The Lost Town of Switez

201019 min 54 secFilm: Animation

G

Direction: Kamil Polak

Production: Stanislaw DziedzicZbigniew ZmudzkiKamil PolakEliza OczkowskaLuc ToutounghiDenis FriedmanPawel PartykaMarcin LunkiewiczRené ChénierViviana Queirolo-BertoglioFranck MalminNeil Mundy

Script: Kamil Polak

Produced by Human Ark in co-production with Se-Ma-For, Archangel, Denis Friedman Productions, the National Film Board of Canada, Pwsftvit, Partyflex System, Kamil Polak and Zielony Pomidor.

In 19th-century Poland, a traveller loses his way in the forest one stormy night, then witnesses the last days of a medieval town under attack by ruthless warriors. Are the knights on galloping steeds and the hail of fiery arrows mere figments of his imagination? The Lost Town of Switez transports viewers into an apocalyptic fantasy world. But out of the horror of a massacre, the most delicate flowers bloom.

Screened at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival, the film is based on an epic poem by renowned Polish writer Adam Mickiewicz. The grandiose tale is propelled by the music of Irina Bogdanovitch. Kamil Polak has used advanced computer-assisted animation techniques to create a rich visual universe inspired by religious iconography and Polish romantic painting.

Subject categories


  • Literature and Language > Adaptations of Literary WorksAnimation based on LiteratureLegends, Myths, and TalesWorld Literature
  • War, Conflict and Peace > Allegories of War and Peace
  • Ethics and Religious Culture > Ethical ValuesReligious Diversity/Heritage
  • History > World History

Credits


direction
Kamil Polak
script
Kamil Polak
music
Irina Bogdanovich
producer
Stanislaw Dziedzic
Zbigniew Zmudzki
Kamil Polak
Eliza Oczkowska
co-producer
Luc Toutounghi
Denis Friedman
Pawel Partyka
Marcin Lunkiewicz
executive producer
René Chénier
Viviana Queirolo-Bertoglio
Franck Malmin
Neil Mundy
line production
Halszka Janiszewska
Francine Langdeau
associate producer
Jakub Woroszylski
editing
Kamil Polak
collaborative editing
Jacek Rokosz
Alexei Panfilov
1st assistant director
Jacek Rokosz
storyboard artist
Kamil Polak
Jacek Rokosz
Piotr Milczarek
art design supervisor
Jacek Rokosz
texture supervisor
Dorota Kobiela
digital paint supervisor
Dorota Kobiela
main painter
Daniel Cybula
Dominika Sadowska
painter
Dawid Kawalec
Marcin Zalewski
Piotr Dominiak
Jakub Kubiak
art design artist
Arkadiusz Augustyniak
Marcin Busko
Paulina Majda
Artur Malewski
Piotr Milczarek
Marta Pszonak
CGI supervisor
Szymon Kapeniak
animation supervisor
Wojciech Wawszczyk
sequence supervisor
Rafal Bielski
technical director
Andrzej Majewski
Arkadiusz Rekita
Wojtek Jakubowski
Maciej Jurgielewicz
Michal Krupa
Georg Dumlein
Carolo Volpati
animator
Dawid Bunio
Wojciech Jakubowski
Magdalena Osinska
Maciej Wojtkiewicz
Piotr Szczepanowicz
Jakub Tarkowski
Piotr Zyla
3D artist
Kacper Czyczlo
Piotr Golabek
Grzegorz Jankowski
Mateusz Jarmulski
Grzegorz Krol
Miroslaw Paczkowski
Aleksander Gajewski
Roberto Bianchi
modelling artist
Arkadiusz Jarmula
Marcin Klicki
Norbert Naroznik
texture artist
Olga Duraj
Michal Kwolek
Marek Madej
Katarzyna Okoniewska
Urszula Pociecha
Pawel Rosiak
Mikolaj Zientalski
digital paint artist
Olga Duraj
Michal Kwolek
Marek Madej
Katarzyna Okoniewska
Urszula Pociecha
Pawel Rosiak
Mikolaj Zientalski
compositing supervisor
Agata Waclawiak
compositing artist
Marek Madej
Tytus Majerski
Alexei Panfilov
Bartosz Sujkowski
Piotr Skiejka
Mateusz Wojt
reference material D.O.P.
Slawomir Berganski
reference material actor
Cezary Iber
translation
Agnieszka Kwiecien
Agnieszka Horak
title design
Alexei Panfilov
Marek Madej
Gaspard Gaudreau
information technologies staff
Ryszard Harasimowicz
Pawel Januszkiewicz
Marcin Sadurski
sound draft
Janusz Czubak
music producer
Marcin Lunkiewicz
music preparation assistance
Bartosz Stawiarski-Lizau
sound editing assistance
Bartosz Stawiarski-Lizau
music recording
Jaroslaw Regulski
mezzosoprano solo
Malgorzata Panko
orchestra manager
Kama Grott
choir manager
Kinga Jazwinska
co-operation
Ewa Bombol
Marek Sobczak
Agnieszka Dragon
sound design
Luigi Allemano
music re-recording
Luc Léger
Geoffrey Mitchell
re-recording
Serge Boivin
Jean Paul Vialard
Shelley Craig
online editing
Denis Gathelier
titles
Gaspard Gaudreau
technical coordinator
Julie Laperrière
laboratory supervisor
Malgorzata Rogulska
film recording artist
Jaroslaw Migala
artistic supervisor
Piotr Dumala
Marian Kielbaszczak
production manager
Joanna Stawnicka
production co-ordinator
Milada Broel-Plater
Agnieszka Dragon
Wojciech Janio
Artur Zicz
production assistant
Aleksandra Misiewicz
Marta Zmudzka-Ptak
production accountant
Anna Kawalkiewicz
Alicja Mayer
Kazimierz Krolikowski
Ewa Szymaniak-Kobylanska
legal assistance
Lesnodorski Slusarek

Awards


  • First Award- Best Short FilmInternational Film Festival
  • Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers' AwardWorld Festival of Animated Film
  • Best Visual Effects AwardSichuan TV Festival
  • Best AnimationInternational Film Festival
  • Best Short Animated Film (from 10 to 50 min)Golden Kruker- International Animation Film Festival
  • Silver Hobby-Horse for Best Animated FilmInternational Film Festival
  • Pulcinella Award for Best Short FilmCartoons on the Bay
  • Best Animation Short- with a cash prize of $2,000 USDInternational Short Film Festival
  • « Jean-Luc Xiberras » Award for a first filmInternational Animated Film Festival
  • Best AnimationNew York City Short Film Festival