Against the backdrop of changing seasons and seasonal field work, the story of the Boryna family and beautiful, mysterious Jagna unfolds. It is women, especially the tragic Jagna, who are in the centre of the plot. The unique microcosm of a village community becomes pretext for a universal and exceptionally up-to-date story. A story of tragic love and life in a confined community, where standards and brutal rules of the game determine a well-defined place in the group for everyone, and moving beyond the tight constrains results in humiliation and rejection.

The monumental work by Władysław Reymont is full of picturesque descriptions of nature. The film will be based on the paintings from the Young Poland artistic period, which perfectly reflect the feel of the novel. The interpretations of the works of such artists as Józef Chełmoński, Ferdynand Ruszczyc and Leon Wyczółkowski will appear on the big screen.

The soundtrack will be created by the award-winning producer Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski. As part of the international Rebel Babel Film Orchestra, the composer will create a special Slavic collective of folk musicians who, like painters, with the use of traditional means (folk instruments and songs) will create a magical and analogue landscape complementing the beauty of the painted images.

Chłopi / The Peasants

Directed by: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Music: Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski & Rebel Babel Orchestras
Cast: Kamila Urzędowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Mirosław Baka, Sonia Mietielica, Ewa Kasprzyk, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Andrzej Konopka
Production: BreakThru Films
Country: Polska
Year: 2023
Running time: 102 min.

GDZIE / KIEDY

25 listopada (sobota) - godz. 16:30
Małopolski Ogród Sztuki - Sala duża

O REŻYSERACH:

DK Welchman (née Dorota Kobiela)

Writer and director. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Simultaneously with attending the Academy of Fine Arts she was attending the Film School in Warsaw in the Department of Directing. A four-time winner of the Minister of Culture scholarship for outstanding achievements in painting and graphics.

The originator, co-author of the script, director and editor of the film Loving Vincent. The film was made by more than 100 painters from all over the world, in three studios in Gdansk, Wroclaw and Athens. The film was awarded, among others, the European Film Award for the Best Animated Feature Film, the first prize in the animated film competition at the 20^th International Film Festival in Shanghai, an Eagle – the award of the Polish Film Academy for Best Editing and Best Production Design as well as more than 40 other awards worldwide. It was also nominated for such prestigious awards as an OSCAR®, a BAFTA, Golden Globes; it was also very popular with viewers all over the world. As the first Polish production it grossed over 40 million dollars in the box office worldwide.

DK Welchman was awarded an Eagle for Best Editing. She is a member of the American, European and Polish Film Academies. She has been working in the artistic committee of the Polish Film Institute. She has been professionally associated with the Breakthru Films Studio for 10 years.

Hugh Welchman

Writer, director, producer. Oxford University graduate with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economy. His dream, however, was to make and produce films and for this reason he attended the National Film & Television School. His graduation film Crowstone was awarded the Cinefoundation Award at the Film Festival in Cannes and the Sam Mendes Shakespeare Prize. He gained his first professional experience producing short films for Monty Python, and later set up his own studio BreakThru Films. In 2008 Hugh was awarded an Oscar® for BreakThru`s first major production, Peter and the Wolf, which premiered in Royal Albert Hall with live orchestral accompaniment. His next film, Magic Piano, premiered in the Forbidden City in Beijing with the pianist Lang Lang and then in London`s South Bank Centre and New York`s Lincoln Center.

His next step was making the first painted feature animation in the world Loving Vincent, on which he collaborated with Dorota Kobiela for the first time. Their latest work, The Peasants, is currently successful at festivals and in cinemas.