|
WASHINGTON FILM INSTITUTE and THE EMBASSY OF POLAND
Cordially invite you to: POLISH FILM NIGHT: “KINGSIZE” |
THURSDAY MAY 31 2012 7:00PM FILM STARTS RECEPTION FOLLOWS |
|
FREE BUT RESERVATION REQUIRED BY 5PM TUESDAY MAY 29TH
KINGSAJZ (KINGSIZE) Kingsajz is considered to be one of the best Polish comedies and also one of the socially significant pictures of the ’80s. Graffiti with slogans from the film appeared on the walls of the buildings in Polish cities, much to police’s irritation. The movie is a strong and evident allegory of the communist regime imposed in Poland (People’s Republic of Poland 1945-1989). In this fantasy comedy we follow a young scientist living in Poland of the 80s, who actually came from the world of dwarves, thanks to a magic potion, held by the Big Eater, ruler of the dwarves. The dwarf kingdom, Shuflandia, exists in a cellar of a Quaternary Research Institute, and only the most obedient dwarves get the chance to grow to king size and inhabit the larger world. “Kingsajz” is a name of a world of human sized men in opposition to the Shuflandia where everything is miniature and mediocre. For Shuflandia’s dwarfs Kingsajz world is like an unreachable dream of free, colorful, happy, rich and fun country of king size dimension. Once there, nobody wants to return to Shuflandia’s authoritarian regime.
JULIUSZ MACHULSKI Polish film director, producer, scriptwriter and actor. Son of a noted Polish actor Jan Machulski. In 1978 graduated from the Lodz Film Academy. In 1984-85 studied in Cal Arts, Valencia, California. He is the winner of the Stanisław Wyspiański Award for Young Artists in 1985, and a number of festival honors. Often seen as either a golden child or enfant terrible of the Polish cinema, Machulski quickly became one of the most popular Polish directors, both in Poland and abroad, most notable for his comedies ridiculing the life in communist-ruled Poland of 1970s and 1980s. His film debut was VaBank (1981), a comedy describing a story of two Polish gangsters of the 1930s. The film was a striking success, as was the science-fiction comedy Sexmission (Seksmisja, 1983). Although significantly shortened by the Soviet censorship, Seksmisja was one of the most popular pictures shown in the Soviet Union in mid-1980s. Kingsize (1987), a fantasy comedy remains one of his most important movies till date due to its strong and evident message and broad social significance. His ventures just after 1989 were still popular with the public but none of them was critically acclaimed. In 1997 his Kiler became a huge hit and is now considered as a cult movie along with its sequel, Kilerów 2-óch. Both movies are crime comedies about a simple taxi driver taken by a police for a famous killer. His next great success was Vinci crime comedy about the canny plan of stealing Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting Lady with an Ermine from the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, which won a Golden Lion for Best Screenplay at the Polish Film Festival 2004. Since 1988 Machulski has served as the headperson of Zebra Film Studio, he also briefly appeared in a number of films as an actor. Since 1990s Machulski has also been a successful producer of over 30 titles awarded at film festivals in Poland and abroad (including Agnieszka Holland’s In Darkness, nominated to the Academy Award in 2012). |
