Polish filmmaker Damian Kocur is still relatively new to the film scene, but has quickly established himself as a provocative new auteur to watch out for. After premiering Bread and Salt at the Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section (it claimed the Special Jury Prize) he quickly followed this with a short (As It Was) that competed for the Palme d’Or in Cannes and Under the Volcano – a sophomore feature film that was presented Toronto International Film Festival (Centerpiece programme). His latest film is about a family (quartet) from Kyiv who learn that war has broke out back at home while they’re away on vacation in Spain. What ensues is emotional rollercoaster as the essentially process how it feels to be trapped – the tourists become instant refugees.
It was at the Marrakech International Film Festival (it the film won the Directing Prize, and The Prize for Best Performance by an Actor by Roman Lutskyi) where I had the opportunity to chat with Damian Kocur – we discussed him re-teaming with actress Sofiia Berezovska, the psychological state of the film’s players and some of the film’s visual strategies.
