Polish Realism

It's easy to ignore Jan Jakub Kolski as a regular reveler. During the 41st International Film Festival of India in Goa,the Polish director has often been spotted enjoying a glass of beer at a kiosk set up at the centre of its main venue...

It’s easy to ignore Jan Jakub Kolski as a regular reveler. During the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI),in Goa,the Polish director has often been spotted enjoying a glass of beer at a kiosk set up at the centre of its main venue. This can be blamed on the Goa air. But then,it could also be a small celebration for him. After all,a retrospective of his works is being screened in India for the first time,and is being appreciated.

This year,the IFFI spotlight is on Kolski along with Greek director Michael Cacoyannis and American Jim Jarmusch. Of them,only Kolski is in Goa to experience the celebration of his work. Six of his directorial works The History of Cinema in the Village of Popielawy,Johnie the Aquarius,A Miraculous Place,Happy Aphonya,Keep Away from the Window and Venice are on the schedule. However,it is the latter three,with their stories set in the backdrop of war,that are the most-talked about films of this bouquet. Strangely,oppression creates an environment for creative works. The Polish films on the Communist regime are even better, he says. Kolski belongs to the group of Polish film-makers,including Andrzej Wajda,who have often revisited the war-ravaged Poland through their movies.

Though the 1956-born director has not experienced war,he admits to being affected by it. My grandfather was a prisoner at a concentration camp and I have seen my father trying to cope with war-related trauma, Kolski says. The present doesnt interest him. If you want to make personal movies,you have to respond to personal needs, he says,explaining his fascination with the past. He takes it forward in his latest movie Venice,which is based on a short story. This story is narrated from the perspective of an 11-year-old boy,after the war breaks out in 1939. With this film,which was screened on Sunday,the director shows why he is known as the founder of magic realism trend in Polish cinema.

However,his secret ingredient for this effect is apparently quite simple. It requires sensitivity,not ability. A director can take a movie to any level with the right kind of sensitivity required to handle a subject, he says. In a lighter vein,he reveals that another trick for it lies in spectrum physics. While most movie makers operate in visible light,Kolski believes in tapping the effects of infrared and ultraviolet light. This aspect of his cinematic craft makes it easier to believe his claim that he takes inspiration from air; or,from his osmotic experiences since according to him,culture is something one inhales.

Kolski,a teacher at Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing,in Warsaw,believes in working on two projects at the same time. One of his next is going to be a love story. The movie,he says will be made under the same constraints his students face. I want to show that its possible to make a good film without a big budget, he says.

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