“IN THE REARVIEW” IN TORONTO
The Polish-French-Ukrainian documentary In the Rearview by Maciek Hamela has made its way into the program of the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the largest film events in the world. The first edition was held in 1976 and since then it has only been growing in strength. The festival attracts audiences hungry for the most interesting productions from around the world, international industry insiders, but also stars and crowds of journalists. Its program is extremely rich, featuring fiction films straight from Hollywood as well as niche productions, including documentaries presented in the prestigious TIFF Docs section. One of the films invited to this section is Maciek Hamela's documentary.
In the Rearview is a chronicle of events from the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Suspended in time and space, facing an uncertain here and now, a group of people decides to abandon what's most precious to them and without hesitation get into a dusty van on foreign plates. The car covers thousands of kilometres, serving various functions: a waiting room, a hospital, a shelter, and above all, a space for confessions and admissions, which the fellow travellers start to share naturally. In The Rearview is a collective portrait composed of the experiences of people who have one goal: to find a safe haven. In the van, their temporary asylum, differences of gender, age, skin colour, physical ability, origin, identity, views, or beliefs fade away altogether. In the Ukrainian and Polish titles (Zvidky kudy, Skąd dokąd), “where from” (звідки / zvidky) and “where to” (куди / kudy) are also routine questions asked when passing ghrough numerous checkpoints scattered all across Ukraine.
You can find all the necessary information on the festival's official website.