The Danish director didn’t come to TWO RIVERSIDES Festival, but while preparing for the film ‘Love One Another’ he may have visited Kazimierz Dolny. A discussion about the works of this classic filmmaker began from this daring thesis proposed by Tadeusz Szczepański. Apart from the guests from the Danish Film Institute, Maria Kornatowska- an outstanding film critic, took part in the meeting. As it turned out, a film about the life of Christ- showing that the Romans killed him, not the Jews- was supposed to be the director’s project of life. He never finished it, but the subjects of distress and persecution were often elaborated in his films. From the beginning of the Festival this difficult retrospective has been drawing not only the admirers of the Scandinavian cinema, but also usual viewers. Without a doubt,  Carl T. Dreyer moved us into A DIFFERENT WORLD this year.

A long queue, tickets sold out and nervous tension. A Festival car has just arrived. Dark windows are beginning to roll down and a man is getting off. It’s Lech Majewski! He adjusts his sunglasses, holding some DVDs in his hand. The Festival goers have been waiting to meet him during the Cinema Lesson. His name could be seen on many posters and he’s already appeared couple of times to announce the screening of his films in the retrospective section. His confessions lasted for almost two hours. Film allows for the marriage of poetry and painting. It allows them to last in time,… We could quote him many times. He slowly proceeded from lecture to confessions, beginning with astral substance and ending with a digital video camera. We thank Fellini for Lech Majewski because his adventure with cinema wouldn’t start if not for Fellini’s ‘8 ½’. Not only journalists, film theorists and students but also the youngest film fans listened to his ‘confessions’ with bated breath. Interviews lasted until late afternoon. Journalists had a chance to experience a private ‘Cinema Lesson’ and all film admirers could ask the director for some advice.


Flashes. They can be heard everywhere in Kazimierz. No wonder, the presence of our guests generates a lot of interest. Cómo estás? We’ve heard this questions many times in the Architect’s House [Dom Architekta], in the Market Square and everywhere else. Everything because of Rigoberto Perezcano, who introduced us to the world of immigrants with his film ‘Northless’. The Spanish title, ‘Norteado’, means both someone who travels north (to the USA) and somebody who is lost and doesn’t know what to do with his life. The director underlined that his documentary film balances between fact and fiction. The idea for the plot was conceived while reading a morning newspaper. The audience liked the film so much that the director’s announcement of shooting the sequel aroused thunderous applause. There was also time for a more serious discussion about the condition of the Mexican cinematography, especially the socially-engaged one…

Today is the time for THIRD CINEMA. We invite you to an evening screening of Brillante Mendoza’s ‘Execution of P’. The film was briskly discussed at the festival in Cannes, where it had its world premiere. Mendoza follows the way outlined by the New French Extremists. Will he be able to ‘shepherd’ us? Let’s find out in the evening.