The Lost Town of Świteź

THE LOST TOWN OF ŚWITEŹ

Świteź

Directed by Kamil Polak
Poland, Canada, France, Switzerland, Denmark | 10 minutes | 2010 | no dialogue

An accidental traveller drawn by mysterious forces discovers the secret of a ghostly town at the bottom of a forgotten lake. Based on the 19th century epic poem by Adam Mickiewicz, the film dramatically merges oil paintings and orthodox icons with cutting-edge 3D computer animation to create an amazing visual effect.

Credits

Director: Kamil Polak
Screenwriter: Kamil Polak
Editing: Kamil Polak
Producer: Stanisław Dziedzic, Zbigniew Żmudzki, Kamil Polak, Eliza Oczkowska
Production Company: Human Ark

  • Kamil Polak
    Kamil Polak
    Poland

Festivals & Awards
Berlin International Film Festival
Tehran Animafest
Athens Animfest
Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival – FIPRESCI special mention
Las Palmas International Film Festival – Best Short Film
Krakow IFF – Best Animated Film
Annecy IFF – Best Debut
Tabor FF
Edinburgh IFF
Munich ISFF
Melbourne International Animation Film Festival
Giffoni
Palic EFF
Odense IFF
Transatlantyk
Imaginaria
Varna Festival – Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers Award
Jameson Cinefest
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival
Message to Man – Best Animation
Les Nuits Mediterranneenes Corsica
Naoussa IFF – Best Animation

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Trailer

Website

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Kamil Polak
Poland

Director Kamil Polak studied classical music, ballet and painting at the College of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and excelled in all these disciplines. His love of story-telling brought him to film-making, and in animation he has found the opportunity to combine his classical training in drawing and painting with his love of music and rhythm, and to bring these together in one dramatic narrative. He studied directing at the world-renowned Łódź Film School.

His film INSIDE is on the all-time great films reel of the School, and his film BIRTH OF A NATION won the 2nd prize at the Wiesbaden International Festival and has been widely sold to international television. He developed THE LOST TOWN OF ŚWITEŹ during his graduation year. Kamil was the Visual Effects Supervisor on “Peter & the Wolf”, a £ 2.5 million stop-frame animation for Channel 4 and for the big screen accompanied by live orchestra.

FILMOGRAPHY
2010 The Lost Town of Świteź, animated short
2003 In, animated short
2001 Birth of a Nation, animated short