INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF "GALUMPHING" AT KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL

Agnieszka Południak talked to Kamila Józefowicz, the director of "Galumphing."

 In her first feature-length documentary, Kamila Józefowicz depicted the Argentinian painter from Buenos Aires, who rejected the lifestyle imposed on her by the system and decided to live on the Brazilian sea-coast, to close herself in her own world - alone. Danny, because that is the name of the film's protagonist, over 10 years ago chose the life in accord with nature, but against everyone else.

We learn Danny's story through the place, where she lives and the lifestyle that she had chosen. We accompany her in her everyday chores, observe her, how she deals with life in this extraordinary place, we admire the powers of nature with her. An image of a tough, but at the same time uniquely sensitive woman unfolds before our eyes. She transfers her emotions to the canvas; feelings become much more important than any kind of harmony or composition. Her every utterance becomes an attempt at explaining, why a young educated woman totally resigned from comfortable, civilised life.

Several years ago, during a motor trip along the Brazilian coastline, the young Danny, together with her boyfriend, found a virgin piece of land, far away from the civilisation. They decided to buy it, but only a few years later, the protagonist, already alone, made a decision to live there. The idea behind this loneliness is "real" world, in symbiosis with nature. Happy crazy, these are the words used to describe Danny by the only people other than herself, whom we see on the screen; their utterances are the narrative frame of the film. The inestimable asset of the film is its visual side, close-ups to natural details, terrific landscapes, and an interesting girl, telling her story, in the forefront. Sublimated frames, photography and light give the rhythm to this production, and the music, composed by Jakub Józefowicz, ideally complements the whole.

 

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How did you first come across Danny's story and what made you want to tell it?

 

Kamila Józefowicz: I came up with a crazy idea of going to Brazil, earlier on I had been on a holiday there and I had found a wonderful place, where I absolutely wanted to return. It was a tiny fishing village, very beautiful, and Danna simply came there sometimes, she lived about 20 kilometres away. We spent a lot time together, talking, then we became friends and I started to visit her. I was almost a year there, and all the time I was thinking about making a film. Living in Brazil allowed me to look at some things from a different perspective, I began to be fascinated by nature, without TV, Internet you have a lot of time to think about different things and come to different conclusions, I appreciated this very much, but I did not know how to tell about it, and one day I came up with the idea of telling about her, because by telling about her I could tell about everything which I had in my head, through her stories I could show what interested me, what I considered important, vital. On the one hand, I wanted to tell my story and I did not know why, and on the other hand, I consider her a very brave person and I admire her very much. I lived in the town a year and a half, but she lives alone over 10 years, she went there when she was 28, how does she manage, how did she get there.

 

 

 

How much time did you spend with the film's protagonist?

 

K.J.: I spent a year and a half in Brazil, and I met Danna right at the beginning, but I started to shoot the film when we knew each other well, after 8 months. I visited her there, sometimes staying overnight or for two days. I was shooting the film for 5 months, but I was not with her all this time. We became very good friends, it turned out that we were similarly brought up, that we read the same books, watch similar films, as if we were brought up in the same place, very culturally similar, she is a very interesting person, it seems to me it is also because she opened up to me.

 

 

 

Has Danny seen the final result and what are her feelings about it?

 

K.J.: Yes, I returned to Brazil in April this year, only for two weeks, to show her the film, and she said that everything is pretty, beautiful, but she wanted to have her own voice and everything she says cut out of  the film, and play only the music instead, she could not bear to hear herself, but after she saw the film three, four times, she got used to it. It seems to me that she liked it, because at one moment she said that I understood her very well, she was surprised that she told me so much about herself, she does not usually tell such things, but she trusted me; of course I respect her privacy and I did not show everything in the film. I tried not to hurt her in any way, I thought a lot about her making this film.

 

 

 

Are you working on the next film project?

 

K.J.: I am just finishing another documentary about the making of the "Polita" musical, now I am at the editing phase, I will try to make it interesting. I have also some ideas in my head, but nothing specific yet.

 

 

The screenings of "Galumphing" at 52nd Krakow Film Festival:

"Kijów" Cinema. Centre

1 July 15:50 the Polish Competition 8

"Mikro" Cinema

29 May 13:30 the Polish Competition 8