THE PEASANTS
CHŁOPI
Directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman
Poland, Serbia, Lithuania | 115 min | 2023 | oil-painting animation | Polish
THE PEASANTS tells the story of Jagna, a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village – a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by pride in their land, adherence to colourful traditions and a deep-rooted patriarchy. When Jagna finds herself caught between the conflicting desires of the village’s richest farmer, his eldest son and other leading men of the community, her resistance puts her on a tragic collision course with the community around her.
Credits
Director: DK Welchman (aka Kobiela), Hugh Welchman
Screenplay: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Cinematography: Radosław Ładczuk, Kamil Polak, Szymon Kuriata
Director of Animation: Piotr Dominiak
Editing: DK Welchman, Patrycja Piróg, Miki Węcel
Production Design: Elwira Pluta
Costume Design: Katarzyna Lewińska
Music / Composer: Łukasz „L.U.C.” Rostkowski
Hair and Make-Up: Waldemar Pokromski Mirosława Wojtczak
Cast: Kamila Urzędowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Mirosław Baka, Sonia Mietielica, Ewa Kasprzyk, Cezary Łukaszewicz, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Dorota Stalińska, Andrzej Konopka, Mateusz Rusin, and Maciej Musiał.
Produced by: Breakthru Films (LOVING VINCENT)
Co-produced by: Digitalkraft d o.o., Art. Shot vsį, Breakthru Productions Sp. z o.o., Canal + Polska S.A., Narodowy Centrum Kultury, Mazowiecki Instytut Kultury, SKP Ślusarek Kubiak Pieczyk Sp. k.
With the support of: Polish Film Institute, Film Center Serbia, Lithuanian Film Center
Co-financed by: The Polish National Foundation
Financed by funds from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage
From the creators of Oscar-nominated LOVING VINCENT
Official Entry: Poland – Best International Feature Film | 96th Academy Awards®
DK Welchman
Hugh Welchman
Festivals & Awards
TIFF Special Presentations – World Premiere
BFI London Film Festival – Dare Strand
press quotes
“Directors DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman deliver another truly impressive animated work”
“A dynamic, immersive drama that brings the pleasures and pains of the past to ravishing life.”
“It’s both exactly what you’d expect as the follow-up to “Loving Vincent” and nothing at all what you’d expect”
“doesn’t just repeat a past triumph, but goes deeper”
“Bringing this 1,000-page novel to animated life in this way isn’t just an adaptation, it’s an illumination. It makes real the heightened reality that exists in your mind when reading a particularly captivating book.”
““The Peasants” achieves a whole new level of dynamism — this time the frame itself moves, sometimes with a virtuosity you’d expect from only CGI animation, and at a moment like Jagna and Antek’s tryst, the camera feels like a participant, not a voyeur. There’s real intimacy here.”
“The Animated Film You’re Going to Need to See This Year”
“There are moments in this beautiful movie that are like a Van Gogh painting.”
“An amazingly evocative and illuminating period piece”
“At once florid and austere, inventive and realistic, and an altogether enlightening recreation of a bygone time and place.”
“A triumph”
“More than a stylistic showcase”
“Never has a painting felt so alive”
“Much more epic in scope than its predecessor.”
“This sharply drawn naturalistic portrait of 19th-century Polish life is a spellbinding tableau of tragic love and one woman’s yearning for independence.”
“Each character is brought to life in painting beautifully from live action, never sacrificing any emotion in their performances”
“Visually Stunning”
“The extraordinary novelty of this technique and the undeniably unique visual look of these films can’t help but designate them as must-see”
“an unprecedented feature film”
THE PEASANTS from the makers of LOVING VINCENT – teaser release DEADLINE
THE PEASENTS sold to JOKERS (France)
New Europe takes world on latest from LOVING VINCENT animation studio.
