In this year's ALTERKINO, we join the stream of key phenomena, the most up-to-date locally and globally, both personal, intimate and social. It is the flow of images that carry meaning. They teach, entertain, inform, experiment and surprise, offering a journey deep into the global network of events, but also towards the human heart and mind - where revolutionary ideas are born.
It is a cinema about what is most important - heroes who change the world [Section "Heroes Of Our Time"], the rhythm and particles of everyday life in which we do not always find ourselves [Section "We, People - Everyday / Non-everyday"], creative experiments that testify to the steadfastness of the human spirit and the strength of survival [Section "Music / Icons / Experiments"]. We witness the emergence of groundbreaking works of art [Section "Art / Revolutions"] and travel freely to different corners of the world to better understand the complex nature of our times [Section "This Is Our World"].
We reach for movies from the most important world festivals, such as Sundance, Rotterdam, Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, Toronto. These are quality stamps that guarantee that you will see movies that are memorable, important, inspiring, and visually spectacular. As part of ALTERKINO, we will present documents, stories, experiments and animations.
SECTIONS
Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Maria Ressa, three winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the most recognizable climate activist of the young generation - Greta Thunberg. They are united by their steadfastness in pursuing a goal and the struggle for a better tomorrow, which has a global and universal dimension. They are titans of change that they devote their entire lives to. What do our Heroes of Our Times teach? That man and his will to change are still at the root of all revolutions. This is a section about courage, dreams, strength to survive and the joy necessary to discover the taste of life.
TYSIĄCE MAŁYCH RAN / A THOUSAND CUTS
reż. / dir. Ramona S. Diaz / 2020 / USA / 100 min.
July 1 / Friday - 18.15In 2016, outsider candidate Rodrigo Duterte upset the political establishment in the Philippines by winning the presidency and promising vengeance and violence. Within hours of taking office, bodies piled up in the streets. Rappler, the country’s top online news site, investigated the murders and revealed a government-sanctioned drug war targeting poor addicts instead of lucrative dealers. In an attempt to suppress independent reporting, Duterte unleashed a powerful disinformation campaign that spread like wildfire throughout social media. Filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz follows key players from two sides of an increasingly dangerous war between press and government. Representing the journalists is fearless Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, who, despite arrests and harassment, continues to publish articles holding a lawless regime accountable.
MISJA: SZCZĘŚCIE / MISSION: JOY - FINDING HAPPINESS IN TROUBLED TIMES
reż. / dir. Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan / 2021 / USA / 85 min.
June 30 / Thursday - 20.15
July 2 / Saturday - 18.15Deeply moving and laugh-out-loud funny, ” Mission: Joy. Finding Happiness in Troubled Times” is a documentary with unprecedented access to the unlikely friendship of two international icons who transcend religion: His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu.
In their final joint mission, these self-described mischievous brothers give a master class in how to create joy in a world that was never easy for them. They offer neuroscience-backed wisdom to help each of us live with more joy, despite circumstances.
JESTEM GRETA / I AM GRETA
reż. / dir. Nathan Grossman / 2020 / Szwecja, Sweden / 98 min.
July 1 / Friday - 21.45
The story of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is told through compelling, never-seen-before footage in this intimate documentary from Swedish director Nathan Grossman. Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Grossman follows Greta - a shy schoolgirl with Asperger’s – in her rise to prominence, and her galvanizing global impact as she sparks school strikes around the world. The film culminates with her astonishing wind powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City.
We, the People, are an endless set of experiences and tales builded by everyday life.This is a section about the extraordinary - meetings, fates, stories, about how we live and what creates us as people. Relationships with others turn out to be the key to everything. When we meet strangers who allow us to look at life differently, as in "The Balcony Movie". When we create a new, fairy-tale world in virtual reality, finding real friendship and love ["We Met In Virtual Reality"]. There is also a bitter, but also fascinating story about unfulfilled dreams of kids, who happened to be famous for a while ["We Were Once Kids"], and a touching journey beyond individualism towards therapeutic relationships with others, related to discovering superpowers ["C'mon C'mon ”].
