My Nikifor
Chicago International Film Festival
CHICAGO -- "My Nikifor", which won the Gold Hugo for best film at the recent Chicago International Film Festival, is the kind of movie they don't make anymore. With a grainy look and the spare solemnity of natural sounds, this Polish film unspools as if it were unearthed from the dungeons of the Krakow archives.
Shot primarily in black and white with an 87-year-old Polish actress (Krystyna Feldman) playing the lead character (a troll-like male), this simple-styled film brims with hard spirits. Its recent wins at Chicago, including a best actor honor for Roman Gancarczyk as the Salieri-like artist Marian, and its Grand Prix triumph at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival could spur cable interest. Still, its most hospitable domestic venue would be at film festivals with serious international offerings.
In this Krzysztof Krauze film, the bleak communist sky of Poland clashes with the colorful brimming sketches of one tiny, disheveled man who calls himself Nikifor (Feldman). On a grim winter day, Nikifor trudges into the state-sponsored art office in a rural Polish burg and makes himself at home. Meaning, he starts drawing and sketching. The artist/bureaucrat who toils there (Gancarczyk) is unnerved by this rude and unsanitary little man: Nikifor is selfish, noncommunicative and crude, insulting Marian's work as "no good." Most alarmingly, Nikifor suffers from tuberculosis and refuses hospital care. Yet, Marian clearly sees that Nikifor's childlike etchings, with their skewed proportions and outlandish colors, are resplendently vital, truly "folk" art and far superior to the state-sponsored, cultural trash he is exhibiting at the latest Communist Arts Fest.
Focusing on Marian, who struggles to preserve and nourish Nikifor's talents, "My Nikifor" is a study in compassion and artistic compulsion. Essentially, it's the story of great sacrifice: Marian channels his own artistic ambitions through Nikifor. Despite that altruistic sacrifice, we see in Marian a man possessed of self-destructive, artistic energy. Nikifor's work becomes Marian's vessel of expression, not his own sorry paintings.
Invigorated by Feldman's inspired, modest depiction of the wretchedly inspired Nikifor, the narrative bustles with harsh, personal cross currents. Gancarczyk's deferential portrayal of the artist who risks his own personal and professional life by his sacrifice is powerfully understated.
Wondrously earthy, there are some are vibrant dollops of brash humor, particularly when Nikifor attends a state function in his honor, baffled by the fact that the communist cultural elite wants their pictures taken with him.
Utilizing only the basic hues and eschewing technical gloss, Krauze has crafted a plain gem. Technical credits throughout serve the spare, spectacular story.
My Nikifor
Studio Filmowe Zebra, TVP SA, Canal+
Credits:
Director: Krzysztof Krauze
Screenwriters: Joanna Kos, Krzysztof Krauze
Producer: Juliusz Machulski: Executive producers: Wojciech Danowski, Jacek Moczydlowski
Director of photography: Krzysztof Ptak
Production designer: Magdalena Dipont
Costume designer: Dorota Roqueplo
Music: Bartlomiej Gliniak
Editor: Krzysztof Szpetmanski
Cast:
Nikifor: Krystyna Feldman
Marian Wlosinki: Roman Gancarczyk
Hanka: Lucyna Malec
Nowak: Jerzy Gudejko
Dr. Rosen: Artur Steranko
Kowalska: Jowita Miondlikowska
Budnik: Marian Dziedziel
Director of Zacheta: Ewa Wencel
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 100 minutes...
CHICAGO -- "My Nikifor", which won the Gold Hugo for best film at the recent Chicago International Film Festival, is the kind of movie they don't make anymore. With a grainy look and the spare solemnity of natural sounds, this Polish film unspools as if it were unearthed from the dungeons of the Krakow archives.
Shot primarily in black and white with an 87-year-old Polish actress (Krystyna Feldman) playing the lead character (a troll-like male), this simple-styled film brims with hard spirits. Its recent wins at Chicago, including a best actor honor for Roman Gancarczyk as the Salieri-like artist Marian, and its Grand Prix triumph at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival could spur cable interest. Still, its most hospitable domestic venue would be at film festivals with serious international offerings.
In this Krzysztof Krauze film, the bleak communist sky of Poland clashes with the colorful brimming sketches of one tiny, disheveled man who calls himself Nikifor (Feldman). On a grim winter day, Nikifor trudges into the state-sponsored art office in a rural Polish burg and makes himself at home. Meaning, he starts drawing and sketching. The artist/bureaucrat who toils there (Gancarczyk) is unnerved by this rude and unsanitary little man: Nikifor is selfish, noncommunicative and crude, insulting Marian's work as "no good." Most alarmingly, Nikifor suffers from tuberculosis and refuses hospital care. Yet, Marian clearly sees that Nikifor's childlike etchings, with their skewed proportions and outlandish colors, are resplendently vital, truly "folk" art and far superior to the state-sponsored, cultural trash he is exhibiting at the latest Communist Arts Fest.
