Poland’s Damian Kocur Follows ‘Bread and Salt’ With Ukraine-Centered ‘Under the Volcano,’ Debuts Trailer: ‘It Was Important to Mark My Solidarity’ (EXCLUSIVE)

As a film enthusiast with a deep appreciation for stories that resonate deeply, I find Damian Kocur‘s work to be captivating and thought-provoking. His unique perspective and personal experiences, particularly his Ukrainian roots and the ongoing conflict, lend a poignancy to his films that is hard to ignore.

Greetings! I’m currently vacationing with my Ukrainian family of four – Roman Lutskyi, Anastasiia Karpienko, Sofiia Berezovska, and Fedir Pugachov – on the beautiful Canary Islands. Life was all sunshine and relaxation… until the invasion started, trapping us in our hotel amidst others who are still caught up in the party atmosphere.

Damian Kocur, who’s premiering ‘Under the Volcano’ in Toronto, shared that his inspiration for this project was similar to his first work, ‘Bread and Salt.’ It stemmed from a news article.

During those initial weeks of the war, I was overwhelmed with my own feelings of powerlessness. It was during this time that I penned the script. I felt compelled to respond in some manner, and writing was the means I was most familiar with.

While Kocur’s fictional figures find themselves in a transformed world suddenly, other hotel patrons merely seek entertainment and indulge in the endless buffet, oblivious to any change.

Marek Edelman, head of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, also penned accounts about life within the ghetto, where eateries continued to function despite the tragic sight of starving children on the streets. My movie was sparked by tales of individuals who learned about the war while on holiday. The relentless cycle of festivities and boisterous music served as a devastating blow for them, intensifying their sense of isolation.

Still, cinema will never be able to truly “react” to current events, he said.

He pointed out that the financing system ensures it doesn’t interfere too much, which is acceptable. Great films depict specific historical moments, and they can be understood on their own without directly relating to the event itself. It’s worth noting that conflicts are ongoing worldwide, but we tend to pay more attention when it involves Europe rather than Africa.

Although my movie doesn’t depict war, I believe it could have been screened at more film festivals if it had been made a year or more earlier. I don’t harbor ill feelings towards the festival programmers for this – they react to it similarly to audiences. We’re just tired from the process.

The film titled “Under the Volcano,” featuring EbMaster, is produced by Mikołaj Lizut from Lizart Film and Agnieszka Jastrzębska from Hawk Art. Grzegorz Słoniewski of MGM SA, Michał Maksym of TVP SA, and the Polish Film Institute are also involved in production, while Salaud Morisset takes care of distribution.

In the year 2022, during the presentation of awards for “Bread and Salt” in Venice, Kocur donned a Ukrainian emblem as a gesture of solidarity.

“It was important to mark my solidarity somehow,” he said.

Initially, I had concerns about how the Ukrainians would respond to a Polish director creating a film about their conflict. However, this movie blends their personal accounts with a western European viewpoint. In the end, my Ukrainian friends expressed gratitude, which made me feel that my decision to proceed was justified.

He would never film at the frontlines, however.

It seems unethical to me. Since I wasn’t present during the initial days of the Russian invasion, portraying human pain through art feels problematic from a moral standpoint.

Regardless of its topic, if something is genuine, it will captivate an audience. We frequently experience similar situations ourselves, yet not everyone has the opportunity or skill to portray these experiences through film or writing.

Kocur believes each story “requires different language.”

My two movies share many production methods, yet the narrative styles differ significantly. The shooting style is more relaxed, the films are less structured and less medical or scientific in tone.

He’s still interested in families, though.

“Maybe because I don’t have my own just yet?”

Moving onto his upcoming project titled “La Manche,” he plans to tackle recent headlines from the Polish-Belarusian border next. With a shift in Poland’s government from conservative to a new leadership, he remains optimistic that this endeavor will come to fruition.

The Cultural Minister prevented my proposal from moving forward. I fervently pray that, under the leadership of Donald Tusk, there will no longer be restrictions on artistic expression.

Once more, this movie tackles the refugee predicament as it continues to be a pressing global issue – the largest human migration ever recorded. Given its significance, it’s challenging to avoid discussing it.

2024-09-07 12:19

Poland’s Damian Kocur Follows ‘Bread and Salt’ With Ukraine-Centered ‘Under the Volcano,’ Debuts Trailer: ‘It Was Important to Mark My Solidarity’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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