Films by Piotr Rosolowski

2023, 118 min
by Regina Schilling

At 34, Igor Levit is an exceptional artist in the world of classical music. A young rebel, who - at the piano - transforms into a mature musician. At age nine he arrived in Germany, a Jewish immigrant of Russian descent. Having an opinion and publicly expressing it, is not a choice, it is a survival strategy. The film follows the artist over two years as Levit explores his “life after Beethoven“, as he searches for his next challenge, his identity as an artist. We observe him recording new pieces, his intense immersion into the music, his collaborations with conductors, orchestras and recording artists, his warm embrace of the audiences. And then Covid hits. Having booked 180 concerts all over the world, just to see them being cancelled, Levit is among the first to adapt, establishing a musical lifeline between him and his community on Instagram and twitter. And by doing so he discovers a new freedom, away from the constraints of touring, publishing and marketing.Over the course of two years the film accompanies the artist while he navigates between a traditional career in the classics, his need for activism and an uncertain path as a musician who connects and inspires. [GFQ 4 2022]

Germany 2022, 85 min
by Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosolowski

The Hamlet Syndrome depicts the young Ukrainian generation scarred by war and political breakthroughs. The film's starting point is the preparation for a play based on the motifs of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which, combined with an intense glimpse into the lives of the characters, creates a powerful portrait of a generation having to confront their war trauma and tackle the painful past, which now after the Russia's invasion of Ukraine becomes their present and future alike.

Switzerland, Germany, Polen 2020, 94 min
by Eliza Kubarska

When a Sherpa family is asked by a group of westerners to lead a trek up the never-conquered east wall of the imposing Kumbhakarna Mountain in Nepal, they’re confronted with a dilemma. Not only is the summit reputed to be more challenging than Mount Everest, but according to the local Kirant religion, it’s a sacred mountain that is not supposed to be ascended. While the father would like to earn the money necessary for his son’s education, the mother, a fierce woman who supports her boy’s dream of becoming a doctor, is adamant that they shouldn’t hike God’s body. Director Eliza Kubarska follows the expedition after the family agrees to guide the three foreigners, negotiating as best they can the pressure to finish the climb, the dangerous conditions and their own religious beliefs. Herself an experienced alpinist, Kubarska captures breathtaking images of the majestic landscape, honouring the spiritual dimension of the environment. (Charlotte Selb)„Kubarska knows that the grandeur of the mountain is but a hill of beans compared to the human drama in the camp. The film is all the better for it.“ Pat Mullen, Point of View Magazine