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  • The Mute

    VII edition

    The Krzysztof Kieślowski ScripTeast Award 2013

    The Mute

    Early Middle Ages – two men come to a pagan land: one to bring Christianity, the other to find his way of living. They are both lonely and need each other but they choose two different ways of reaching the pagans. In the fight between dialogue and force, one of them will die.

    Early Middle Ages. Somewhere in the East of Europe. Old woods, large valleys, complete wilderness. An old missionary monk, Willibrord (50), and a young hermit, Nameless (30), come together to carry the Cross to the “barbarians”. They understand that they can only count on them-selves – threatened by wild animals and pagan tribes – when they discover that only the limbs were left behind of another missionary who came to this foreign land before them.

    Willibrord, a man experienced in battle, warns Nameless that they can only defend themselves with ardent faith and the sword. He knows that pagans will only give in to a forceful God, and that it is his mission to save them from hell with all his might. Using fire and water, he defeats the pagan priest in a “miracle” duel. Then he cuts down their sacred oak to build a church from its wood. He does not hesitate in using vile methods to take control of their minds and souls. He does not care about the needs of the conquered.

    Nameless, on the other hand, tries to understand the pagan culture. He knows their language a little. The more force the old missionary uses, the more resistance it builds in Nameless. To begin his own mission, he chooses a completely different path. Willibrord is incandescent with rage when he sees it. Even the pagans are astounded. In the escalating confrontation between Willibrord and Nameless – between two moral stands, between power and mission, cynicism and innocence, the law of God and human law – one will have to die.

    At the end,Willibrord understands that all his self-righteousness and convictions are meaningless in the face of the humanity that is still buried in him. This is a story inspired by the lives of the first missionaries, not a historical film. It is a journey into the unknown, a spectacle made of visuals and atmosphere to create a mystical, yet thrilling epic.

    Poland

    Bartosz Konopka

    Oscar nominated for the Rabbit a la Berlin documentary that was shown at more that 70 festivals, received a dozen prizes and had been sold to 40 countries. His feature fiction debut Fear of Falling was premiered in June 2011 at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia where it received the Best Debut Award.
    Film had a world premiere at Montreal IFF and was released in cinemas in France, Spain, Iran and Poland. Wide Management is Sales Agent of the film.
    Bartek is a gratuate of Film Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and of directing at the Silesian University Katowice. He also graduated form the documentary and fiction courses at Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. He made numerous documentaries for television.Selected filmography:2011 FEAR OF FALLING (director, co-writer)
    Awards: Hartley-Merrill award for the best script 2009, Best Debut and Best Make up at Polish Film Festival in Gdynia 2011, Silver Award at Mumbai International Film Festival 2011, Special Mention for the best cinematography at Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival 2011, The Cinema students honorific Price of the Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma de Vincennes & Prix Henri Langlois 2012, Best Film at Insk Film Festival 2011

    2009 RABBIT À LA BERLIN (director, co-writer)
    Awards: Nominee for the 82nd Academy Awards in the Best Short Documentary Subject category, Best Mid-Length Documentary at 16. Hot Docs, Toronto, Canada 2009, Magic Hour Award at 6. Planete Doc Review, Warsaw, Poland 2009, Grand Prix – Golden Hobby-Horse at 49. Cracow Film Festival, Poland 2009, Jury Special Prize – 13. Nature Film Festival, Lodz, Poland 2009, Golden Starfish Award for the Best Film of Conflict & Resolution – 17. Hamptons International Film Festival, USA 2009, Silver Eye Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary at 13th Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic 2009, Golden Teeth for the Best Documentary at the 21. Polish Film Festival in America, Chicago, USA 2009, The Best Documentary Award “Jańcio Wodnik” at the 17. Polish Festival of the Film Art “Prowincjonalia”, Września, Poland 2010, 2nd Prize in Original Documentary Short Films at the 7.Documenta Madrid 2010 Festival , Internacional de Documentales de Madrid, Spain 2010, Special Jury Award at the 5. Mendocino Film Festival, Mendocino, USA 2010, Zitty-Leserjury-Preis – 3. achtung Berlin FF, Berlin, Germany 2010 , Best Story Award – 4. Eckernförde Green Screen Film Festival, Eckernfoerde, Germany 2010

    2006 – THREE FOR THE TAKING (director, co-writer)
    Awards: Grand Prix and Best Actress Award – 22 nd European Short Film Festiwal, Brest; 2007; France; Best Feature Award – 5th Slamdance on the Road; 2007; Poland, Best Debut Award – 14th IDSAFF Message to Man; St. Petersburg; 2007; Russia, Best Short Feature Film and Best Screenplay Award – 4th TOFFIFEST, Toruń, 2007 Poland, Special Mention – 32nd Polish Film Festival, Gdynia, 2007, Poland, Best Short Film Award – 3rd Polish Film Festival; New York; 2007; USA, Best Short Film Award – 26th Debut Film Festival; Koszalin; 2007; Poland, Best Film Award; Audience Award – 6th Short Film Festival; Warszawa; 2007; Poland

    Poland

    Przemysław Nowakowski

    Screenriter, director, graduated from Warsaw University – History of Art. Continued his studies at UCLA Film School in Los Angeles, Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam, and Wajda School in Warsaw. Writer and director of many popular documentaries and TV series – recently polish version of “In Treatment” for HBO.
    Writer of following feature movies:
    The Egoists – dir M Trelinski,
    Stranger – dir M. Szumowska,
    KATYN – dir. Andrzej Wajda (nominated for Academy Award – OSCAR),
    Offsiders – dir. Kasia Adamik,
    On Credit – Przemek first short feature as director,
    Wedding Polka – co-directed with Lars Jessen.He also writes theater plays presented on many occasions in Poland and abroad.

    Udayan Prasad

    “ScripTeast is the programme all the advisors wish they could have attended at the start of their careers. It would have saved all that stumbling around in the dark looking for the key that stimulates the imagination so much more effectively.”

    BAFTA nominated, director of “My Son the Fanatic”, “The Yellow Hankerchief” and ”Opa!”, 5th edition ScripTeast creative advisor, UK

    Tom Abrams

    “ScripTeast’s top-notch team of professional advisors, each year’s talented group of participants, and venues in Poland, Germany and France continue to make it the very best development workshop in the world today.”

    ScripTeast Head of Studies, Associate Professor – Screenwriting and Production at School of Cinematic Arts, USC, screenwriter and director, author of the script for the Oscar-nominated film “Shoeshine”, USA

    Scott Alexander

    “ScripTeast is a fascinating mix of cultures, political ideas, and voices. I learned a lot, and I think the participants learned a lot more. If only they served vodka!”

    Golden Globe awarded author of “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and “Ed Wood” with two Oscars, 5th edition ScripTeast creative advisor, USA