We announce the line-up of the Special Screenings section of this year's EnergaCAMERIMAGE.
THE BATTLE OF MONTE CASSINO
The first Polish film to depict the story of the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, where heroic Polish troops under General Anders scored a major victory against the Germans and opened the way to Rome for the Allied forces. The film follows the journey of a 'reluctant hero,' Jędrek. At first cynical about the war effort, Jędrek becomes an assistant to a war reporter. Witnessing the high morale and dedication of the soldiers, he gradually changes his mind and joins the combat, partly to impress the feisty combat nurse, Pola.
Original title: Czerwone maki
Director: Krzysztof Łukaszewicz
Cinematographer: Arkadiusz Tomiak
Production: Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (WFDiF)
Country and Year: Poland, 2024
THE GIRL FROM THE WARDROBE
The story of an unusual friendship between three loners. Magda suffers from depression and she often closes herself in her wardrobe, isolating herself from society. Her neighbor Tomek’s alienation stems from a neurological disease and he depends on the care of his brother Jacek, who is just as lonely as the other two, spending most of his time in front of a computer screen. One day, Jacek asks Magda to help care for Tomek, and this unexpected request marks the beginning of a friendship in which both Magda and Tomek find a chance to overcome their isolation.
Original title: Dziewczyna z szafy
Director: Bodo Kox
Cinematographer: Arkadiusz Tomiak
Production: Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (WFDiF)
Country and Year: Poland, 2012
HERE
The fates of several generations intersect in one place on earth – a house that witnesses everything that is most beautiful, funny, moving and dramatic in their lives. This is where everything begins for some and ends for others. This is where love blossoms, dreams come true, friendships are born, passions emerge, but also disappointments come. In this unusual cinematic form, the film manages to capture the essence of human destiny. Its glories and shadows, which we are all familiar with, no matter where we come from or where we live.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cinematographer: Don Burgess
Production: ImageMovers, Miramax
Country and Year: USA, 2024
INSIDE OUT 2
Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
Director: Kelsey Mann
Cinematographers: Adam Habib, Jonathan Pytko
Production: Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures
Country and Year: USA, 2024
MARIA
During her last days, living in Paris of the 1970s, Maria Callas reimagines and relives her eventful life. The recollections of this greatest opera singer of all time are full of amorous adventures, bravura performances, presence in the most exclusive salons and occasions of meeting the most prominent figures of the time. There is room for a love story with Aristotle Onassis or a meeting with John F. Kennedy. Maria is the story of a woman who was incredibly confident, but at the same time unimaginably fragile and sensitive.
Director: Pablo Larraín
Cinematographer: Ed Lachman
Production: Fabula, Komplizen Film, The Apartment
Country and Year: Germany, Chile, Italy, 2024
RUST
On a dying farm amid the snow-capped mountains of the Wyoming Territory, 13-year-old Lucas Hollister spends his days caring for younger brother Jacob. Left to fend for themselves after the death of their parents, life is a cruel and hard scrabbling existence, and the seemingly endless horizon only hints at a larger world beyond the prairie wheat and toil of everyday life, taunting him with a world he’ll never know. Chasing a wolf away from the farm one day, Lucas accidentally shoots and kills a neighbouring Rancher, for which he is convicted of murder and sentenced to death by hanging.
Director: Joel Souza
Cinematographers: Bianca Cline, Halyna Hutchins
Production: Rust Productions
Country and Year: USA, 2024
THE SEASONS
A comedy about the marital crisis of a pair of actors that takes place in a theatrical world full of absurdities, in which the private lives of the characters mix with the fates of the characters they play on stage. The difficult emotions experienced by them are accompanied by surprising, lyrical humour. The film tells a universal story about love and human relationships in a satirical way.
Original title: Sezony
Director: Michał Grzybowski
Cinematographers: Edgar de Poray
Production: Haja Films
Country and Year: Poland, 2024
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG
Iman is an ambitious middle-class lawyer working for the Iranian government. He has just been promoted to state investigator. Alongside an increase in income and social cachet, his family has received clear instructions on what is required of them. Outside the home, the streets are alight with protests exploded following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in 2022 while in police custody after being arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab. Soon, Iman understands his role – rubber-stamping death-penalty judgments against activists without due legal proceedings.
Original title: Danaye anjir-e moabad
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Cinematographers: Pooyan Aghababaei
Production: Parallel45, Run Way Pictures
Country and Year: Iran, France, Germany, 2024
SEPTEMBER 5
September 5 unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. Through this lens, the film provides a fresh perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time.
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Cinematographers: Markus Förderer
Production: BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion, Projected Picture Works
Country and Year: Germany, 2024
UNSTOPPABLE
Unstoppable is the inspiring true story of Anthony Robles who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams. With the unwavering love and support of his devoted mother Judy and the encouragement of his coaches, Anthony fights through adversity to earn a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team. But it will demand everything he has, physically and mentally, to achieve his ultimate quest to become an NCAA Champion.
Director: William Goldenberg
Cinematographers: Salvatore Totino
Production: A Really Good Home Pictures, Artists Equity, Nuyorican Productions, Seven Bucks Productions
Country and Year: USA, 2024
WICKED
The stage musical becomes a generation-defining cinematic event. The untold story of the witches of Oz stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman misunderstood because of her green skin who has yet to discover her true power, and Ariana Grande as Glinda, a young woman gilded by privilege who has yet to discover her true heart. As they forge an unlikely friendship, their adventures will see them fulfil their destinies as the Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cinematographers: Alice Brooks
Production: Marc Platt Productions, Universal Pictures
Country and Year: USA, 2024
YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA
Young Woman and the Sea is a film based on the true story of the remarkable Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim across the English Channel. Born to immigrant parents in New York City in 1905, through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, Trudy, overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement – a 21-mile trek from France to England.
Director: Joachim Rønning
Cinematographers: Oscar Faura
Production: Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures
Country and Year: USA, Hungary, Italy, UK, France, 2024