19/06/2006

Parę osób, mały czas (A Few People, A Little Time) by Andrzej Barański (Woman from the Provinces, The Peddler) will represent Polish cinema in official competition at the upcoming Karlovy Vary Festival. The selected films will be decided upon by a jury that includes Juliusz Machulski, one of the most famous directors of Polish comedies.

Jadwiga Stanczakowa is blind and cannot cope with the throes of her daily life. When she makes friends with Miron Białoszewski (a famous writer, poet and playwright who lived from 1922-1983), her life changes. Despite her depression, she helps her friend with his work by saving texts she dictates to him and then typing them out. The poet returns the favour by encouraging Jadwiga to write and he corrects her diary.

However, it is not only this practical aspect of friendship between Jadwiga and the poet that inspired the director. "It is darkness that brought them together. Białoszewski couldn’t stand the sun or light. He liked the nighttime. There was something very beautiful between them. It wasn’t love, because Białoszewski had other preferences, but rather a close spiritual relationship," explains Barański.

Barański’s film was particularly well received by journalists at the last Polish Film Festival in Gdynia (September 2005) where it picked up awards. The film, produced by TVP, had the means to match its ambitions with leading actors Krystyna Janda (Best Actress Award at Cannes 1990 for Interrogation by Ryszard Bugajski) and Andrzej Hudziak (of the Krakow Teatr Stary).

(Translated from French)