written by

Gabriela Muskała

Produced by

Agnieszka Kurzydło – MD4

Co-produced by

Axman Production, CommonGround Pictures, Odra-Film, Mazowlecki i Warszawski Fundusz Filmowy, Magic Lab, Film i Väst

Cast

• Gabriela Muskała
• Łukasz Simlat
• Małgorzata Buczkowska
• Zbigniew Waleryś
• Halina Rasiakówna
• Piotr Skiba
• Iwo Rajski

Crew

DOP: Jakub Kijowski PSC

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Jagna Dobesz

EDITOR: Jarosław Kamiński PSM

SOUND: Maria Chilarecka

SOUND DESIGN: Niklas Sharp

MUSIC COMPOSER: Filip MiŠek

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Kamila Kuś

Bio-filmo

Agnieszka Smoczyńska is a graduate of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice, Poland and has also participated in master classes at the Wajda Film School. She received a scholarship from The Minister of Culture and National Heritage for outstanding artistic achievement, the “My Talent for Poland” prize and the Golden Pen, awarded by the President of Poland. In 2015 her first feature film “The Lure” experimented with the musical and horror genres and was recognized as the best debut at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. Smoczyńska was hailed as the “Discovery of the year” at the Polish Film Awards.

“The Lure” has received numerous awards at festivals worldwide, including Fantasporto, Sofia, Montreal, Vilnius and the Sundance Film Festival, where she received the Special Jury Prize for “a unique vision and design”, and subsequently released in countries such as the US, Japan and Taiwan (including a Criterion Collection Blu-ray release).  In 2017, Smoczyńska was invited by the Sydney Film Festival, Variety and European Film Promotion to participate in the “European Cinema: Ten Women Filmmakers to Watch“ program. She is a recipient of the Global Filmmaking Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Selected Filmography

Fugue – 2018

The Lure – 2015

Viva Maria! (Short) – 2010

Aria Diva (Short) – 2007

Festivals

Cannes 2018, Semaine de la Critique – Competition

Karlovy Vary 2018 (Czech Republic) – Another View

New Horizons IFF 2018 (Poland)

Melbourne IFF 2018 (Australia)

Fantastic Fest 2018 (USA)

Gdynia FF 2018 (Poland) – Best Director Award for directing a feature-length début or career second film for Agnieszka Smoczyńska

Beast IFF (Portugal)

Filmfest Hamburg 2018 (Germany)

Vancouver IFF 2018 (Canada)

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma 2018 (Canada)

Busan IFF 2018 (Korea)

Sitges FF 2018 (Spain) – Silver Méliès Award for Best feature length film

CinEast FF 2018 (Luxemburg)

Bogota IFF 2018 (Colombia)

Athens Avant Garde IFF 2018 (Greece) – Honourable mention for Best Actress Gabriela Muskala

Polish FF 2018, Melbourne (Australia)

Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest 2018 (Romania)

Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia 2018 (Mexico)

Sao Paulo IFF 2018 (Brazil)

Polish Film Festival in America 2018 (USA)

AFI Fest 2018 (USA)

Stockholm IFF 2018 (Sweden)

Brasilia IFF 2018 (Brazil)

Les Arcs FF 2018 (France)

Trieste FF 2019 (Italy)

Sofia IFF 2019 (Bulgaria)

Hong Kong IFF 2019

Crossing Europe FF 2019 (Austria)

Neisse Film Festival 2019 (Germany) – Competition –  Best Script, Best Set Design 

If Istanbul 2019 (Turkey) – Special Mention of the Jury

Polish Film Weeks (Finland)

Efebo D’oro –  ‘Debuts’ Special Award

Press quotes

“A satisfying, thought-provoking exploration of the commitment and sacrifice required to be true to yourself” – Screen

“Its controlled expansiveness of tone, psychology and camera mark its helmer — invaluably aided by writer-star Gabriela Muskała — as a stylist of considerable, unpredictable finesse” – Variety

“Anchored by finely grained performances, even from now-7-years-old Iwo Rajski as the kid, the work examines with unblinking honesty just how friable the bonds can be not only between spouses, but even between mother and child.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Smoczyńska can manoeuvre through delicate, emotional scenes as well as creating an atmosphere that will make the hairs on your neck stand on end.” – Cineuropa

with the support