POLISH DOCUMENTARIES AT VISIONS DU REEL
The organisers of the Swiss festival Visions du Reél have announced the event's program. There are two Polish documentaries among the invited films – Pianoforte by Jakub Piątek and Apolonia, Apolonia by Lea Golb.
Visions du Reél has been organised in the Swiss city of Nyon since 1969. In the early days, the Nyon festival mainly screened Swiss films and productions from so-called Eastern Bloc countries – which were very difficult for Western audiences to see. Nowadays Visions du Reél is one of the largest documentary film festivals in Europe. This year's edition of the festival will take place on 7–17 April.
Pianoforte by Jakub Piątek was invited to the Grand Angle competition. The film's protagonists are young people (aged 16 to 30) from different parts of the world who have dedicated their lives to playing the piano since childhood. Just like athletes at the Olympics, they participate in the most prestigious piano competition that could change their lives. The Chopin Competition is the oldest of its kind in the world and takes place every five years in Warsaw. The competition saw a record number of renowned artists: from the eminent composer Dmitri Shostakovich to Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Rafał Blechacz, Seong-Jin Cho, Dang Thai Son, and Krystian Zimerman. The competition brings great excitement, both on stage and in the auditorium. It's a huge, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The film focuses on several protagonists. We watch them in their homes, during preparations, in private. The narrative is structured according to the rules of the competition, which is divided into three stages and a finale.
In contrast, Apolonia, Apolonia by Lea Golb will be shown during the Highlights section. The documentary is a Polish-Danish-French co-production which tells the story of painter Apolonia Sokol. The artist leaves Denmark and moves to her hometown of Paris to work on her art there. Viewers get to see the evolution of her beliefs about sexuality, art, ideals and love, and witness how her talent matures while she herself shifts to the commercial side of the artistic world.
A list of all films in the program can be found here.