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Tired of romantic comedies, Mravel and Disney movies, and want to watch something really “out of the box”? Hard to find better. On August 2, the Genre Film Festival begins in Gdansk, and its program is full of treasures!
You will not see it on popular streaming services, there are no such shows in multiplexes, even in popular open cinemas they rarely appear. The core of the Octopus Festival is cinema, forgotten classics and productions, often referred to as “second-rate films.”
Although the term is not noble but rather warns of low budget, poor acting and production deficiencies, there is no shortage of fans in Poland for such entertainment. In the capital, film lovers gather for screenings of “The Worst Films in the World” at the Murano Cinema and at the Warsaw version of the “Sprat Festival”, which was held in Lublin and is currently operating in several cities. There’s no shortage of forgotten or unmissable popularity among film connoisseurs, so it’s absolutely worth being, and the octopus from Gdansk adds its three cents. So what will we see?
Majka Jeżowska remembers her performance at the Pol’and’Rock Festival and lessons with Nergal
Octopus Festival program, an exhibition of curiosities
The competition is certainly one of the main attractions of the festival. The Octopus Grand Prix is awarded by the public. You will see, among others:
– “Diabolik” – the first Polish show! – A new adaptation of the famous Italian comedy, a mixture of film noir, spy thriller and (against) superhero film, in which the last part of James Bond adventures feels like a retirement movie.
– “Piggy” – a horror movie reminiscent of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, in which a girl mocked by her peers has a unique relationship with a psychopathic killer.
– “Wild Men” – Polish premiere! – At the same time a bittersweet comedy-drama with elements of survival about a man trying to tackle a midlife crisis, becoming… a Viking.
– “Deadstream” – the first Polish show! An answer to the question of what would happen if The Blair Witch Project was made by Sam Raimi from the Evil Dead era. A wild, funny, and action-packed horror movie that reminds you that the genre is sometimes all about creativity and fun.
This is hardcore! The God-hating singer stormed the signing session…
Different faces of cinematic horror
Equally important and hungry for film lovers is the author’s series that was realized as part of the festival. Jaroslav Tokarsky will talk about the genre in the genre, that is, the horror of “found footage”. Its most famous scenes were “Rec” and “Blair Witch Project”, but the author of the series will show us the most terrifying and interesting roots.
He will also appear as Artistic Director of the Polish Film Festival, Tomasz Kolankevich, and take the audience on a journey along the Trails of Polish Horror. Horror cinema from Great Britain and the United States is famous in our country, but the Poles are not geese, they have their horror and there are really “wonderfully bad” and good proposals. The list of productions presented by Kolankiewicz includes, among others, “Sarah’s House” and “The Alchemist” or the little-known vampire horror film “I like bats”.
but that is not all. On the occasion of the 40th birthday of the film “Rambo”, the festival invites you to its special screening. There will also be a retrospective of one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite directors and a screening of Guy Ritchie’s “Snatch,” in which Michau Milovich will read the dialogue.
Details can be found on the festival’s website and social media. The festival will run until August 7.
