“On our own. The beginning.” Where was the film shot?

The story of the Pawlak and Kargula families is inspired by real events. The author of the script for all four parts of the story of Kargul and Pawlak is Andrzej Mularczyk. The latest script was based on his book “Everyone lives as they know how”. As it turns out, Kazimierz Pawlak’s prototype is his uncle Jan, who was among the people leaving their homes in the Borderlands, which is now within the borders of Ukraine.

Kargul and Pawlak return after almost half a century

Jan Mularczyk settled in Tymowa, near Lubin, in Lower Silesia. Andrzej Mularczyk recalls:

He had a rich life story and was a great narrator. I listened to his life stories for several weeks and wrote them down in notebooks, which I keep to this day. There was drama, melancholy and humor in these stories.

Andrzej Mularczyk wanted his uncle’s youth to be shown on screen during the times of the Polish People’s Republic, but the authorities did not look favorably on any criticism of the Soviet Union at that time. That’s why in 1967 the film “Sami swoi” premiered, in 1974 “Nie ma Mocych”, and two years later “Kochaj albo rzul”, while we had to wait another almost 50 years for “Postart”! The director is Artur Żmijewski, who makes his debut in this role. In turn, Adam Bobik plays Kazimierz Pawlak, and Karol Dziuba plays Władysław Pawlak.

“On our own. The beginning” – where were the photos taken?

Most of the photos for the film “Sami swoi. Popocztek” were taken in the Kielce Village Museum – Ethnographic Park in Tokarnia in the province. Świętokrzyskie. Filming was also carried out in Nowa Słupia (Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship), Racławice Śląskie (Opole Voivodeship) and in Lublin.

The first ceremonial screening of the film took place in Kielce (photos can be found in the gallery), and the Kielce Village Museum now invites you to visit the facilities and locations that appeared in the production. Viewers will be able to feel a taste of what life was like in Krużewniki in the film. “The iconic fence dividing the Kargul and Pawlak properties in Krużewniki is still standing. We are preparing a film map that will help visitors to the open-air museum find the places where films were made,” the museum announces.

The film tells a completely new story. – There were many challenges from the very beginning, starting with selecting the cast – says director Artur Żmijewski. – It wasn’t that easy, because as it turned out, not all young actors wanted to come to test photos. They were afraid of clashing with the legend, so they did not take up this challenge. That’s why I’m even more grateful that Adam Bobik and Karol Dziuba are with us. And I am very happy that actresses such as Ania Dymna or Kasia Krzanowska decided to participate in the project, and that we have the wonderful Wojtek Malajkat, Zbyszek Zamachowski, Mirek Baka, and Janusz Chabior. A truly fantastic cast of actors who fit wonderfully into this project and perfectly understand the time we are talking about. This is a great advantage, but also a challenge not to disappoint their expectations – he adds.

What will the film “Sami swoi. The beginning” be about? – About what happened before Pawlak and Kargul landed in the Recovered Territories – explains the director. – This is the story of their childhood, youth and adolescence. The story of that time and the war turmoil on both sides that swept the world and ultimately threw the heroes out of the land that was their paradise. Paradise lost – explains Żmijewski.