01|08|2012

In today’s block of HALF SHORT HALF SERIOUS (Allianz Cinema, 4pm) we shall see films produced by Munk Studio: “The Hamster” (dir. Bartek Ignaciuk), “The Railway Watchman” (dir. Piotr Szczepanowicz), “The Whistle” (dir. Grzegorz Zariczny), “The Lake” (dir. Jacek Piotr Bławut), “Rondo” (dir. Artur Kordas), „Freestyle life” (dir. Adam Palenta). You are also cordially invited to join the pre-screening meeting with the filmmakers.

 

Munk Studio functioning in the structures of the Polish Filmmakers Association, it is a producer of film debuts, short- and full-length. The young artists who want to make their first film in Munk Studio can count on the support and supervision over the project – from development, through production under professional conditions, to the widely understood promotion of the completed film. Munk Studio was created in 2008 by the Polish Filmmakers Association, by virtue of an agreement between PFA and the Polish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Polish Television, and aimed from the beginning to produce ambitious artistic films.

 

The studio invites artists who have an idea for their first movie. Short films can be made in the Studio as a part of three programs: “30 Minutes features,” “First documentary,” and “Young Animation,” devoted respectively to features, documentaries, and animations. Until now, over 100 titles have been made as a part of the programs mentioned – about 30 projects are produced annually. Short films from the Munk Studio are awarded at the most important festivals in Poland and abroad, becoming the showcases of young directors who are at the beginning of their film careers. Each year the the studio also  publishes a DVD with the most interesting short films – “Polish Debuts.” This year, the publisher will release the sixth edition.

The first full-length film from the studio is “Fear of Falling” directed by Bartosz Konopka – whose awards include the Best Directing Debut award at the 36th Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia. The film was made in co-production with Canal+ and is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and the Ministry of Culture and national Heritage. Another artist who produced her full-length debut in the Munk Studio is Maria Sadowska, whose “Women’s Day” was presented in the Main Competition at the 37th Gdynia Film Festival. More full-length projects are developed in the studio by Jarosław Sztandera, Kuba Czekaj, Dariusz Glazer, Michał Wnuk, Mateusz Bednarkiewicz, and Rafał Skalski, among others.

Dariusz Gajewski, President of the Munk Studio Program Council: „Above all things, in the Munk Studio we wish to give young artists the chance to develop their talent in favourable conditions. We work believing that what is of great meaning for the first film, the director’s most important one, is the creative atmosphere and providing individualised conditions for development. In the Munk Studio, every project has its Artistic Supervisor, who guarantees individual content-related support in every stage of film-making. The development of projects is also supported by the Artistic Councils of the Programs. We wish to take advantage of the best traditions of film teams – our young directors carefully discuss scripts of their own and those of their colleagues’ during weekly meetings. We introduce young artists to the working style of professional film productions and, at the same time, we give them time to optimally develop their talent in order to achieve the best possible final effect.”