Focusing on Marian, who struggles to preserve and nourish Nikifor's talents, "My Nikifor" is a study in compassion and artistic compulsion. Essentially, it's the story of great sacrifice: Marian channels his own artistic ambitions through Nikifor. Despite that altruistic sacrifice, we see in Marian a man possessed of self-destructive, artistic energy. Nikifor's work becomes Marian's vessel of expression, not his own sorry paintings.
Invigorated by Feldman's inspired, modest depiction of the wretchedly inspired Nikifor, the narrative bustles with harsh, personal cross currents. Gancarczyk's deferential portrayal of the artist who risks his own personal and professional life by his sacrifice is powerfully understated.
Wondrously earthy, there are some are vibrant dollops of brash humor, particularly when Nikifor attends a state function in his honor, baffled by the fact that the communist cultural elite wants their pictures taken with him.
Utilizing only the basic hues and eschewing technical gloss, Krauze has crafted a plain gem. Technical credits throughout serve the spare, spectacular story.
My Nikifor
Studio Filmowe Zebra, TVP SA, Canal+
Credits:
Director: Krzysztof Krauze
Screenwriters: Joanna Kos, Krzysztof Krauze
Producer: Juliusz Machulski: Executive producers: Wojciech Danowski, Jacek Moczydlowski
Director of photography: Krzysztof Ptak
Production designer: Magdalena Dipont
Costume designer: Dorota Roqueplo
Music: Bartlomiej Gliniak
Editor: Krzysztof Szpetmanski
Cast:
Nikifor: Krystyna Feldman
Marian Wlosinki: Roman Gancarczyk
Hanka: Lucyna Malec
Nowak: Jerzy Gudejko
Dr. Rosen: Artur Steranko
Kowalska: Jowita Miondlikowska
Budnik: Marian Dziedziel
Director of Zacheta: Ewa Wencel
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 100 minutes...
- 04/11/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
My Nikifor
Chicago International Film Festival
CHICAGO -- "My Nikifor", which won the Gold Hugo for best film at the recent Chicago International Film Festival, is the kind of movie they don't make anymore. With a grainy look and the spare solemnity of natural sounds, this Polish film unspools as if it were unearthed from the dungeons of the Krakow archives.
Shot primarily in black and white with an 87-year-old Polish actress (Krystyna Feldman) playing the lead character (a troll-like male), this simple-styled film brims with hard spirits. Its recent wins at Chicago, including a best actor honor for Roman Gancarczyk as the Salieri-like artist Marian, and its Grand Prix triumph at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival could spur cable interest. Still, its most hospitable domestic venue would be at film festivals with serious international offerings.
In this Krzysztof Krauze film, the bleak communist sky of Poland clashes with the colorful brimming sketches of one tiny, disheveled man who calls himself Nikifor (Feldman). On a grim winter day, Nikifor trudges into the state-sponsored art office in a rural Polish burg and makes himself at home. Meaning, he starts drawing and sketching. The artist/bureaucrat who toils there (Gancarczyk) is unnerved by this rude and unsanitary little man: Nikifor is selfish, noncommunicative and crude, insulting Marian's work as "no good." Most alarmingly, Nikifor suffers from tuberculosis and refuses hospital care. Yet, Marian clearly sees that Nikifor's childlike etchings, with their skewed proportions and outlandish colors, are resplendently vital, truly "folk" art and far superior to the state-sponsored, cultural trash he is exhibiting at the latest Communist Arts Fest.
Focusing on Marian, who struggles to preserve and nourish Nikifor's talents, "My Nikifor" is a study in compassion and artistic compulsion. Essentially, it's the story of great sacrifice: Marian channels his own artistic ambitions through Nikifor. Despite that altruistic sacrifice, we see in Marian a man possessed of self-destructive, artistic energy. Nikifor's work becomes Marian's vessel of expression, not his own sorry paintings.
Invigorated by Feldman's inspired, modest depiction of the wretchedly inspired Nikifor, the narrative bustles with harsh, personal cross currents. Gancarczyk's deferential portrayal of the artist who risks his own personal and professional life by his sacrifice is powerfully understated.
Wondrously earthy, there are some are vibrant dollops of brash humor, particularly when Nikifor attends a state function in his honor, baffled by the fact that the communist cultural elite wants their pictures taken with him.
Utilizing only the basic hues and eschewing technical gloss, Krauze has crafted a plain gem. Technical credits throughout serve the spare, spectacular story.
My Nikifor
Studio Filmowe Zebra, TVP SA, Canal+
Credits:
Director: Krzysztof Krauze
Screenwriters: Joanna Kos, Krzysztof Krauze
Producer: Juliusz Machulski: Executive producers: Wojciech Danowski, Jacek Moczydlowski
Director of photography: Krzysztof Ptak
Production designer: Magdalena Dipont
Costume designer: Dorota Roqueplo
Music: Bartlomiej Gliniak
Editor: Krzysztof Szpetmanski
Cast:
Nikifor: Krystyna Feldman
Marian Wlosinki: Roman Gancarczyk
Hanka: Lucyna Malec
Nowak: Jerzy Gudejko
Dr. Rosen: Artur Steranko
Kowalska: Jowita Miondlikowska
Budnik: Marian Dziedziel
Director of Zacheta: Ewa Wencel
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 100 minutes...
