Damian Kocur's "Under the Volcano" will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The program also includes Magnus von Horn's "Girl with a Needle." Both productions, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, will be shown at the Canadian Film Festival, which will take place from September 5-15.
scene from the movie
The world premiere of Damian Kocur's latest film, "Under the Volcano," will take place in Toronto in September. The film tells the story of the moment when a group of tourists from Ukraine, who are vacationing in Tenerife, suddenly learn about Russia's armed attack on their country. It's February 24, 2022, and the characters "suddenly go from tourists to refugees," said director Damian Kocur during the Work in Progress session at Polish Days.
The film examines a turning point in the characters' lives, when they are thrown from a blissful and peaceful vacation reality into a situation of chaos and confusion caused by an armed conflict. The film examines the dramatic events from an unusual perspective, allowing the viewer to feel the pain of the characters, who experience the horrors of war from a distance.
We watch the events in the film from the perspective of a young girl. Sofia is 16 years old and has few worries. The situation that takes place changes her current perception of reality and significantly affects the dynamics of her relationships with others. Unresolved conflicts will begin to surface, and the fear felt by family members will mix with a sense of guilt. In Tenerife, there are no gunshots or bombs, but you can feel the growing conflict on every side.
The screenplay for "Under the Volcano" was written by Damian Kocur and Marta Konarzewska. Nikita Kuzmenko was responsible for the cinematography, and Alan Zejer was responsible for editing. The film stars Roman Lutskyi, Sofia Berezovska, Anastasiya Karpenko, and Fedir Pugachov. The film was produced by Lizart Film, and the producers are Mikołaj Lizut and Agnieszka Jastrzębska.
"Nobody knows how the conflict in Ukraine will end. The state of uncertainty and helplessness is a state with which we are all too familiar. As a Pole, I see this situation from a specific perspective - the war front is literally beyond our eastern border. At the same time, we cling to the deceptive vision of security provided by the West. (...) But are we really safe? Or is the world becoming a dangerous place for each of us?” – we read in the statement of director and co-writer Damian Kocur in the Polish Days 2024 catalog.
“This film touches on my most hidden fears about the modern world. It is wavering and breaking, although we all try to live as if nothing was happening, as if we were on vacation. I am proud that together with Agnieszka Jastrzębska we were able to produce this important and beautiful cinematic statement by Damian Kocur. It was wonderful to work with outstanding artists from Ukraine, Poland and Spain,” echoes producer Mikołaj Lizut.
During this year's edition of the festival, the first North American screenings of Magnus von Horn's film “The Girl with a Needle” will also take place as part of the Special Presenations section. The film, which had its world premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival, won the favor of viewers and critics, who praised the film for its unique artistic vision and moving story.
"We wanted to create a film that would be called a fairy tale, maybe even one from the world of the Brothers Grimm. We play with the concept of a princess waiting for a rider on a white horse, (…) at the same time stripping her of illusions and dreams," producer Mariusz Włodarski said about the film during a conversation at the headquarters of the Polish Film Institute.
source: Polish Film Institute
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