FILM BALKONOWY / THE BALCONY MOVIE
reż. / dir. Paweł Łoziński / 2021 / Polska, Poland / 100 min.July 2 / Saturday - 16.30
Can anyone be a movie hero? Can the world be locked in one film frame? Director Paweł Łoziński is watching people from his balcony as they are passing by: sad, thoughtful, glued to their phones, young and old. Neighbours, random visitors or simply passers-by. The filmmaker accosts them, asks questions, talks about how they deal with life.
Standing there with his camera for over 2 years he has created a space for dialogue, a lay confessional of sorts, where everyone can stop by and tell their story. The protagonists carry secrets and mysteries which are not easy to label. Every story is unique, and life always surpasses imagination. “The Balcony Movie” is a radical comeback to the beginnings of cinema, when man approached the camera. Maybe it’s enough to stop for a moment to get a deeper insight?
KIEDYŚ BYLIŚMY DZIECIAKAMI / WE WERE ONCE KIDS
reż. / dir. Eddie Martin / 2021 / Australia / 91 min.July 2 / Saturday - 01.00
In the early 1990’s, before New York City’s mass gentrification, a group of disparate youth ventured outside their broken homes into the city’s brutal streets. United by skateboarding, they cultivated a family and built a unique lifestyle that ultimately inspired Larry Clark’s 1995 groundbreaking film, KIDS. The crew became overnight commodities, thrust into the mainstream spotlight. Left adrift under the bright lights, some discovered transcendent lives and careers,- while others, abandoned and unequipped to handle fame, suffered fatal consequences.
POZNALIŚMY SIĘ W WIRTUALNEJ RZECZYWISTOŚCI / WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY
reż. / dir. Joe Hunting / 2022 / Wielka Brytania, Great Britain / 91 min.
June 30 / Thursday - 23.15
July 2 / Saturday - 19.45”We Met in Virtual Reality” is a pioneering documentary filmed entirely inside the world of VR, formed by an intimate collage of stories exploring the burgeoning cultural landscape of VRChat, whilst the physical world faced isolation in the COVID-19 lockdown. Filmmaker Joe Hunting uses a poetic vérité language to create empathy with five protagonists represented by their virtual personas, demystifying the emotional and physical presence existing inside social VR communities.
C'MON C'MON
reż. / dir. Mike Mills / 2021 / USA / 105 min.June 30 / Thursday - 18.15
The great return of Mike Mills, the creator of the unforgettable "Debutants", as well as the spectacular return to the screen of Joaquin Phoenix after the iconic "Joker". Phoenix as Johnny plays the role of a New York single, a journalist who travels America with a microphone, asking children and young people about their lives, dreams, superpowers and plans for the future. Along the way, a reporter visits a sister who lives in Los Angeles (Gaby Hoffman), with whom he has not spoken in years. To support her in caring for her nine-year-old son (Woody Norman), Johnny takes him with him to New York. The joint journey will turn out to be a lesson in patience, responsibility and simply: adulthood, which the journalist has so far avoided. Attentive, warm, focused around the most important relationships, "C'mon C'mon" has a therapeutic effect: it teaches mutual care, showing emotions, and sewing up broken ties.
In this section, we focus on music, believing that music worlds do not and should not have any boundries. We are convinced by the figure of Zappa - an uncompromising revolutionist, genius, thinker, expressing concern for the common good through many musical genres [„Zappa’]. Crazy swing in the fascinating world of the Rolling Stones is ensured by the bassist Billy Wyman ["Quiet One"], built from the archival materials presented for the first time to the world. It is a treat not only for fans of those arch-legends. In the formally developed documentary titled "Oh, It Hertz!" we find out about the power of the sound stories. There is also an experimental, super-extravagant musical by the master of the non-obvious, Leos Carax, which crosses the boundaries of film genres with opera in the background ["Annette"].
ZAPPA
reż. / dir. Alex Winter / 2020 / USA / 129 min.
June 30 / Thursday - 01.00
July 2 / Saturday - 22.45With unfettered access to the archival footage contained within the Zappa Vault, Alex Winter explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career of Frank Zappa, who never shied away from the political turbulence of his time. The film features appearances by Frank's widow Gail Zappa and several of his musical collaborators, including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood and Ray White.
