Join Us As We Toast Polish Films at Hot Docs 2011

After a hectic few days consisting of a  royal weddings, Papal beatification, fugitive assassination and federal election, it’s time to take a deep breath and relax.

And what better way to do that than with a nice glass of wine and some good company.

On Wednesday, May 4, YouNxt and Ekran (the Toronto Polish Film Festival) are hosting a reception in honour of the Polish films at Hot Docs. We’ll also be celebrating local filmmaking talent.

Please join us, as well as the Director of Phnom Penh Lullaby Pawel Kloc and Toronto based filmmakers as we raise a toast.

The event will take place at the posh Kultura restaurant – one of Toronto’s best. If you haven’t been there, check out some  photos below…

Date: Wednesday, May 4

Time: 7pm – 10pm

Location: Kultura Restaurant – 169 King St. E. Toronto

Attire:  Casual Chic

RSVP To: uterlecki@younxt.com or on our Facebook Events page.

We’re also very thankful to our financial sponsors without whom this would not be possible:  

Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce

Fregata Restaurant

Ekran Toronto Polish Film Festival

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Basia Bulat To Open For Arcade Fire in Warsaw

CONGRATS to Basia Bulat for being selected as the supporting act for Arcade Fire’s first gig in Warsaw!

The concert will take place on Friday, June 24^th at Torwar Arena in Warsaw. Tickets can be purchased on Arcade Fire’s website . 

Arcade Fire stunned the music world a few months ago when they beat all odds to win Album of the Year at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards.

Basia was recently nominated for a Juno Award in the “Best New Artist” category. Previously she was nominated for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize – Canada’s equivalent of the highly regarded UK Mercury Music Prize.

Basia’s Polish-Canadian roots make her the perfect fit to accompany Montreal based Arcade Fire in Poland. And it should be one trully magical night.

Arcade Fire is known for their high energy concerts and Basia’s passion for music will offer the perfect accent.

Here is what you can expect…

Also, check out this amazing version of “Wake Up” from the Glastonbury festival…

And here’s Basia’s video for “In the Night.”

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YouNxt and Ekran Co-Present Polish Films at Hot Docs 2011

As many of you can attest – seeing a great documentary film can leave you inspired, speechless and amazed.

From April 28 to May 8 the world’s best documentary filmmakers will be in Toronto for Hot Docs – North America’s largest documentary film festival.

This year, Hot Docs will present an outstanding selection of over 190 docs from around the world.

As last year, YouNxt and Ekran (the Toronto Polish Film Festival) are delighted to be official co-presenters of the Polish films at Hot Docs.

On May 4^th we will also be hosting a special reception in honour of the Polish films at Hot Docs as well as local filmmaking talent.

Kultura Restaurant

The event will take place at the decadently delicious Kultura restaurant. Save the date and help us raise a toast to the creative, and often difficult, efforts of those that bring breathtaking stories to our eyes.

There will be two Polish features and two shorts at Hot Docs 2011. The features include:

At the Edge of Russia (Dir. Michal Marczak)

Sat, April 30 – 6:30pm, Cumberland 2

Tue, May 3  – 1:15 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2

Fri, May 6 – 7pm, Cumberland 2

Hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement, a young recruit arrives at his Arctic post, charged with an absurd task: patrolling the nothingness. A riveting portrait of silence, broken at times by vodka and sad song.

Phnom Penh Lullaby (Dir. Pawel Kloc)

Mon, May 2 – 9:45pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

Wed, May 4 – 4pm, Cumberland 2

Sun, May 8 – 5:45pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 4

Pushing the boundaries of documentary, this disturbing, highly compelling drama follows an Israeli man now living in Cambodia with his Khmer girlfriend and their two young daughters. A story from the fringes conveyed with an edge.

The two shorts films have both won numerous international awards. They are:

That’s Life (Dir. Daniel Zielinski)

Fri, April 29 – 9pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 4

Sun, May 1 – 1pm, Cumberland 3

A middle-aged Polish man—the filmmaker’s retired father—selflessly and tenderly cares for his elderly mother. They live a quiet life in the solitude of the countryside. The son films his father and grandmother with a sensitive, impressionistic eye, but in conversation the father expresses frustration and loneliness. A family visit shows us why.

Out of Reach (Dir. Jakub Stozek)

Sun, May 1 – 11:30am, ROM Theatre

Tue, May 3 – 9:45 – The Royal Cinema

Young and headstrong, sisters Karolina and Natalia are realistic about their home life. Their domineering father may not take the best care of them, but they know any life with their mysteriously absent mother would surely be worse.

For ticket information please visit the Hot Docs website.

Over the next few days we will be showcasing these films in more detail so make sure to check out our blog regularly for updates.

We are very excited to be involved with Hot Docs once again and we are especially proud to collaborate with our good friends at Ekran in bringing these docs to you. We’re looking forward to some memorable cinematic stories and look forward to seeing you at the movies.

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Save the Date

On Friday, April 29th you are invited to attend a very special event…

It’s not the Royal wedding but something equally as exciting…

YouNxt and the Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their 2^nd social event at Fregata Nightclub in Mississauga – Forever Fridays at Fregata (these will continue monthly on every last Friday of the month).

