The two-minute short film “Kontrola” was intended as a directing exercise on erotic themes, which director Natasza Parzymies made as part of her classes at the Warsaw Film School. After the short was uploaded to YouTube in April 2018, it began to gain unexpected popularity. Fans began demanding a continuation of the story of two Polish women in love with each other, and the short’s author directed six more episodes.

The story is about feelings: infatuation, loyalty, betrayal, honesty in a relationship and sincerity in relationships. The story proved universal enough for everyone to find something of themselves in it. This was certainly one reason why the seven-episode miniseries has more than 27 million views, while fans from around the world spontaneously add translations to the films. The creator of Kontrola deliberately wanted to make a film about two women because she believes that lesbian love is poorly represented in Polish cinema. The director is also pleased that her film supports and encourages young homosexual women to accept themselves.

Bolesławiec native Ewelina Pankowska plays an equally leading role in “Kontrola.” Her character is named Majka and has a complicated personality. It is a powerful role that adds tension to the relationship between the characters and dramatizes their relationship.

Ewelina Pankowska on istotne.pl

Ewelina made her acting debut in the 2007 film “Portrait of Ewa” by Bolesławiec native Przemysław Filipowicz. The film’s cinematographer was Krzysztof Gwizdała, the music was composed by Mateusz Celmer, the film was edited by Przemysław Filipowicz, production management was handled by Katarzyna Mroczek, and the film was produced by the boleslawiec.org/istotne.pl portal and Butcher's Films.

Readers in Bolesławiec could also learn about Ewelina Pankowska in our pages as a volunteer defending human rights. In 2008, we wrote about a protest against human rights violations in Tibet, which she co-organized while active in the “Lepszy Świat” Association. Together with fellow volunteers, as part of the Solidarity with Tibet campaign, she collected signatures for a petition to the Polish government in Poznań, Kraków and at Przystanek Woodstock, among other places.

An interview with Ewelina Pankowska

We got in touch with Ewelina years later and asked her what it was like working on the “Kontrola” series and how she remembers her hometown.

Ewelina began her stage career at the Old Theatre in Bolesławiec, attending acting classes taught by Urszula Frąszczak-Matyjewicz. Her film-set debut came in Przemek Filipowicz’s film “Portrait of Ewa”.

“I got absorbed into this group,” says Ewelina Pankowska, recalling the classes at the Old Theatre. “It turned out that the team that formed the then theatre group ‘Tygrys ogłuszony domem’ had a major influence on my preferences, plans for the future and dreams. I liked it there very much and discovered that acting was the most fulfilling activity for me,” says the actress.

After middle school, Ewelina decided to go to Wrocław for a theatre class because she wanted to start acting as soon as possible. The journey that began at the Youth Cultural Centre in Bolesławiec led her to stages in Poznań, Częstochowa and finally Warsaw, where she plans to settle permanently. She has already performed under directors including Krzysztof Warlikowski and Jan Klata.

“The road was winding; the change began with performing in the TR Theatre production ‘Ewelina płacze’,” says the actress. “Now I work mainly at the International Cultural Centre Nowy Teatr, where in March I will appear as a guest in Michał Borczuch’s play ‘Kino moralnego niepokoju’,” she adds. The actress will perform, among others, with Bartosz Bielenia (Corpus Christi), Jacek Poniedziałek and Maja Ostaszewska.

Ewelina got her role in “Kontrola” “through connections.” A mutual acquaintance of Natasza Parzymies and Ewelina introduced the two artists, and Ewelina found herself on the set of Natasza’s first student short without an audition. She did not expect the film to become so popular. Like many such student shorts, it was uploaded to YouTube by the young director for family and friends to watch. When the view count grew into the thousands and then millions, Natasza began raising money and created a script for the complete story of two girls whom, in the first episode, we watch going through airport security.

“There was some chemistry on set,” says Ewelina. “We were racing against time. We had one day to shoot, filming ran over, and I had to return to Wrocław for exams. I left the set at five in the morning, so the close-ups of my body during the security check were performed by another person wearing my clothes. We became friends with the crew. After filming and publishing the short, we met and discussed its popularity on YouTube. When the number of views reached five million, we thought a continuation should be made. There was no plan for six more parts from the beginning; only later did the production girls make the author realize that she had to invent a story for the characters, who initially did not even have names—they were simply the inspector and the girl being inspected,” Ewelina says, describing her experience with the project.

Majka and Natalia, along with the universal story of their relationship, were born out of the demands of the moment and the fans’ requests. Nobody on the crew was paid for their work, but everyone encountered enormous sympathy and kindness from people. The petrol station and restaurant where the subsequent parts of “Kontrola” were filmed were made available to the crew free of charge, but they could film only at night. At Warsaw University of Technology, the film crew recreated a departure hall and a security checkpoint for the purposes of the film.

We asked Ewelina whether she had a few words for young newcomers—girls who dream of careers in film or theatre.

“Listen to your intuition and your body, which tell you in which situations we feel comfortable and in which we do not,” Ewelina encourages them. “Do not be guided by other people’s opinions; they can be very pleasant or less pleasant, but ultimately it is about your own process, which you go through during your work. Do not give up, because it was not easy for me either. I got into theatre school on my third attempt, and it was a difficult experience. As long as you feel that it is still worthwhile, do what you love,” the actress advises.

Ewelina Pankowska can be followed on instagram.com/ewelina.pankowska