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PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE 2022 Poland

Kuba Kosma • Producer, Serce

“Being a producer means being a psychologist or even a psychoanalyst sometimes”

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- The Polish producer, selected as one of EFP's 2022 Producers on the Move, shares with us his insights and hopes

Kuba Kosma • Producer, Serce

Founder and CEO of Warsaw-based Serce, Kuba Kosma is behind Berlinale title A Heart of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, as well as Fears [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, awarded the Polish Golden Lion for Best Film. Now, he will be heading to Cannes as one of this year’s Producers on the Move. “The main reason is meeting people, networking, or reaching out to those who have participated in this initiative before” – he says. “I wanted to be there. It’s a stamp of quality.”

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Cineuropa: Right from the start, you have been interested in riskier films – such as The Performer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which premiered in 2015. Was it always the plan?
Kuba Kosma: Before that, I was involved in a film called Dżej Dżej. It was a bit of a professional trauma – it was my first encounter with the world of distribution and promotion, and when box-office results turned out to be unsatisfactory, as well as reviews, it made me wonder whether I should even continue. But it taught me a valuable lesson, especially when it comes to working with directors and writers. Early on, already during development, you should be able to answer this question: “Are we making the same film?”

With The Performer, I still remember the whole process quite fondly. I became friends with [artist and the film’s protagonist] Oskar Dawicki and I learned more about the art world. I wasn’t directly involved with it before, even though my brother is also an artist. Working with two directors [Maciej Sobieszczański, Łukasz Ronduda] was another lesson. Being a producer, and I say this often, means being a psychologist or even a psychoanalyst for everyone involved sometimes. It’s a long process – there will be good and bad moments. But being able to see it up close, being a part of it, can be fascinating.

Is it easier to work with the same people? You kept collaborating with Łukasz Ronduda after that film.
In principle, I would say yes. But when we were working on our third film, the biggest one yet, we had a moment of crisis. In the end, we managed to talk about it, clarify certain things and start a new chapter in our professional relationship. We just needed some fresh air, I guess.

Choosing the right people for projects is an essential part of my work. I am at Mastercard Off Camera Festival at the moment and I was listening to David Parfitt, the British producer behind The Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Zeller
film profile
]
or Shakespeare in Love. He also said that the decision to commit to a project has to do with whether he wants to spend time with those involved. That’s my attitude as well. If there are any doubts at the start, later on they only get bigger. This magical thinking that “this time it will be different” never works out. You need to listen to your own intuition.

I’ve heard opinions that certain films, especially on the experimental side, “belong in a museum,” not cinema. But yours ended up enjoying successful festival runs and Fears was named best film at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.
When you look at these films, you can also notice a certain evolution. The Performer was closer to the field of contemporary art, with Oskar Dawicki playing himself. It was about taking this ephemeral performance art outside of a gallery and showing it to the world. We want to make films which, although not exactly commercial, are accessible to the general public and understandable to those who don’t know these artists. It worked especially well in Fears, I think, because we showed someone [visual artist Daniel Rycharski, who inspired the film] who actually works with people.

It's interesting, because Łukasz Ronduda’s new project, Luigi, won’t be about an artist this time: it’s about an Italian gangster who escapes to Poland and takes refuge in a centre for immigrants run by a charismatic nun. It’s about their unusual encounter. They come from completely different backgrounds yet ultimately are quite alike: both lonely, both trying to escape from something. It goes from psychological gangster film to melodrama and it’s an attempt to do something different. It will explore spirituality, albeit in a more genre-oriented form.

It seems to me that you are interested in different ways of storytelling. I have heard that you are also thinking about making an interactive film.
Together with Krzysztof Grudziński, we have prepared a demo of an interactive film, which was supported by Creative Europe. We have also been developing a VR opera project, which is now in its final stages. I am drawn to this combination of new perspectives and new insights. On the storytelling side, VR is still shaping up – there is no communal experience yet, of being in the same room. It’s the beginning of the journey and you just never know, because for a while there was a fascination with 3D cinema and now it’s pretty much gone. But this interdisciplinary merge is interesting to me, an exploration of something that wasn’t there before.

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