We were on the set of “Chlopy”. Only “acting meat” remains from the book [TYLKO U NAS]

We were on the set of “Peasants” in October 2020. It was then that the video material was released for the first time, which we remind you on the occasion of the premiere. The film hits theaters on October 13, 2023.

We had to wait for “Chłopów”, but it is already in cinemas

The plan was as follows: First, photos with actors are created, then the artists get to work and paint each frame as an oil painting inspired by the Young Poland period. Interpretations of works by artists such as Józef Chełmoński, Ferdynand Ruszczyc and Leon Wyczółkowski will appear on the big screen. In the film adaptation of the saga about the Borynów family, the tragic character of Jagna will be particularly important – this role will be played by Kamila Urzędowska. In the picturesque adaptation we will also see: Mirosław Baka (Boryna), Sonia Mietelica (Hanek), Robert Gulaczyk (Antek), Ewa Kasprzyk (Dominikowa) and Andrzej Konopka (The Mayor). “Chłopy” will also feature, among others: Ma³gorzata Ko¿uchowska and Julia Wieniawa. Among others Due to COVID, the film did not hit theaters in 2022.

To make “The Peasants”, we had to survive a global pandemic and a war in Ukraine, where 30 percent were supposed to work. our painters, and rampant inflation, which at its peak reached 25%. Of course, all of these elements impacted both the film’s original budget and production schedule

– recalls the film’s producer Sean Bobbitt. – The acting photos were shot in early autumn 2020, during the lull of the COVID-19 epidemic, but under strict sanitary conditions, which meant a longer than planned shooting period. This also meant that some scenes with large audiences, such as the Battle of the Forest, had to be postponed for an entire year. The pandemic also made it more difficult for us to recruit painters for the film, as in times of uncertainty people were concerned about leaving something safe and comfortable to move to another city. Then the war in Ukraine caused us to close our studio in Kiev for six months, and although we managed to evacuate most of our painters to a studio in Poland, it still affected our animation work. As the war moved away from the capital, we reopened the studio to our painters who were not allowed to leave the capital, but soon after the bombing of critical infrastructure, frequent power outages began. And then inflation came, which meant rising costs of the studio and staff – he says after finishing work on “Chłopy”.

“‘Chłopi’ sets the bar much higher than ‘Loving Vincent'”

Effect? Nomination by the Oscar committee – “Chłopi” represents Poland in the Oscar race this year. For now, it is fighting for the nomination, which was won in the animated film category by the creators of the previous production. – We were looking for a continuation of the painting animation and we did not want to make “Loving Vincent 2”. We wanted to explore what this technique could do, so why not adapt a 1,000-page novel into a film that’s less than two hours long? – says co-writer and co-director (together with DK Welchman) Hugh Welchman. Line producer Tomasz Wochniak adds:

The scale of these two films is incomparable. “Loving Vincent” is an intimate film with a lot of static shots and dialogues. “Chłopi” is a real spectacle. In the film we have impressive dance and battle scenes, these are incredibly dynamic shots, the camera often follows the hero, a lot is happening in the frame.

– Working on two films obviously brought challenges, “Loving Vincent” is the world’s first full-length film made using the painting animation technique, so we created many original solutions. However, “Chłopi” sets the bar much higher. Five years of production of “Peasants” have many gray hairs and wrinkles caused by solving production challenges to meet the directors’ vision – he says. – In “Loving Vincent”, each of the characters was represented in a painting by van Gogh. For most shots, we used ready-made painting quotes, such as “Starry Night”, “Night Cafe” or “Crows Over the Fields”. In “Peasants” you will also see well-known works, such as “Storks”, “The Tempest” and “Indian Summer” by Chełmoński, “Earth” by Ruszczyc or “Women Gathering Ears” by Millet, but mostly we are looking for our way between the masters’ paintings. We have a database of several hundred painting inspirations from the period of Young Poland – emphasizes animation director Piotr Dominiak. Gazeta.pl is the media patron of the film “Chłopi”.