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NEW WORLD

Beyond Belonging

Belarusian Zhanna is planning a new life with her boyfriend in Warsaw while her husband is serving his time as a political prisoner back home. The Afghani Azzam was an interpreter for Polish troops and is considered a traitor in his former homeland for his service – in his adopted homeland the trauma of the war won’t let him go. Vera from Ukraine wants to undergo a sex change, but then her father shows up with her son. Zhanna, Azzam and Vera resist being categorised by others. For the three of them, Warsaw is a safe haven that symbolises a deep need for self-determination and an identity of one’s own. Three stories of longing provide insight into today’s Poland: The new world is available for everyone, but not without the old one – there is no future without memory.
NOWY ŚWIAT / NEUE WELT
POL 2015 / 87 min
Language: Belarusian, Polish, Ukrainian
Director: Elżbieta Benkowska,Łukasz Ostalski,Michał Wawrzecki
  • Screenplay: Izabela Aleksandrowicz,Maksymilian Nowicki,Monika Dembińska,Elżbieta Benkowska
  • Cinematographer: Sławomir Witek,Piotr Pawlus,Cezary Stolecki
  • Editor: Irena Siedlar
  • Music: Jan Rogiewicz
  • Cast: Karina Minaeva,Stanislav Boklan,Georgiy Leshchenko
  • Producer: Jan Kwieciński
Belarusian Zhanna is planning a new life with her boyfriend in Warsaw while her husband is serving his time as a political prisoner back home. The Afghani Azzam was an interpreter for Polish troops and is considered a traitor in his former homeland for his service – in his adopted homeland the trauma of the war won’t let him go. Vera from Ukraine wants to undergo a sex change, but then her father shows up with her son. Zhanna, Azzam and Vera resist being categorised by others. For the three of them, Warsaw is a safe haven that symbolises a deep need for self-determination and an identity of one’s own. Three stories of longing provide insight into today’s Poland: The new world is available for everyone, but not without the old one – there is no future without memory.
  • Screenplay: Izabela Aleksandrowicz,Maksymilian Nowicki,Monika Dembińska,Elżbieta Benkowska
  • Cinematographer: Sławomir Witek,Piotr Pawlus,Cezary Stolecki
  • Editor: Irena Siedlar
  • Music: Jan Rogiewicz
  • Cast: Karina Minaeva,Stanislav Boklan,Georgiy Leshchenko
  • Producer: Jan Kwieciński