7 November, “Cosmos”, an adaptation of Witold Gombrowicz’s final novel and, at the same time, the last film in Andrzej Żuławski’s body of work. The action is moved from Zakopane to a Portuguese guesthouse run by Mrs Wojtysowa, where Witold and his friend Fuchs arrive. Wojtysowa’s niece is also staying at the guesthouse; following a car accident, she has a scar that distorts her lips. In addition to the scar, which becomes Witold’s obsession, he is also disturbed by a sparrow hanging from a string that he encountered on the way to the guesthouse. Fuchs, in turn, notices a crack in the ceiling shaped like an arrow, pointing to a stick hanging from a string—like a bird. Witold begins to suspect that mysterious, perhaps dangerous events are taking place around them, and believes that someone is sending him signs that he is nevertheless unable to decipher.
14 November, “The Lost”, the Czech candidate for the 2017 Oscar, a comedy by Petr Zelenka. Pavel is a journalist going through a midlife crisis. While looking for a subject for an article, he comes across an unusual press conference at which the secrets of the infamous Munich Conference are to be revealed. In 1938, Édouard Daladier, Neville Chamberlain, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met and decided the fate of Czechoslovakia—without the participation of the Czechs. However, the leaders were unaware that a parrot belonging to the French prime minister had witnessed their secret arrangements. Although it is hard to believe, the parrot is still alive and well. Not only did it perfectly remember its owner’s compromising conversations, but it can also repeat them. Acting on impulse—and sensing that this could be a media sensation on a global scale—Pavel steals Daladier’s parrot, soon finding himself at the heart of a major political scandal.
21 November, “Miles Davis and Me”, a moving, honest story without glamour or glitz about Miles Davis, jazz’s greatest star and an unhappy man. Jazz is improvisation. So was the life of the legendary Miles Davis. Yet it had nothing to do with the velvety sound of the trumpet with which he enchanted audiences around the world. To this day, he is regarded as an undisputed jazz superstar, one of the most influential musicians in history; it was thanks to his revolutionary, innovative approach to instruments, rhythm and ensemble playing that distinct musical genres emerged.
28 November, “You Don’t Even Know How Much I Love You”, winner of the Silver Lajkonik for Best Documentary Film at the 2016 Krakow Film Festival. Paweł Łoziński once again unveils intimate family relationships. What lies beneath the word “love”? In life, we often create bonds and ties with those close to us that, over time, seem impossible to untangle. The film tells the story of the drama of two women—a mother and daughter bound together by a difficult, complicated feeling. A meeting with a third person, an outsider—an experienced therapist, Professor Bogdan de Barbaro—is crucial for the protagonists.