03/07/2015 - The Red Spider and have the Crystal Globe in their sights, while three films including Chemo are being showcased in East of the West

The Magic Mountain by Anca Damian

Besides The Red Spider [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marcin Koszalka
film profile] by Marcin Koszalka (read the article), Poland will also be showcased in the official competition of the 50th Karlovy Vary Film Festival (3-11 July 2015) with the co-production The Magic Mountain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Anca Damian (read the article). The new film by the Romanian director, following the head-turning Crulic – The Path to Beyond [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anca Damian
film profile] (which snagged awards at such festivals as Locarno, Annecy, Copenhagen, Istanbul and Warsaw), tells the story of Adam Jacek Winkler, a die-hard Polish mountain climber who had been taking refuge in Paris since 1965. This "Modern-day Don Quixote", as the filmmaker describes him, was actively involved in the struggle against communism. After he met the leaders of the Afghan opposition, he enlisted in the local insurrection against the Soviet invasion, alongside Major Massoud (he was incidentally one of the very few foreigners permitted to bear arms in his presence). Anca Damian has recounted the life of this nonconformist character, aided by archives provided by Winkler’s family. The Magic Mountain was produced by Aparte Film (Romania), Arizona Productions (France) and Filmograf (Poland).

The competitive East of the West section will unveil Chemo [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Bartek Prokopowicz, a story based on a personal drama that the director himself went through. Written by Katarzina Sarnowska, the story revolves around a romantic encounter between two characters obsessed with death – one for psychological reasons, the other because of a serious illness. But the couple will defy these dark shadows through the prospect of having a child, while the medical staff try to discourage them from bringing their plan to fruition. Starring Agnieszka Zulewska and Tomas Schuchardt, this feature debut was produced by Filmokracja, with backing from HBO, VUE Movie, DIFactory, Film Produkcja, Film Illumination, Soundplace and the Polish Film Institute. 

Two further feature debuts are on the line-up in East of the West: the Czech-Polish comedy Journey to Rome [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Tomasz Mielnik (which was present at Karlovy Vary last year as part of Work-In-Progress) and No Matter How Hard We Tried [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Grzegorz Jarzyna, an adaptation of a successful play by Dorota Maslowska. 

(Translated from French)