Almost Happy
XV edition
Almost Happy
In a happy marriage, no one will hear you scream.
Ewa and Igor are a young married couple. They are settling into their new „dream” apartment. When Ewa finds out she is pregnant, she hides it from her husband and secretly decides to have an abortion. This is forbidden in Poland, so she confides in a girlfriend who helps her arrange an illegal procedure. Following instructions, Ewa blindfolds herself and is driven by an unseen stranger to a doctor who will help her.
When Ewa is blindfolded, the screen is completely blank.
The drive is so long that Ewa loses her bearings and the car finally stops in a remote area. Removing her blindfold Ewa discovers it is her husband Igor who has been driving her. She has been betrayed.
The key dramatic moment of the film is also a bold subversion of genre as the story transforms from thriller to drama.
Terrified, Ewa runs into the forest, but quickly realizes that running away makes no sense. She goes back to the car and returns home where a cruel game begins. Ewa wants to leave. Igor wants Ewa to stay and give birth to his child. Neither wants to step down. Eventually, Ewa is tied to her husband with a rope. The brand new „dream” apartment has become a battlefield where neither side can win.
Poland
Ewa Podgórska
Ewa is a film director, screenwriter and journalist. Polish critics recognized her „as a part of the New Wave in Polish cinema”. Her full-length documentary debut “Diagnosis” was premiered at IDFA in Amsterdam and shown on three continents. The Polish Film Academy nominated “Diagnosis” for „Best Documentary”. Ewa herself received a nomination for the Krzysztof Krauze Prize for “Director of the Year 2019” by the Polish Directors’ Guild, as well as a nomination for ELBE DOK for “Best Debut from Central Europe”. She is a graduate of the National Film School in Lodz, the University of Lodz and Wajda School. She is a member of the European Film Academy.
Poland
Sebastian Wasiński
Two-time scholarship holder of the Polish Film Institute. His debut screenplay for the feature film “There will be no other end of the world” was admitted to the Torino Film Lab workshops. The script has a producer and is currently in development. A graduate of the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science at the University of Warsaw and screenwriting at the Academy of Film and Television, also a one-year course in writing at StoryLab. pro. Author of many advertising campaigns for the largest companies in Poland. Winner of the “Creative of the Year” Award. He supports the organization “Open Cages”, which helps farm animals.
Zrealizowano w ramach stypendium ustanowionego przez Dyrektora Polskiego Instytutu Sztuki Filmowej.
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