State of Weightlessness
(Stan niewazkosci)



1994, 57 min.

Direction: Maciej Drygas
Script: Maciej Drygas
Cinematography: Andrzej Musial, Stanislaw Sliskowski
Air cinematography: Jewgienij Bakalow
Music: Pawel Szymanski
Editing: Dorota Wardeszkiewicz
Sound: Andrzej Zabicki
Producer: Maciej Drygas
Produced by: Logos Film Studio, TVP Channel 1, Canal +,
ADR Production, Lodz Film Center

SYNOPSIS:

Outer-space paralyzed them. The view of Earth surprised and captivated them. Great difficulties, like working in weightlessness and cramped spaces, physiological adjustments, the desire for women, did not impede their success. The cosmonauts would not give up these experiences for anything, for they were proud. The whole Soviet nation was proud to show political enemies their advancements and superiority. The conquest of space lost its charm, though, when the Wall separating the world into two camps fell. Then problems began: Money was lacking to continue the space program; rusty, dilapidated structures pointed to the sky aimlessly at Baikonur; and pieces of space capsules laid about messily. During such a period did Maciej Drygas come upon the Soviet space program. In State of Weightlessness he speaks with rocket engineers, pioneers of space medicine, and discovers test subjects of medical experiments. He uncovers audio communications between Earth and the space station and exposes never-before-released archival footage. From this rich and at times sensational material Drygas constructs a fascinating work. He masterly builds up an amazement with and admiration for space-only to crush these feelings by exposing horrifying medical experiments performed dispassionately on people and animals. In turn he darkens the subject even further, exposing once-hidden tragedies and death.

Maciej Drygas (b. 1956 in Lodz) graduated from the Directing Department at the Soviet Union National Film School (VGiK) in 1981. He worked as the Assistant Director for Krzysztof Zanussi and Krzysztof Kieslowski (directing collaboration in Blind Chance, 1981). Since 1991 he has directed documentary films and radio program; received numerous prestigious awards, including "Felix" of the European Film Academy for the best documentary in 1991 for his "Hear My Cry" and the 2005 Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. At the present, he is the head of the Radio Documentary Department in Laboratory of Reportage at Warsaw University and a lecturer at the Academy of Visual Arts and New Media.

THE SCREENING IS CO-HOSTED BY

Tuesday, November 7, 2006 at 8:45 pm. (Gallery Theatre)

Screening with ONE DAY IN PEOPLE'S POLAND directed
by Maciej Drygas