CHICAGO -- "My Nikifor", which won the Gold Hugo for best film at the recent Chicago International Film Festival, is the kind of movie they don't make anymore. With a grainy look and the spare solemnity of natural sounds, this Polish film unspools as if it were unearthed from the dungeons of the Krakow archives.
Shot primarily in black and white with an 87-year-old Polish actress (Krystyna Feldman) playing the lead character (a troll-like male), this simple-styled film brims with hard spirits. Its recent wins at Chicago, including a best actor honor for Roman Gancarczyk as the Salieri-like artist Marian, and its Grand Prix triumph at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival could spur cable interest. Still, its most hospitable domestic venue would be at film festivals with serious international offerings.
In this Krzysztof Krauze film, the bleak communist sky of Poland clashes with the colorful brimming sketches of one tiny, disheveled man who calls himself Nikifor (Feldman). On a grim winter day, Nikifor trudges into the state-sponsored art office in a rural Polish burg and makes himself at home. Meaning, he starts drawing and sketching. The artist/bureaucrat who toils there (Gancarczyk) is unnerved by this rude and unsanitary little man: Nikifor is selfish, noncommunicative and crude, insulting Marian's work as "no good." Most alarmingly, Nikifor suffers from tuberculosis and refuses hospital care. Yet, Marian clearly sees that Nikifor's childlike etchings, with their skewed proportions and outlandish colors, are resplendently vital, truly "folk" art and far superior to the state-sponsored, cultural trash he is exhibiting at the latest Communist Arts Fest.
Focusing on Marian, who struggles to preserve and nourish Nikifor's talents, "My Nikifor" is a study in compassion and artistic compulsion. Essentially, it's the story of great sacrifice: Marian channels his own artistic ambitions through Nikifor. Despite that altruistic sacrifice, we see in Marian a man possessed of self-destructive, artistic energy. Nikifor's work becomes Marian's vessel of expression, not his own sorry paintings.
Invigorated by Feldman's inspired, modest depiction of the wretchedly inspired Nikifor, the narrative bustles with harsh, personal cross currents. Gancarczyk's deferential portrayal of the artist who risks his own personal and professional life by his sacrifice is powerfully understated.
Wondrously earthy, there are some are vibrant dollops of brash humor, particularly when Nikifor attends a state function in his honor, baffled by the fact that the communist cultural elite wants their pictures taken with him.
Utilizing only the basic hues and eschewing technical gloss, Krauze has crafted a plain gem. Technical credits throughout serve the spare, spectacular story.
My Nikifor
Studio Filmowe Zebra, TVP SA, Canal+
Credits:
Director: Krzysztof Krauze
Screenwriters: Joanna Kos, Krzysztof Krauze
Producer: Juliusz Machulski: Executive producers: Wojciech Danowski, Jacek Moczydlowski
Director of photography: Krzysztof Ptak
Production designer: Magdalena Dipont
Costume designer: Dorota Roqueplo
Music: Bartlomiej Gliniak
Editor: Krzysztof Szpetmanski
Cast:
Nikifor: Krystyna Feldman
Marian Wlosinki: Roman Gancarczyk
Hanka: Lucyna Malec
Nowak: Jerzy Gudejko
Dr. Rosen: Artur Steranko
Kowalska: Jowita Miondlikowska
Budnik: Marian Dziedziel
Director of Zacheta: Ewa Wencel
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 100 minutes...
- 01/11/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Polish 'Nikifor' tops Karlovy
KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic -- A Polish film that cast an 80-year-old actress in the lead male role scooped three top awards, including the Crystal Globe main prize, at the closing of the 40th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival here Saturday. Polish director Krzysztof Krauze won best director and best film for his high-art My Nikifor (Moj Nikifor), a co-production between Polish state television and Polish director-turned-producer Juliusz Machulski. Actress Krystyna Feldman, who played famous naive painter Nikifor Krynicki, a mentally and physically disabled but gifted artist, won best actress for her "astonishing transformation (and) outstanding performance."...
- 10/07/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Polish 'Nikifor' tops Karlovy
KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic -- A Polish film that cast an 80-year-old actress in the lead male role scooped three top awards, including the Crystal Globe main prize, at the closing of the 40th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival here Saturday. Polish director Krzysztof Krauze won best director and best film for his high-art My Nikifor (Moj Nikifor), a co-production between Polish state television and Polish director-turned-producer Juliusz Machulski. Actress Krystyna Feldman, who played famous naive painter Nikifor Krynicki, a mentally and physically disabled but gifted artist, won best actress for her "astonishing transformation (and) outstanding performance."...
- 10/07/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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