Interview: Olga Bieniek – Kult Film | 2019 Warsaw International Film Festival

Olga Bieniek‘s rock documentary Kult Film is an ode to Poland’s incredibly longstanding band Kult whose energetic members are also nailing the fatherhood game. The touching visual mosaic of the band’s intimate moments shared with both family and fans is a gift from Bieniek, a close friend and personal videographer. We sat down with the filmmaker after the doc’s international premiere at the 35th edition of the Warsaw Film Festival to get a glimpse into the movie’s behind-the-scenes creative process.

Lemana Filandra: What was your initial inspiration in making Kult Film?
Olga Bieniek: The group is the Polish version of Rolling Stones. And being their friend, it made it easier for me. They have been playing for 38 years, and accepting new members for 15 years now. Our families are together often and that gave me a different way of getting closer to their personalities. They are humble people who happen to be the country’s major rock idols.

Filandra: What was the band’s reaction to finally seeing the film?
Bieniek: Everybody loved the fact that I focused on their sense of humor. When we started filming, I told them that I was going to do whatever I wanted. The last cut was first shown to Kazik (Staszewski), the lead singer with whom I’ve been friends for 17 years. He was deeply touched, as this is a story of an affectionate friendship between adult men. None of the group members had asked me to present them in a favorable light, so they were happy with the outcome.

Filandra: Tell us more about the filming process. How did you collect the footage?
Bieniek: I don’t call myself a director but an author who loves being a producer. The group knew exactly what I was doing, because I’ve been shooting a lot on their tours with my mobile phone. I was lucky to have my brother as the movie’s cameraman, and that invited us to the group’s private family occasions. For all these reasons, it was not difficult to collect the live footage. I wasn’t creating situations, but rather captured them as they came, without any manipulation. It took us six years to finish the movie.

Filandra: What influenced your editing?
Bieniek: There are scenes that didn’t make the final cut. We had 270 hours of footage, including what I chose from the group’s private home collections. I edited for a year and a half. It takes patience to make a movie where you have to separate what you love about Kult and what the audience wants to see. Since there were nine group members on stage, I had to focus on each of them and show everyone in their natural state. Being a familiar face to them means they didn’t act or show off for the camera. It seemed like they quickly forgot about it. The accompanying lyrics from their songs were carefully selected to complement the different themes we deal with.

Filandra: What is the place of Kult Movie within the history of the band’s impressive discography and enormous fan base?
Bieniek: I have been listening to Kult for many years. The group has been out there for nearly four decades because the audience keeps spending money and time to attend three-hour concerts. The team’s attention and love is being given to the fans at all times. Since I am also familiar with the Polish film market, I knew we could capture that even on the stage itself. That kind of exchange is at the heart of the movie. We have a domestic distribution already in place for November.

2019 Warsaw International Film Festival – Part of the The Fipresci Warsaw Critics Project.