We present the official teaser for “The Peasants”, produced by BreakThru Films. The film is an adaptation of Reymont’s famous novel of the same title, directed by DK Welchman (previously known as Dorota Kobiela) and Hugh Welchman. The team rose to fame with the production “Loving Vincent”, the world’s first feature-length painted animation, which was seen by 6 million viewers in cinemas.
“The Peasants”, like “Loving Vincent”, is being produced using the painted animation technique. Yet the two films differ considerably. DK Welchman explains: – The scale of the two films is beyond comparison. “Loving Vincent” is an intimate film with a lot of static shots and dialogue. “The Peasants” is a true spectacle. The film features impressive dance and battle scenes. The shots are incredibly dynamic, the camera often follows the characters, and a great deal happens within the frame. Working on the two films naturally brought its challenges — on “Loving Vincent” we created many original solutions, but “The Peasants” raises the bar considerably higher.
Initially, the BreakThru Films studio shot the film with actors. “The Peasants” features a host of Polish stars, including Mirosław Baka, Ewa Kasprzyk, Andrzej Konopka, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Maciej Musiał, Dorota Stalińska and Julia Wieniawa. The lead role of Jagna is played by Kamila Urzędowska.
– It was important to us that Jagna be played not just by “the most beautiful girl in all of Lipce”, but that she also have a blend of girlish light-heartedness, sex appeal and feistiness. And that is exactly what we saw in Kamila Urzędowska – producer Sean Bobbitt explains the choice.
More than 100 painters in four studios in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Serbia then painted oil paintings on canvas, which became the film’s key frames. So far the artists have devoted more than 200,000 hours of work to the project. The paintings were made with Cobra paints by Royal Talens. These paints are water-soluble, which makes them far more environmentally friendly and healthier for the painters. Animators complemented the shots painted by the artists so that the finished film flows smoothly and is pleasing to the eye.
The film’s screenplay is based on Reymont’s epic, for which he received the Nobel Prize, beating Thomas Mann, Thomas Hardy and Maxim Gorky. The novel “The Peasants” is considered the most faithful chronicle of peasant society ever written. – Reymont painted his description of the world with words, while we are painting the film quite literally in the style of his contemporaries from the Young Poland movement, to which Reymont himself belonged. The big screen will feature interpretations of works by artists such as Józef Chełmoński, Ferdynand Ruszczyc and Julian Fałat – adds DK Welchman.
The novel and the painting are enriched by rousing roots music interpreted by Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski. Together with a Slavic collective of world-class musicians, the composer has created a magical soundscape that complements the beauty of the painted images. The project features, among others, Tęgie Chłopy, Laboratorium Pieśni, T.Etno and Maria Pomianowska.
“The Peasants” is produced by BreakThru Films. “Loving Vincent”, the studio’s previous production, has grossed more than 42 million dollars since its cinema release, making it one of the most successful animations for adult audiences of all time. After the premiere, the paintings from the film travelled the world in a special exhibition. Those paintings are now on sale and can be purchased at: LovingVincent.com/Paintings.
The cinematography for “The Peasants” is by Radosław Ładczuk, Kamil Polak and Szymon Kuriata; the costumes were designed by Katarzyna Lewińska and the production design by Elwira Pluta. Piotr Dominiak is the head of painting animation, while Łukasz Mackiewicz and Michał Janicki are in charge of post-production. The film is distributed in Poland by NEXT FILM.
Cast (roles used in the animation): Kamila Urzędowska (Jagna), Robert Gulaczyk (Antek), Mirosław Baka (Boryna), Andrzej Konopka (the Village Mayor), Ewa Kasprzyk (Dominikowa), Sonia Mietielica (Hanka), Małgorzata Kożuchowska (the Organist’s Wife), Sonia Bohosiewicz (the Mayor’s Wife), Maciej Musiał (Jasio), Dorota Stalińska (Jagustynka), Julia Wieniawa (Marysia Pastuszka), Mateusz Rusin (Mateusz).
