This Tuesday, November 21st, IFF ETIUDA&ANIMA starts for a 24. time. We invite you to an opening gala in Malopolski Ogrod Sztuki. Opening night makes a great occasion to see two movies – Hieronim Neumann’s „Lift” and „Window Horses” by Ann Marie Fleming.

„The Elevator” directed by Hieronim Neumann

Waiting for the elevator nervously: throat clearing and time checking, pushing the buttons histerically and compulsive wondering if going by stairs would last any shorter – those are feeligns that we get by watching last Hieronim Neumann’s animated movie. The author lets us into the ridiculousness of living in the eighteen-storey(!) building. Neumann was interested in the topic of the big housing developments back in 1982 in the animated movie „Blocks”  - variation of the idea about secrets that our neighbours hide inside their apartments.

Dailyness of housing estates happen to be a little comical (Stanislaw Bareja is still alive), but also metaphorical, archetypically showing specifity of our lifes. Living space, that limits our range of motion and thinking, imposes our behaviours (thank you, you’re welcome, excuse me, you have to stand in line) – this is what defines „Lift’s” scenario.

Animation that bases on crowded room that causes absurd situations reminds of iconic „Tango” (1980) directed by Zbigniew Rybczynski, that brings us to the room overflowing with people conducting seemingly unrelated activities. This connotation is right by all means – Rybczynski and Neumann come from the same animation school, they both used to work in production by Se-Ma-For studio.

Screening of the „The Elevator” can become an interesting experience in itself – it is going to be held during the opening gala, which, as is known, is a kind of event that makes rooms crowded and sometimes leads to odd situations.

Katarzyna Możejko

Winda / The Elevator

Direction and screenplay by Hieronim Neumann, music by Krzesimir Dębski,  Poland 2017, animation, 19 min.

“Window Horses” directed by Ann Marie Fleming

How pursuing your dreams can lead you to find the truth about yourself? Half-Chinese, half-Persian Rose Ming is a young, beginning poet from Canada raised by her Chinese grandparents. She lives her life believing that she has been left by her father. One day she is being invited to a poetry festival in Iran that she attends despite the initial resistance of her grandparents. At destination she finds out some intriguing facts about her parentage and also how it happened that her grandparents took care of her. Is it possible that they were hiding from her such an important information?

By meeting benevolent people Rosie finds feelings hidden deeply in her heart. Citing the sentence in the trailer of the film: ‘The more you learn from the others, the better you understand yourself’. Ann Marie Fleming’s movie is a place where different ethnicities and cultures meet, it reminds of equality that all the relationships should base on.

The movie is based on a graphic novel with the same title, written by the director. Her courage in showing the world that people can live in harmony should be admired. Certainly her bravery comes from her personal experiences, as she is product of the union between the Chinese and the Australian, and she was born in Japan.

Natalia Szczepanek

Window Horses

Direction and screenplay by Ann Marie Fleming, Canada 2016, animation, 85 min.

Festival opening gala – „The Elevator” and „Window horses”
21^st November (Tuesday), 7:00 pm.
Malopolska Garden of Arts – Large Screening Room

Tickets are available in the points of sale.