Polish accents grace Berlinale 2016

'Zjednoczone stany miłości' ('United States of Love'), directed by Tomasz Wasilewski, is competing for Golden Bear award for best film; the Silver Bear for Best Director, and other awards for best Actor or Actress, Best Screenplay; as well as the Alfred Bauer prize for setting new perspectives in the art of film, among others.

The movie is the 35-year-old director's third feature, following on from 2013's 'Floating Skyscrapers', an exploration of gay love in contemporary Poland that won awards at a number of Polish and international festivals.

“Shot in desaturated colours and with a muted production design, this drama reflects upon the attempts to escape an anti-pleasure, body-hating environment. Wasilewski’s subject is the death throes of a society – and the emotional impoverishment of the individual,” Berlinale wrote in the notes about the film on its website.

The second Polish film at this year’s festival is Zud, a Polish-German coproduction set in Mongolia.

According to the filmmakers, the “eponymous Zud is a phenomenon that results in the unforgiving forces of nature taking their toll on the lives of people and animals. An unexpected return of snow destroys the livelihood of a nomad family. Eleven-year-old Sukhbat is forced to leave his carefree childhood behind. The fate of his family depends on whether or not he is able to tame a wild horse in order to win a race. The intense relationship between the boy, his father and the wild horse shows how nature is able to overwhelm human lives. Nobody remains unscathed after being confronted with the powers of the steppe."

The film is the first feature attempt by Polish director Marta Minorowicz, and is competing in the festival’s Generation Kplus competition.

Members of the International Jury include Alba Rohrwacher, Nick James, Lars Eidinger, Meryl Streep, Clive Owen, Brigitte Lacombe and Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska.

The festival runs until 21 February. (rg/pk)