Winner of the Best Narrative Debut at the 48th Gdynia Film Festival, Grzegorz Dębowski’s Next to Nothing went on to claim 5 more awards in the Main Competition of the Festival, including Best Screenplay, Best Male Lead (Artur Paczesny) and Best Female Supporting Actor (Agnieszka Kwietniewska).
The Inspection Committee of the Warmia-Masuria Film Fund, whose members watched the post-editing but pre-ADR version of the film, was very impressed. “Grzegorz Dębowski’s debut is a deeply poignant film!A cry of despair! Perhaps even more than that – a protest!A protest against the decline of the Polish countryside!”
An expression of maximum outrage at something well known to all of us around and across all levels of society – the mood is similar. Grzegorz Dębowski decided to make that message blunt and unrestrained. A bold statement unprecedented in Polish cinema!
Just as Piotr Domalewski focused on the topic of Polish labour emigration in SILENT NIGHT (also produced by Munk Studio) and later in I NEVER CRY, the auteur behind NEXT TO NOTHING follows suit by taking a stand for farmers, landowners – victims of corruption, politics, and economic transformation after the fall of communism.
The film offers a message rich in content, emotion, and wit, propped up by the equally strong acting. The cast of unknowns – a merit in its own right – provide a stark and grounded rendition of the film’s story. Some of the actors are Olsztyn-based, including Artur Steranko, Cezary Ilczyna, Radek Hebal, Marian Czarkowski, Ola Kolan, and Elżbieta Czupriak. They are joined by Artur Paczesny, an actor of the Jelenia Góra Theatre, who stars as the lead.
“I am delighted that such an important film has been made in our town”, said the Marshal of the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship, Gustaw Marek Brzezin. “Just as it is wonderful to see seven actors from Olsztyn join this production. But the most remarkable thing was the absolute shower of awards the jury bestowed upon our film.As I’ve said time and time again, the co-financing granted to film productions by the voivodeship’s local government through the Regional Film Fund is not an expense, but an investment !It’s not just Polish filmmakers and cinema who reap the benefits, but the region as well – both in terms of promotion and economy.”
Almost the entirety of the shoot was done in Warmia, in Godki, Barczewko, Nowa Wieś and Jedzbark, where the crew spent 17 days in March 2023. NEXT TO NOTHING has been produced by Studio Munka SFP in Warsaw. Jerzy Kapuściński – producer and art director at Munk Studio – provided artistic supervision over the project.
The film is co-produced by the Warmia-Masuria Film Fund, which support the picture from the voivodeship’s local government budget and provided organizational help. The casting crew was assisted by Jarosław Kowalski, deputy director at the Centre for Education and Cultural Initiatives.
The picture left the 48th Gdynia Film Festival with the following awards: Don Quixote – Award of the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs, Best Directorial Debut, a Golden Claw in the category Visions Apart, Best Supporting Female Role (Agnieszka Kwietniewska), Best Screenplay, Best Male Lead (Artur Paczesny), 5 nominations for “Eagles” Polish Film Academy Awards, and finally – the 2024 EAGLE for DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR from the Polish Film Academy.
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Directed by: Grzegorz Dębowski
Written by: Grzegorz Dębowski
Cinematography by: Andrzej Pozdnyakow
Produced by: Polish Filmmakers Association, Studio Munka
Preview screening: 26 February 2024 – Olsztyn
Polish premiere: 8 March 2024 – Warsaw