CAŁY TEN DŹWIĘK / OH, IT HERTZ!
reż. / dir. Gunnar Hall Jensen / 2020 / Norwegia, Norway / 88 min.
June 29 / Wednesday - 17.45The film opens our eyes (or rather ears) to this very important sphere of our life - sounds. Will we be more vigilant after watching it? The film is highly polished both sonically and visually, and the characters and their astonishing stories reveal a new and fascinating world right next to us.
ZAWÓD: BASISTA STONESÓW / QUIET ONE
reż. / dir. Oliver Murray / 2019 / Wielka Brytania, Great Britain / 97 min.June 29 / Wednesday - 01.00
July 1 / Friday - 01.30Throughout his three-decade career as a founding member of and bassist for The Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman was known to the world as the “quiet one” in the band. Now, the famously private music legend speaks out about his extraordinary life and experiences as part of “the greatest rock and roll band in the world.” Opening up his vast personal archive—a lifetime’s worth of previously unseen home movies, photographs, and memorabilia—Wyman reflects on his early years with The Stones, the band’s meteoric rise to fame, and his search for a sense of “normality” amidst the whirlwind of sex, drugs, and rebellion. Endearingly humble and down-to-earth, Wyman pulls back the curtain to offer a one-of-a-kind perspective on life as a reluctant rock star.
ANNETTE
reż. / dir. Leos Carax / 2021 / 134 min.
June 29 / Wednesday - 22.30“Annette” is a thrilling, musical spectacle that is full of emotions. The film opened the Cannes International Film Festival, Leos Carax left the French event with the Best Director Award. The new film by the world cinema master ("Holy Motors") is a timeless tale of love, jealousy and revenge. For his first English-language production, the French creator engaged Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard ("I Have No Regrets - Edith Piaf") and Oscar-nominated Adam Driver ("Marriage Story", "Star Wars" saga). The script, music and songs for the film were created by the Sparks band. The creators of “La La Land” and “Moulin Rouge” are also responsible for the music production.
What do one of the most recognized photographers in the world, a film genius and the Ukrainian Leonardo da Vinci have in common? Tenacity, revolutionary visions, great passion, at times bordering on madness and controversy. The heroes of the section are visionaries who have a real impact on how we look at reality. Steve McCurry has been creating iconic photographs for 40 years, documenting the most important events of the 20th and 21st centuries [“McCurry: The Pursuit Of Colour"], Quentin Tarantino forged his own cult language of cinema, which redefined the concept of film genres ["QT8: The First Eight"], and Florìan Yuriev combined the seven colors of nature with the seven tonalities of music ["Infinity According To Florian "] . We also add the author's animation by the leader of Cool Kids of Death, Krzysztof Ostrowski - "It’s Hard To Be A Supervillain", appreciating the importance and power of artistic experiments
MCCURRY. W POGONI ZA KOLOREM / MCCURRY: THE PURSUIT OF COLOUR
reż. Denis Delestrac / 2021 / Hiszpania, Wielka Brytania, Spain, Great Britain / 93 min.
June 29 / Wednesday - 19.30
July 1 / Friday - 16.30”McCurry: The Pursuit of Colour” is the first intimate feature-length portrait of the contemporary photojournalist Steve McCurry. The one thing more poignant than McCurry’s pictures is his tumultuous 40-year career, which he’s spent travelling the globe essentially alone, capturing candid snapshots depicting the complexity of human life. Exclusive interviews with family, friends, colleagues and with the photographer himself bring to life the stories behind some of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
TARANTINO: BĘKART KINA / QT8: THE FIRST EIGHT
reż. Tara Wood / 2019 / USA / 101 min.
July 1 / Friday - 23.30“QT8: The First Eight” is the next film in the 21 Years series following “21 Years: Richard Linklater”. “QT8” chronicles the filmmaker from his trendsetting work on “Reservoir Dogs” and examines how his films have changed the movie making landscape forever.
NIESKOŃCZONOŚĆ WEDŁUG FLORIANA / INFINITY ACCORDING TO FLORIAN
reż. Oleksiy Radynski / 2022 / Ukraina, Ukraine / 70 min.
