On Thursday, 5 October, Warsaw hosted the gala premiere of Poland’s Oscar entry, the film “The Peasants” directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman. The event was attended by the filmmakers and numerous guests. “The Peasants” opens in cinemas across Poland on 13 October – advance tickets are already on sale in selected cinemas. And today sees the release of the single “Jesień – Tańcuj”, the first of four tracks by L.U.C. & Rebel Babel Film Orchestra written for the painted adaptation of “The Peasants”.

The gala premiere at the cinema was attended by the filmmakers, including the directing duo DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman, producer Sean Bobbitt and cast members: Kamila Urzędowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Mirosław Baka, Sonia Mietielica, Ewa Kasprzyk, Cezary Łukaszewicz, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Dorota Stalińska, Andrzej Konopka, Maciej Musiał and Julia Wieniawa.

Also present was Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski & Rebel Babel Film Orchestra, responsible for the film’s music. Today sees the release of the single “Jesień – Tańcuj”. This and the following singles will, in keeping with the spirit of Reymont’s novel, refer to the four seasons.

Listen to “Jesień – Tańcuj” on all major streaming services

https://agoramuzyka.ffm.to/JesienTancuj

Watch the “Jesień – Tańcuj” music video on YouTube

 

The single “Jesień – Tańcuj” takes us to Boryna and Jagna’s wedding, creating a dance-filled track that bridges generations and musical genres. It features the hypnotic voices of artists such as Kayah, Laboratorium Pieśni and Dagadana, interplaying with the traditional sound of the Tęgie Chłopy band within the international RBFO orchestra. This combination gives us the impression that Reymont’s village is coming back to life.

Just as Reymont built a baroque cathedral of language out of the simple words and sayings of peasants, L.U.C. has created rich and colourful film music using exclusively authentic, acoustic period instruments. The lyrics were created from hundreds of words and quotations from “The Peasants”, which gives the track a remarkable depth.

The single, like the whole project, also has many impressionistic elements, combining traditional melodies with a modern production approach based on looping and contemporary sound articulations of double-headed drums or the tuba, which plays here like a bass synthesiser.

The whole, reflecting the international character of the production (the film was painted in 4 Slavic countries), will form a rich compendium of Slavic music created by almost 100 musicians from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus under the baton of Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski.

ADVANCE SALES

“The Peasants” opens in cinemas on 13 October, but tickets for screenings can already be purchased in advance.

Shortly before the film’s release, Wydawnictwo Agora will publish an exclusive, illustrated edition of Władysław Stanisław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning work. In bookshops from 11 October. Purchase link:

https://kulturalnysklep.pl/product-pol-100042-Chlopi-Wydanie-kolekcjonerskie.html

The producer has started selling paintings from the film. The first hand-painted frames can be purchased in the online shop: https://shop.thepeasantsmovie.com.

 

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THE PEASANTS

Release date: 13 October

Synopsis: Against the backdrop of the changing seasons and seasonal field work unfold the fates of the Boryna family and the beautiful, mysterious Jagna. It is the women, especially the tragic figure of Jagna, who stand at the heart of the story. The unique microcosm of a village community becomes the pretext for telling a universal and remarkably topical story. A story of tragic love and life in a small community, where rules and the brutal laws of the game assign everyone a fixed place in the group, and stepping outside the narrow framework risks humiliation and rejection.

The film draws on the painting of the Young Poland period, which perfectly captures the mood of the novel. The big screen features interpretations of works by artists such as Józef Chełmoński, Ferdynand Ruszczyc and Leon Wyczółkowski.

Directed by: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Screenplay: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Cinematography: Radosław Ładczuk, Kamil Polak, Szymon Kuriata
Editing: DK Welchman, Patrycja Piróg, Miki Węcel
Production design: Elwira Pluta
Costumes: Katarzyna Lewińska
Make-up: Waldemar Pokromski
Music: Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski & Rebel Babel Orchestras (Laboratorium Pieśni, Julia Wieniawa, Tęgie Chłopy, Sutari, Szymon Lipiński)
Sound: Michał Jankowski
Casting director: Ewa Brodzka
Animation director: Piotr Dominiak
Special effects: Kamil Polak
VFX supervisor: Łukasz Mackiewicz
Line producer: Tomasz Wochniak
Producers: Sean Bobbitt, Hugh Welchman
Production: BreakThru Films
Executive producers: Laurie Ubben, Steve Muench, Sita Saviolo, DK Welchman, Kyle Stroud, Tom Ogden
Co-producers: Ivan Pribićević, Jelena Angelovski, Agnė Adomėnė
Co-production: CANAL+, DIGITAL KRAFT, Art Shot, Narodowe Centrum Kultury, SKP Ślusarek Kubiak Pieczyk Sp.
Co-financing: Polish Film Institute, Polish National Foundation, Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, Center Serbia Lithuanian Film Center
Distribution: Next Film
International sales agent: New Europe Film Sales
Partners: Juice, TELEVISOR Studio, Centrum Technologii Audiowizualnych, GS Animation, Carte Blanche

Cast (roles used in the animation): Kamila Urzędowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Mirosław Baka, Sonia Mietielica, Ewa Kasprzyk, Cezary Łukaszewicz, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Dorota Stalińska, Andrzej Konopka, Mateusz Rusin, Maciej Musiał, Julia Wieniawa