Who will visit Świdnica? We reveal the first names!

The 9th Spektrum Film Festival includes not only film screenings, but also meetings with people creating contemporary Polish cinema. Between October 24 and 29, the Świdnica Cultural Center will be visited by directors, as well as actresses and actors appearing in films presented during Spektrum. The festival guests will include: Kinga Preis, Damian Kocur, Małgorzata Gorol, Robert Gulaczyk and Hanka Nobis.

Kinga Preis – playing the role of Józefina in Kinga Dębska's latest film "Feast of Fire" (2023)

Kinga Preis is one of the most talented and interesting Polish actresses of the young generation. She will visit Świdnica for a Q&A after the screening of the latest film directed by Kinga Dębska entitled Feast of Fire in which Preis played the role of Józefina. The picture tells the story of a young girl, Anastazja, who is addicted to comic books, hot chocolate and in love with a boy next door. If she could, she would take him on a date or to the end of the world. Unfortunately, these are just dreams, because she has been confined to a wheelchair since childhood and communicates with her surroundings using a special program. Nastka’s life changes thanks to her feisty neighbor, Józefina.

Damian Kocur – director of "Bread and Salt” (2022)

Damian Kocur is a Polish director, screenwriter and cinematographer. The program of the 9th Spektrum included his debut entitled “Bread and Salt”, which was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival in 2022. The film tells the story of Tymek – a young pianist, a student of the Warsaw University of Music, who returns to his hometown for holidays. The central meeting point for local youth is the newly opened kebab bar. Tymek witnesses a growing spiral of tensions between his colleagues and employees of Arab origin. A spiral whose ending will turn out to be tragic. The film was inspired by real events and performed by amateurs.

Małgorzata Gorol – actress of the main role in the film "Backwards" (2022) directed by Jacek Lusiński

Małgorzata Gorol is a Polish theater and film actress who played the role of Maryśka in the film “Backwards” directed by Jacek Lusiński. The action takes place in 1989. Marysia is a single mother raising a son with autism. Neither the school nor the health service know how to deal with a child with such a disorder. The woman does not stop trying to ensure Śubuk’s acceptance and understanding. Challenging the health service and the Polish education system, Maryśka finds other mothers in a similar situation, ignored by the system. From then on, the woman will stop at nothing to achieve her goal and ensure her son’s social acceptance and understanding. The film was inspired by real events.

Robert Gulaczyk – actor of the role of Antek Boryna in the painting animation "The Peasants" (2023) directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman

Robert Gulaczyk is a film and theater actor who has been associated with the theater in Legnica for many years. He made his debut on the big screen in 2017 with the role of Vincent Van Gogh in the animated painting “Loving Vincent”. In 2023, he appeared in another animated film – “The Peasants”, in which he played the role of Antek Boryna. Spektrum viewers will meet Robert Gulaczyk after the screening of “The Peasants”, a film about the unique micro-world of a rural community, which is also an excuse to tell a universal and incredibly current story. A story about tragic love and life in a small community, where rules and brutal rules of the game assign everyone a specific place in the group, and going beyond the narrow limits may result in humiliation and rejection.

Anna Rok – sound designer of the documentary "Polish Prayers" (2022) directed by Hanka Nobis

The life of Antek, a twenty-two-year-old conservative from Wrocław, revolves around national thought, the church and right-wing activism. He combines leadership of a nationalist organization with activities in the men’s rosary brotherhood, and participation in independence marches with leading counter-demonstrations during equality marches. Antek’s life changes when he meets Weronika, a girl with completely different views. Hanka Nobis accompanied Antek for five years, portraying the subsequent stages of the boy’s search and his relationships with his family and loved ones. Anna Rok, sound designer, will meet the Spektrum audience after the screening of the film “Polish Prayers”, which will take place at the Świdnica Detention Center as part of the festival’s OPEN DETENTION section.