On August 27th, 2013, Prasa i Film is to begin shooting of „The Summer Solstice”, directed by Michał Rogalski. The movie tells the story of four young people, who meet in the Polish countryside in 1943. The leading roles are played by young actors: Filip Piotrowicz (Romek), Jonas Nay (Guido), Maria Semotiuk (Bunia) and Urszula Bogucka (Franka). The cast also includes Agnieszka Krukówna (Romek’s Mother), Bartłomiej Topa (Leon) and Gerdy Zint (Odi).
Poland, 1943. Four young people: Bunia – a Jewish fugitive, a German gendarme – Guido and two Poles – Romek and Franka – meet as a result of a series of unusual coincidences. They will encounter love, which, during the war, was an escape and a threat at the same time. Will they be able to save their dreams in a brutal clash with reality?
„Memories of the horrors of the second world war often make us blind to the simple fact that during the war, people also did their best to live normally”, says Michał Rogalski, „and to live normally means to love, to have fun, to enjoy one’s youth. Who were the young people, starting their adult life? How did they feel? These are the most important questions that I would like to answer”.
The screenplay of Michał Rogalski won the main award in the Polish edition of the Hartley-Merrill contest of 2008 (presently Script Pro) and the second prize in the international edition.
Michał Rogalski is a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism and Political Sciences of Warsaw University, of the Film and Television Directing Department of the Lodz Film School and the European training programme organized by Wajda Studio for film professionals – EKRAN. In 2009, he made his debut entitled „Ostatnia Akcja” with such stars as Jan Machulski, Barbara Krafftówna, Marian Kociniak, Alina Janowska and Antoni Pawlicki. He directed several dozen episodes of the „Czas Honoru” („Time of Honor” ) series (seasons 3 and 4; TVP2). Lately, he has completed the last season of the popular series „Przepis na życie” (Recipe for Life) (TVN).
The director of photography is a renowned Polish cinematographer, chairman of the Polish Society of Cinematographers, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) – Jerzy Zieliński, who has worked with such directors as Filip Bajon (Aria for an athlete), Wojciech Marczewski (Ucieczka z Kina Wolność - Escape from Liberty Cinema), Agnieszka Holland (The Secret Garden, Washington Square) and Marek Koterski (Baby są jakieś inne- Women are just different).
The movie is a Polish/German co-production. Shooting is to take place at such locations as the Museum of Industry and Railway in Jaworzyna Śląska and in Germany. In Poland, the entity responsible for production is Prasa i Film (Wszystko, co kocham – All that I love), and in Germany - Sunday Filmproduktions. The co-producers include: TVP S.A., WFDiF, Odra-Film, Studio Produkcyjne ORKA and, in Germany: Mafilm (Combat girls. Blood and honor), RBB – Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, Synchron- und Tonstudio Leipzig. The movie is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Deutscher Filmförderfonds.
Shooting is to be completed by mid-October 2013. The premiere has been planned for the autumn of 2014.
