"Fanatics: The History of Polish Animated Film" - 33 Etiuda&Anima IFF

"Fanatics: The History of Polish Animated Film" is a film presented as part of the 33rd Etiuda&Anima International Film Festival. It spans 100 years of Polish animation, from pre-war experiments to the digital revolution. The film shows how domestic animation reflected changing social reality and made Poland one of the most recognizable voices in world animation. The evolution of techniques and themes is presented through archival materials, iconic scenes, and statements by filmmakers. Featured creators include: - Władysław Starewicz, author of puppet stop-motion films that audiences believed were real trained insects - Franciszka and Stefan Themersonowie, creators of avant-garde experiments where film extended visual poetry - Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica, authors of a manifesto announcing the birth of the Polish school of animation - Witold Giersz, who painted with oil paint directly on celluloid - Jerzy Kucia, creator of what critics call animated documentaries: films about states of mind and the human condition, recognized at festivals worldwide - Zbigniew Rybczyński, Academy Award winner, who exposed the same negative frame-by-frame over a year to create "Tango", a film about time confined in one room - Bolek and Lolek, sold to over eighty countries, representing the other pole of this history alongside ambitious auteur cinema - Tomasz Bagiński, who introduced Polish computer animation to the world stage with the Oscar-nominated "Cathedral" - Izabela Plucińska and Marta Pajek, a new generation of filmmakers giving Polish animation a new, intimate dimension This is described as a chronicle of artistic triumphs and an intimate portrait of a medium that transcends the boundaries of imagination. Directed by: Marcin Giżycki, Jacek Knopp, Michał Mróz. Country of production: Poland.