KOLEKCJA – COLLECTION
Marcin Polar | Poland 2017 | 19 Min. | OmeU
Somewhere in the region of Podkarpacie, there is a small village where Mieczysław lives with his wife. Władysława is disabled and requires permanent help, even with the simplest activities. The elderly man takes care not only of his wife, but also of a wealth of unwanted objects that someone else relegated to oblivion or threw away upon a heap of useless scraps. Mieczysław collects tarnished candlestick and dusty butter dishes to save the past from oblivion.
Director’s Statement
“The character of Mieczysław inspired me as early as in my childhood when, spending a half of summer in the countryside, I helped him deal with the farm works. The desire to tell his story has accompanied me since I took up filmmaking. In the selection of the frames, I was helped by a long-term photographic observation of Mieczysław and his surroundings, the landscapes around his cottage, as well as a good knowledge of his hometown. I think that only a family relationship has allowed me to look so deeply into their intimate relationships. Thanks to this, they allowed me to participate in their small world which they created around me living in isolation.
The story I have told has a fairytale nature. Two people on the edge of their lives create a space unprecedented anywhere else. It is fascinating how much energy this old man has in him, which allows him to develop his work constantly. First of all, with this film I wanted to tell the truth. The life of Mieczysław presented on the screen is an authentic record of his reality. There is no pretense, shameful drama or use of shocking means of expression. The story goes on peacefully, like the life of two old people. This is also a very coherent picture of the Polish countryside where people have kept their identity and lifestyle from many years ago.
Nor did the film lack love – romantic but also mature and grateful. A love that has lasted for over 60 years, which does not happen very often.
Above all, however, this is a film about passing away and an attempt to oppose its inseparable element – oblivion. The question is self-imposed. What can we do in our life so that we should not be forgotten?”
Director & Screenplay: Marcin Polar
Cinematography: Marcin Polar
Editing: Paweł Wilkołek
Original Music: Kuba Dobrowolski
Sound Design: Bogdan Klat
Production Design: Justyna Polar
Producer: Paweł Wilkołek | Film House
Set Services: LeLe Crossmedia Productions
Post-production: Marcin Polar
Production Coordicator: Paweł Wilkołek
Production Assistant: Grzesiek Piekarski
Legal Services: Konrad Kąkol
Administatrion: Urszula Oślak
Promotion: María Vera | Kinorebelde, Krakow Film Foundation
Screenings
Krakow Film Festival. Poland (2017)
Cinema Verite International Documentary Film Festival. Iran (2017)
Camerimage. Poland (2017)
Off Cinema Festival. Poland (2017)
Koszalin Film Festival „Młodzi i film”. Poland (2017)
Lubuskie Lato Filmowe. Poland (2017)
MFF Zoom Zbliżenia. Poland (2017)
Miradas Doc International Documentary Film Festival, Spain (2018)
Moscow International Documentary Film Festival DOKer. Russia (2018)
Brooklyn Film Festival. USA (2018)
Pärnu Film Festival. Estonia (2018)
PeroSo Film Festival. Italy (2018)
DocsMx Film Festival. Mexico (2018)
Biography
Marcin Polar was born in Jasło (Poland) in 1989. A graduate of the Department of Radio and Television of the University of Silesia, Major: Cinematography (2011-2017) and the Wojciech Jerzy Has Krakow Film School, Line: Cinematography and Editing (2008- 2010). Professionally, he works as a cinematographer and documentary director – worked as a cinematographer and cameraman on films located in Mongolia, Panama, in the Pacific and more locally in the Polish and Slovak Tatra Mountains, taking pictures of climbing. For the last 3 years, he have been working on an original documentary film whose working title is “Hardzi” and which deals with cave exploration in the Polish Tatras. In the same time, he managed to complete his hitherto largest proprietary documentary, entitled “Collection” which is currently taking part in numerous film festivals in Poland and abroad. He is specialized in taking photos in extreme conditions, often with the aid of alpine and underwater techniques. Using that skills, he have made some films in high mountains, Tatra caves, during an ice climbing as well as in the open ocean and underwater.
