BE SOMEBODY

BE SOMEBODY

Być Kimś

Directed by Michał Toczek
Poland | 27 minutes | 2023 | Polish

A common guy, an electrician named Wiktor moves in with his family to a new apartment. Soon they find out that the apartment used to belong to Lech Walesa, a formerPolish President and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, who started out as an electrician.Wiktor’s wife, Sylwia, starts to make money on foreign tourists, turning their new homeinto a museum and her husband into Walesa’s impersonator. Sylwia’s new obsessionleads to Wiktor’s confrontation with Walesa’s legend.

Credits

Director: Michał Toczek
Screenplay: Michał Toczek
Cinematography: Tomasz Pawlik
Music: Jan Królikowski
Editing: Ignacy Ciunelis, Jakub Didkowski
Production Manager: Julia Włodarczyk
Art Designer: Katarzyna Tomczyk
Costumes: Olga Przylipiak

Cast: Sebastian Stankiewicz, Jowita Budnik, Klara Bielawka
Produced by: The Polish National Film School in Łódź
Co-financed by: The Polish Film Institute

Michał Toczek

Festival&Awards:

Warsaw International Film Festival 2023

Polish Film Festival 2023

Krakow Film Festival 2023

press quotes

soon

BS_BK_main_still_1

BS_BK_still_2

BS_BK_still_3

BS_BK_still_4

Michał Toczek

Director and screenwriter. Author of short films presented and awarded in Poland and international as well as public awareness campaigns and commercials. Michal studied directing at the Polish National Film School in Lodz. His student short fiction „A Dead Marriage” received many awards at Polish film festivals – such as Silver Hobby Horse at Cracow Film Festival, Grand Prix of the Short Film Competition at WAMA Festival in Olsztyn and several other prizes and honorable mentions on festivals like „Two Riversides” in Kazimierz Dolny, „The Youth and Film” in Koszalin and many more. The film was also shown at the international festivals, e.g. in Leuven and Tirana.

Michal gained experience by working as the 2nd director on set of „My Wonderful Life” a film by Lukasz Grzegorzek and „Elephant” by Kamil Krawczycki. His documentary debut „Strawberry boys” was presented on festivals in Poland and international, was awarded with Best Editing Award at Cracow Film Festival and an honourable mention at Lubuskie Film Summer in Lagow. In 2021 he received a Best Directing Award with Ola Hulboj for their film in Branded Stories Papaya Young Directors Competition. Michal developed his storytelling skills by working as a reporter for Gazeta Wyborcza during his studies. What he appreciates in Cinema the most is a sensitive approach towards the characters of the movie and witty humour. He considers Ken Loach and Mike Leigh his masters in directing.