directed by Paweł Łozinski, documentary, 52 min, eng subtitles
♦ Last minute news: the projection of Chemo will be preceded by Paweł Łozinski's film Miejsce Urodzenia / Birthplace.
When discussing the award-winning documentary, Chemo, in which the key events take place in the chemotherapy ward of a hospital, its creator, Paweł Łoziński, said:
"This is a film about life. And life looks different when viewed from a hospital.
The inspiration for the movie came from Katarzyna Maciejko-Kowalik, the film's editor. Katarzyna, ill herself, told me not to show the oncology ward from the medical perspective. In the film there are no doctors, no nurses, no medical equipment - nothing but common people sitting and chatting about everyday life. Nobody would suspect they are undergoing one of the harshest treatments medicine knows.
During chemotherapy you brush against death every day. I associate the hospital with purgatory. The "exit" to life is like paradise, the highest prize a human can get."
Paweł Łoziński has been known for many years as one of the most talented documentary makers of his generation. Son of the famous director Marcel Łoziński, he collaborated with his father as well as with Krzysztof Kieślowski (White) and was awarded many national and international awards for his outstanding work.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director Paweł Łozinski.
Awards:
Kraków Film Festival 2009 (Award for the Director of the Best Documentary Film)