POLISH FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

SIMONA KOSSAK

2024 / 100 min / color

Simona Kossak is the daughter of the painter Jerzy Kossak and granddaughter of Wojciech Kossak. Not endowed with the talent that has defined her family for generations, she grows up unloved by her despotic mother. After university, she leaves everything behind – home, tradition, social conventions – and takes up a position as a scientist in the Białowieża Forest, starting a new life on her own terms. She settles in the middle of the forest, surrounded by wild nature, in a house without electricity or running water. Here, in the magical wilderness, she meets photographer Lech Wilczek, with whom she shares her twin passions – a love of nature and, actually, a great need for freedom. Their unusual relationship defies all conventions. Meanwhile Simona’s ideas about the work of a naturalist and a young woman’s place in a male-dominated world are soon confirmed, quite painfully. She has to stand up and defend both her personal ideals and the world of flora and fauna. Adrian Panek’s film is, on the one hand, a biographical story about Simona and, on the other, a story about ecology that reminds us that the degradation of the environment is one of the most burning problems of our time. A great strength of the film is the outstanding performance by Sandra Drzymalska, one of Poland’s most interesting actresses, who doesn’t just act but actually becomes Simona Kossak on screen.

A Q&A session with the filmmakers will take place during the film screening on May 3 at 11:00 AM at the Małopolska Garden of Arts – Mastercard Birthday Cinema.
Please note: the Q&A will be in Polish.

• Gdynia PFF – Award for the Most Environmentally Friendly Film Production;
• “Ekran” Toronto PFF – Best Actress (Sandra Drzymalska), People’s Choice Award