June 29 / Wednesday - 16.30Florìan Yuriev wasn’t a filmmaker as such, even if moving images and the interaction of lights and sounds did play a major part in his art – which one could describe as the most expanded form of cinema. Yuriev was a painter who developed a whole theory of colour and musicality. He was an architect whose most famous creation also served as a movie hall, and was designed to host what he called Light Theatre performances. And as a true man of the 20th century, he did, of course, shoot films – yet without ever feeling the need to finish them. Here, in Radynski's essayistic paean in honour of his unique contribution to Modernism, a life spent in defiance of orthodoxy and conformism, one gets for the first time ever generous glimpses of these little gems begging to be revealed – as another side of this polymath’s genius.
JAK ZOSTAŁEM SUPERŁOTREM / IT’S HARD TO BE A SUPERVILLAIN
reż. / dir. Krzysztof Ostrowski / Polska, Poland / 70 min.
Muzyka / Music: 19 Wiosen, Belmondawg, Guiding Lights, Drivealone, Koza, Król, L.Stadt, Zdechły Osa X Odjutraniepale, Myslovitz, Stara Rzeka, Wild BooksJune 29 / Wednesday - 21.15
July 2 / Saturday - 21.30The series tells the story of two protagonists: Supervillain, a once popular bad guy, and his son Supervillain Junior, a shy and introverted teenager. Over thirteen episodes—located in Łódź, Poland—Supervillain and Supervillain Jr. struggle with everyday life and wonder how to take over the world. Their methods are poles apart. The father is desperately trying to earn a living and save face as he continues his villainous career, which in reality looks rather chaotic. Meanwhile, his son is patiently devising a perfect plan for global destruction in the quiet of his room. Bullied at school by bigger boys, Junior looks within himself and discovers supernatural powers that let him influence physical objects. However, he needs his father to be able to use them. One afternoon, the father becomes the catalyst for Junior’s special power. Together, the father and the son will cause the world to notice them and pay them due respect.
Here’s the section with films that evoke strong emotions, but this is what our world is like. From a global journey along the ribbons of the most beautiful rivers, not only to contemplate their beauty, but to look at the devastation caused by industry ["River"], through observing the life cycle of the Luma cow, which sensitizes to the fate of farm animals ["Cow"], to a shocking animation about the impact of war against the fate of an individual ["Flee"]. We are not afraid of confronting the most important, most current problems waiting to be solved. This is due to the remarkably refined cinematographic images that go straight to the heart.
RZEKA / RIVER
reż. / dir. Jennifer Peedom / 2021 / Australia / 72 min.
June 30 / Thursday - 21.45
RIVER takes its audience on a journey through space and time; spanning six continents, and drawing on extraordinary contemporary cinematography, including satellite filming, the film shows rivers on scales and from perspectives never seen before. Throughout history, rivers have shaped our landscapes and our journeys; flowed through our cultures and dreams. RIVER takes its audience on a journey through space and time; spanning six continents, and drawing on extraordinary contemporary cinematography, including satellite filming and work by such authors as Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the film shows rivers on scales and from perspectives never seen before. Its union of image, music and sparse, poetic script create a film that is both dream-like and powerful, honouring the wildness of rivers but also recognising their vulnerability.
KROWA / COW
reż. Andrea Arnold / 2021 / Wielka Brytania, Great Britain / 94 min.
June 30 / Thursday - 16.30
This film is an endeavour to consider cows. To move us closer to them. To see both their beauty and the challenge of their lives. Not in a romantic way - in a real way. Andrea Arnold (“American Honey”) depicts one dairy cow’s reality, acknowledging her great service to us. When I look at Luma, our cow, I see the whole world in her.
PRZEŻYĆ / FLEE
reż. / dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen / 2021 / 92 min.
July 1 / Friday - 20.00This animated documentary is the true story about a man's need to confront his past in order to truly have a future. Amin arrived as an unaccompanied minor in Denmark from Afghanistan. Today, at 36, he is a successful academic and is getting married to his long-time boyfriend. A secret he has been hiding for over 20 years threatens to ruin the life he has built for himself. For the first time he is sharing his story with his close friend – the director. Told mostly through animation, FLEE weaves together a stunning tapestry of images and memories to tell the deeply affecting and original story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to find his true self and the meaning of home.