In recent months we’ve received several requests asking us to host more social events so as to give people the opportunity to not only meet other young, ambitious professionals but at the same time, have a good time.

So, join us at Fregata for some drinks, good food and lively conversation and help us raise a toast to the happy newlywed couple (you know who you are).

Arrive for 7pm so as not to pay a cover and receive one drink ticket as well as hors d’œuvres.

When: Friday, April 29^th at 7pm

Where: Fregata Nightclub in Mississauga, 1900 Dundas St. East

Dress Code: Casual Chic

Price: FREE (if arrive by 7pm)

Visit our Facebook page for additional information.

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YouNxt Professional Profile: Pawel Pogorzelski

Polish Cinematographers are some of the most skilled and highly regarded filmmakers in the world. At the top of the list is Janusz Kaminski , the two-time Oscar winner, who has photographed all of Steven Spielberg’s films since 1993’s Schindler’s List.

Determined to eventually reach that level is Montreal raised Pawel Pogorzelski. Here is his profile…

Name: Pawel Pogorzelski

Age: 31

Education: MFA Cinematography American Film Institute (AFI)

Profession: Cinematographer

Location: Los Angeles/Montreal

What are you working on now? Participating in an internship with world-renowned Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Brokeback Mountain, Alexander) on a new film starring Twilight’s Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon called Water for Elephants.

How did you get into filmmaking? I was studying sciences in CEGEP (post-secondary education system in Quebec) and hated it. I took a photography class as one of my alternative classes and fell in love with it. One day I saw La Haine and Baraka and I knew I wanted to change from still photographs to moving images.

What drives you in your work? Storytelling — I’m driven to create cinematic moods that evokes emotional responses. I love creative collaborations with people who can enhance my work. Also, I’m fuelled by the adrenaline and challenge of being on a film set; meticulously working on one lighting setup at a time, knowing, that there is never enough time to get everything done but finding solutions to make it happen anyway.  

What are your future plans? Working professionally as a Cinematographer on films that are meaningful to me (fictional or documentary) and shooting my first studio feature film.

Major Accomplishments: I’ve received two “achievement scholarships” from AFI. The internship with Rodrigo Prieto was a huge deal for me.  Also, my thesis film The Strange Thing about the Johnsons was selected for the Slamdance festival as well as the AFI Showcase one month after completion.

What little things in life do you enjoy the most? Good food, good wine and great company.

Favourite TV Show: Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire

Why are your Polish roots important to you? Even though, I was raised in Montreal, I believe that my Polish roots are a big part of who I am and are reflected in my work.

Pawel Pogorzelski in his own words…

Moving to Los Angeles was a rather interesting decision.

That summer, in Montreal, I was offered a job on a Television Show, which would have given me work for six months and great money. But, I also got into the American Film Institute (AFI), where I could pursue my dream of shooting movies. The money was really compelling and working with friends for six months would be great. On the other hand, the unknown possibilities, the allure of Los Angeles (the Mecca of filmmaking) as well as the AFI, the warm weather and most of all, the chance to develop my career as a Cinematographer ultimately won me over.

…(Los Angeles) does not compare to Montreal. I realize now that Montreal is not that big of a city. For our business, LA is definitely a good place to be. You are surrounded by film and entertainment. The office of Technicolor, the headquarters of Panavision and KINO, massive film studios – they’re all here. It’s impressive!!! It’s a great motivator to know that the dream is close and accessible.

However, the films I am interested in making are far from what Hollywood has to offer. I love filmmakers like Michael Haneke, Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick and such recent films as Revanche, Thirst, Enter the Void and Summer Hours, which are not Hollywood Blockbusters. Despite this, it feels good to be here and to learn by being in the right place and meeting interesting people.

…you never know who you are about to meet here. There are genuinely great people and those that talk themselves up. I learned to take everything with a grain of salt. What is interesting is the dichotomy of the population. The mega rich live among the mega poor. A lot of crazy, interesting and challenged people walk along these streets.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto

…working with and learning from Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto was something I never imagined. It was great watching a Hollywood blockbuster being made and realizing that it is not much different from the work we do on student films. The big difference is that everyone is at the top of their game. Rodrigo is one hell of a talented cinematographer. It was great to see him work and understand the lighting decisions he was making. It was an inspiring experience.

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Remembering the Smolensk Tragedy

Today marks the first anniversary of the Smolensk plane crash.

On April 10, 2010 Poland’s President, Lech Kaczynski and his wife and 94 of the most senior Polish diplomats, officials and cultural elite perished in a plane crash over Smolensk, Russia.

In an ironic twist of fate the Polish delegation was flying to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre during which over 20,000 Poles were killed by Soviet secret police.

There will be ceremonies throughout the day in Poland and around the world to commemorate the anniversary.

Please let us know details of ceremonies in your community or pass along links to more information.

Following last year’s tragedy, we received a great number of photos from readers in Poland. We also wrote a number of posts relating to the event.

Here’s a look back at some of the coverage…

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– Poles Unite in Mourning

– Hundreds Gather at Katyn Monument

– Thousands Gather To Celebrate Mass To Honour The Late Polish President

– Unforgettable

 

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