30|06|2012

Once again we invite everyone who want to spend their summer break with good, original, artistic cinema, outstanding filmmakers and the most talented debutants from Poland and abroad. Two Riversides is a festival for those who wish to take part in premiere screenings of films awarded at international festivals, and to get to know the key chapters in the history of cinematography, as shown through the retrospectives of directors who have changed the face of the cinema with their works – at first considered avant-garde, today being classics of cinema.

The Motto of this year’s Two Riversides festival is „The philosophy of rebellion.” We formulate the phenomenon in its positive meaning: as negation of what is bad and stale, as vivifying processes that bring change, and finally – as artistic revolution that bears fruit in the form of new phenomena in art, which searches for original solutions, and which inspires imagination.

The film program is presented in several invariable sections: World Under Canvas (feature and documentary premieres), Some Like It Short And Serious and In The Short Run (short films: features, animations, documentaries), Music – My Love (pictures where music plays the leading role), retrospectives of artists from Poland and abroad (directors and actors), Great Cinema on the Small Market Square (outdoor screenings of the season’s the best films), special events and everyday meetings with artists at I Love Cinema and the Empik Club.

This year the Two Riversides Film and Art Festival will include premieres of the following films: “Reality” (directed by Matteo Garrone, Grand Prix Cannes 2012) – the makers of the film will be our guests, “Angel’s Share” (directed by Ken Laoch) – the revelation of this year’s Cannes, gangster comedy and a classic of British cinema – makers of this film will also be our guests during the festival, “Royal Affair” (directed by Nikolaj Arcel) – the opening film at the Berlin festival, which received the Silver Bear and the Best Actor award there, “Shadow Dancer” (directed by J. Marsh), “La Noche de Enfrente” (directed by Raoul Ruiz) – the last film of this director from Chile, who belongs to the generation of revolutionaries of the 60s cinema.

We would also like to invite you to the screenings of Polish films, followed by meetings with their makers: “Mój rower”/”My Father’s Bike” (directed by Piotr Trzaskalski, starring Artur Żmijewski and Michał Urbaniak) and premiere of “YUMA” (directed by  Piotr Mularuk, starring Jakub Gierszał and Katarzyna Figura).

It is worth remembering that Two Riversides also means remarkable documentaries such as: “Marina Abramović. The Artist is Present,” “237” – which may bring to mind a truly justified association with Kubrick’s “The Shining,” “An Extraordinary Voyage” – a film about the discovery of Georges Melies’ cinematic effects, the screening of which will be connected with the presentation of the film “A Trip to the Moon” from 1902.

In the ‘Music – My Love’ section we have to bring the following films to your attention: “Marley” (directed by Kevin Macdonald), “Komeda, Komeda” (directed by N. Ziółkowska-Kurczuk), “Something from Nothing: The Art of  Rap” (directed by Ice T) – premiere of a very interesting documentary film that shows the history of rap music. This section is always accompanied by a rich program of  concerts in the festival club and the exceptional opening concert. This year, our guest will be the king of flamenco, for the first time in Poland – Diego el Cigala will perform with his band at his one and only concert: on the 28th of July, Market Square in Kazimierz Dolny, only at the Two Riversides! “Lacrimas Negras” was the album that brought him international fame, and he got his Latin Grammy award for “Cigala&Tango.”

The hero of the Polish director’s retrospective will be Marek Koterski. We will present his feature films, documentaries, Theatre of Television performances, student films. In addition to the series we will see the theatre performance “Moja Droga B.”/”My Dear B.” by Małgorzata Bogdańska (Polonia Theatre). The unconventional films of  Marek Koterski, his artistic view of reality, and the deep observation of life and human relations, not deprived of irony, inspires many questions. One can ask them during the “Meeting with the Author.”

The guest of yet another retrospective – of an actor – in the section “And God Created Actor” will be Marek Kondrat. We will show films and Theatre of Television performances in which he starred, and invite our viewers to take part in the meeting with the actor.

An important part of the program will be the foreign director’s retrospective, whose guest will be Fridrik Thor Fridriksson. We will see films such as: “Falcons,” “Angels of the Universe,” “The Ring Road,” “Movie Days,” “Mama Gogo,” “Children of Nature” (nominated for an Oscar) and documentaries – “Sunshine Boy” with Kate Winslet as a special guest and “Rock in Reykjavik” about the rock music scene in Iceland. During the direct meeting Fridrik Thor Fridriksson will give us a one of a kind “Cinema Lesson.”

German Expressionism is a movement which, at the beginning of the last century, brought us crucial formal, linguistic, and thematic solutions, and which is still followed by some today. During Two Riversides we will present this trend on the example of the most significant filmmakers and selected titles: Fritz Lang – “Metropolis”,  “M,” Friedrich W. Murnau – “The Last Laugh,” “Sunrise” and many other.

The character of this year’s festival will be supplemented by the special events of the festival:

Premiere of the remastered version of “Rejs”/“The Cruise” – this screening will have a special meaning in Kazimierz, as it will take place in the unique scenery of the Vistula riverside. Our guests will be director Marek Piwowski and co-author of the script – Janusz Głowacki.

Tribute to Maria Kornatowska – Presentation of a film prepared especially for this occasion, dedicated to Maria Kornatowska. An outstanding film critic, anthropologist, lecturer at the Łódź film school, author of essays and books on cinema, including a remarkable monograph of Federico Fellini. She was an exceptional person in the history of the artistic life of Poland. She had been a guest at the Two Riversides since the first festival and, inspired by her, in 2011 we presented the “Viaggio in Italia” section. With erudition and passion she brought films closer to the festival audience.

“Inny świat”/“A Different World” – A documentary film whose protagonist is an ingenious actress Danuta Szaflarska. Our guests will be the makers of the film: Dorota Kędzierzawska and Artur Reinhart.

All this and many, many other titles… The full program of the festival is soon to come. We wholeheartedly invite you to Kazimierz Dolny and Janowiec nad Wisłą from the 28th of July to the 5th of August!

Grażyna Torbicka
Artistic Director of the Two Riversides Festival