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‘In the Rearview’ is the story of the ongoing war in Ukraine from the perspective of the van driver and film director Maciej Hamela. A few days after Russia's attack on Ukraine, Hamela set off with humanitarian aid for people affected by the war, transporting them from Ukraine to Poland. Dozens of them became characters in the documentary, bearing witness to the first days of the attack on their country. In the episode, we talk to Maciek Hamela about how the film helped and continues to raise funds to help those affected by the war, the ethics of getting footage for the film, and finally how to combine the demanding roles of a director, producer, volunteer driver, logistics manager, and first contact person for those in need of help. We also ask about the memories of the film's premiere in Ukraine and the emotions that accompanied the event, as well as the further fate of the characters and subsequent meetings with them.
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In this episode the acclaimed documentary filmmaker Hanna Polak talks about her latest film, the harrowing documentary ‘Angels of Sinjar’, about the massacre of the Yazidi minority by ISIS. Polak centres her story around two characters: Hanifa and Saeed, juxtaposing - in her own words - the female and male experience of suffering resulting from the loss of family and witnessing genocide. The director, known for her exceptionally long documentation process (she can accompany her characters for up to a dozen years), discusses about her working methods, the emotions that accompany her during the filming of extremely difficult scenes, the moments when she turns off the camera and her perception of her role as a documentary director. In the episode, we also ask Hanna Polak about whether and what impact the making of the film had on the fate of its protagonists, and about educating the wider ‘Western’ world about tragic events that often find little media attention.
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In her film Hanna Nobis created a character of unprecedented sensitivity and complexity. The figure of Antek, overcoming a difficult and unexpected - also for himself - path from right-wing conservatism to metropolitan liberalism, becomes a pretext for a conversation about building a system of values and the circumstances that may influence this process, the formation of maturity, loyalty, and solidarity towards a group of friends, family and, finally, towards oneself. The episode also focuses on the collaboration between the documentary filmmaker and the protagonist and the years-long process of building mutual trust. We also ask whether the director's private experiences influenced the direction of the film script or the highlighting of certain events.
International Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025 Culture.pl Hanna Nobis bio -
The award-winning, critically and audience acclaimed ‘Scarbon’ is the only feature film representative of its genre in the Celluloid Solidarity podcast. Director Paweł Maślona builds the narrative around the figure of Tadeusz Kościuszko on the eve of the uprising, but the real protagonist of the film is the character of the illegitimate son of nobility Ignacy, who tries at all costs to prove his descent and, consequently, his rightful place in his father's will. We talk to Paweł Maślona about the genesis of the film, the process it went through from idea to production, the breaking down of pathos in historical films and how current world political events make the Kosciuszko western a mirror for contemporary fears and tensions. We also ask about what a film set in Polish reality can offer a foreign audience.
International Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025 Culture.pl Paweł Maślona bio -
As we read in the film's promotional materials, ‘The Soil’ is a feminist documentary musical that surprises us with a fresh approach to the subject of women living in the rural areas'. In an interview with director Zuzanna Solakiewicz, we ask about the continuity of tradition and its value today, about the so-called ‘folk turn’ in culture and beyond, we discuss the therapeutic role of traditional song, and we inquire about the everyday life of women in the countryside in the past and present and about the social context. We are also interested in the director's view of her personal experiences from the perspective of someone who has lived in the Polish countryside for many years. The idea of solidarity resonates here on many levels - not only as the solidarity with the natural environment, implemented by previous generations, but also as the act of creating a community, a sense of security built through belonging to tradition and shaping everyday activities around the eternal rhythm of nature. We also discuss the character of Ewa Grochowska, the protagonist of the film, a singer who becomes a guide through the world of traditions, not only musical ones.
International Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025 Culture.pl Zuzanna Solakiewicz bio
