September 30, 2008

Contact:
Ewa Domeredzka
Director
Polish Film Festival in America
773-486-9611/12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"SCRATCH" AND "A WARM HEART" WILL OPEN
THE 20TH POLISH FILM FESTIVAL IN AMERICA

Films by Michal Rossa and Krzysztof Zanussi, two outstanding Polish film directors, will open the 20th Polish Film Festival in America to be held in Chicago from November 8 to 23, 2008.

SCRATCH will be shown at the closed V.I.P. screening in AMC River East 21 (322 East Illinois St., Chicago) on November 8th at 7:00 pm. The film's international premiere took place at the recent Venice International FF where it was enthusiastically received by critics and audiences. This is a story of mature, married loving couple Joanna and John, set in the academic circles of present day Cracow. The couple that has lived in harmony for many years becomes caught up in their past: a supposed collaboration of one of them with secret police. Unconfirmed suspicion casts a shadow on Jan and Joanna's relationship. The main roles are played masterfully by Jadwiga Cieslak-Jankowska and Krzysztof Stroinski. The film's producer Henryk Romanowski will be present at the screening. PFFA has showed all earlier feature films directed by Michal Rossa. Admission to the screening is by invitation only; however no more invites are available at this time.

RYSA dir. Michal Rosa

The screening of "Scratch" will be preceded by CHICK, a pre-premiere showing of a short animation by young film artist Michal Socha. It's a humorous true-life story about male-female relations. Infatuation and its consequences are depicted in ironic way: a woman is meeting a guy, dancing, having fun, a sexual act. A man, giddy with the charm of a femme fatale, leaves a room. He is followed by failure and doom.

At a popular Official Opening of the Festival in Pickwick Theatre (5 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge) on November 8th at 8:00 pm. viewers will see a new black comedy A WARM HEART by Krzysztof Zanussi, well recognized by the Chicago audiences. Its international premiere will soon take place at Rome International FF. The film's protagonist Stefan, a young man, thinks he failed his life and tries to kill himself. Konstanty, a billionaire, looks for a heart for transplantation. They meet by coincidence in a hospital. Since then, Konstanty tries to support Stefan's suicidal plan in order to save his own life. A mediator between the two men is Angelo, Konstanty's assistant and a man with the soul of a fallen angel...
In the exciting cast Bohdan Stupka, one of the greatest Ukrainian actors, is accompanied by Krzysztof Kowalewski, Szymon Bobrowski, Borys Szyc, Maciej Zakoscielny and a popular singer Dorota Rabczewska known as Doda.

A WARM HEART dir. Krzysztof Zanussi

Along with "A Warm Heart" the Opening will feature a pre-premiere screening of TEACHING INFINITY, a short animated film by young creators Jakub Jablonski and Bartlomiej Kik. It's a surreal journey of space shipwrecked person. Lost rescue capsules, remote planete and close encounters with intriguing Stranger. A woman and her mate, small robot, research secretes of the planete. Time and space play tricks on them. Both animation films, "Chick" and "Teaching Infinity", were produced by internationally-acclaimed Platige Image studio known to the PFFA audiences for a number of admirable pictures ("The Cathedral", "Art of Falling", "The Ark").

Tickets for the Opening in Pickwick Theatre, which also features attractive short live entertainment program, can be purchased here at $ 20.00 per person. Also available in selected Polish bookstores, PFFA office and Polamer as well as two hours prior to the screening (unless sold out).

The 20th Polish Film Festival in America will showcase over seventy Polish movies, including classics and new feature, documentary and animated films. Most of the films have English subtitles. A full PFFA schedule will be announced on October 8th.

Among prinicipal Festival's sponsors are: Polish Film Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, TVP Polonia, LOT Polish Airlines, State Farm Insurance, National City, Jewel-Osco, Stawski Distributing.

For information and reservation please call the PFFA office at 773-486-9612 or visit official PFFA website: www.pffamerica.com