries to solve the murder case, Iza will delve deeper and deeper into a quest to uncover the truth about herself.

When it came out in Polish cinemas on 17 October, Waterline charmed the critics, who reckon that Michal Otlowski is the most successful Polish filmmaker in the crime-thriller genre. “Very much plot-driven, the crime film is a genre that leaves considerable room for exploring the characters’ psychology. And I firmly believe that Polish cinema needs strong women. Waterline represents an opportunity for one of those women,” explained the director, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie.

Produced by Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych, Waterline was co-produced by Film Finance and Production, and Lightcraft, and it benefited from backing by the Polish Film Institute. Lukasz Gutt served as the DoP. The Polish theatrical release was handled by Phoenix Film Distribution.

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(Translated from French)

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