A Sunday in the Country 2011 Poland

Rozbitek, 23 – 26 September 2011

On what must have been one of the last warm weekends of the year, a group of young members of the European film community – filmmakers and composers – headed east towards the venue of this year’s SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY: The nineteenth-century castle of Rozbitek, located deep in the Polish woods, close to Poznań. They were the first guests at the Instytut Rozbitek, a new retreat serving as a platform for artistic exchange and creative work, founded and directed by Academy Award winner, composer and EFA Member Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. The EFA initiative brought together EFA Members Jakub Duszyński (distributor, Poland), Max Richter (composer, UK) Monika Willi (editor, Austria), and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek himself with composers and filmmakers from Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the UK.

A special focus on sound and music not only accompanied the screenings and discussions, but also the late night talks, often developing into jam-sessions. On long strolls through the grounds and an excursion to a WWII bunker system, during self-prepared meals in the ballroom or a barbecue at the shores of the castle’s own lake, the participants drew upon the exchange of ideas between filmmakers from different professional backgrounds. The castle’s old attic with its wooden beams became a creative space for the screenings: A comfortable atmosphere developed in which projects, drafted or finished, were presented and discussed, followed by an exchange of thoughts and giving inspiring feedback to one another, commenting, advising, encouraging with high involvement. When the group left the country retreat, it truly felt like a little film family at the end of a beautiful weekend encounter with colleagues and newly found friends.

“A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY? It is the best kept secret of European film industry. It is not a virtual, but real connection with wonderful people who love films. During SUNDAY you make new friends, you talk films, and you get profoundly inspired in a very relaxed atmosphere. Unforgettable experience” – Jakub Duszyński

“It is absolutely miraculous that the orbits of so many individuals have crossed for a weekend in the same spot of universe … A spot quite unusual and very special – The Rozbitek Institute … I am still amazed by the atmosphere, the spirit of sharing and the openness of everybody. I am sure that we will stay in touch for a long time and that this SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY was just a prelude to many friendships, bonds and future collaborations … Thank you Rozbitek … Thank you EFA …”
– Krzysztof A. Janczak

“It was one of the best weekends of my life. The chance of being amongst bright and gifted people and having the opportunity of showing my work in a safe environment was a really great experience. Everybody was so kind and it was great learning from their professional experiences, which were so different from my own. I would repeat it in the future for sure.” – Patrick Mendes

“Life is surprising. You feel it especially when you wake up in a beautiful castle surrounded by old trees and filled with extremely creative and friendly people. You party, you talk art and you eat most delicious things. That’s what I call pure bliss!”
– Jan Duszyński

Participants:
Panu Aaltio – composer, Finland
Natali Drosou – composer, Poland
Jan Duszyński – composer, Poland
Marinus Groothof – writer / director, the Netherlands
Hildur Guðnadóttir – composer, Iceland
François Hien – directore, France
Krzysztof Janczak – composer / sound designer, Poland
Patrick Mendes – director / producer, France / Portugal
Łukasz Pieprzyk – composer, Poland
An Pierlé – singer-songwriter, Belgium
Christopher Slaski – composer, UK
Fernando Velásquez – composer, Spain
David Wnendt – director / screenwriter, Germany

EFA Members & experts:
Jakub Duszyński – distributor, Poland
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek – composer, Poland
Max Richter – composer, UK/Germany
Monika Willi – editor, Austria

This SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY has been supported by:
Instytut Rozbitek
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
Polish Film Institute