Roman Polanski and Ryszard Horowitz, friends from the Cracow Ghetto, came to Poland to share the most personal memories from their childhood. They revisit the past and recall a very difficult time in their lives. Having miraculously escaped the Holocaust - the one saved by Oskar Schindler, the other by Polish peasants – and despite the trauma that marked them, they not only survived, but also found their place in the world, achieved incredible successes and world-wide recognition, about which – it would seem - boys from the Krakow ghetto could never dream of.
On the set of this documentary, Polanski met the grandson of the people who saved him. The director submitted a testimony at Yad Vashem, which awarded the family as "Righteous Among the Nations" - one of the highest Israeli decorations.

Direction: Mateusz Kudła, Anna Kokoszka-Romer

Script: Anna Kokoszka-Romer, Mateusz Kudła

Production: Anna Kokoszka-Romer

Co-Production: Mateusz Kudła

Cinematography: Łukasz Herod, Yori Fabian, Grzegorz Głupczyk, Krzysztof Sowiźrał

Editing: Mateusz Kudła, Anna Kokoszka-Romer

Sound: Piotr Fede, Krzysztof Bąk

Cast: Roman Polański, Ryszard Horowitz, Bronisława Horowitz-Karakulska

Original Title: POLAŃSKI, HOROWITZ. HOMETOWN

Original Language: Polish

Film Production Country: Poland

Website: polanskihorowitz.com

Statement of the Director/s
"It all seems like a dream to me. How would I have supposed, as a little boy from the ghetto, that one day I would be greeted in my city with such applause?" Roman Polański, visibly moved, said at the Krakow Congress Centre, where he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. These words encouraged me to reflect: Who is that, as he said about himself, little boy from the ghetto?

The film is a portrait of Roman Polański and his childhood friend Ryszard Horowitz. I am taking care to show the heroes from a perspective different from the commonly held one – not as world-famous artists, but above all as experienced people, whose successes were preceded by their experiences of the war and totalitarianism, trauma and alienation. By taking the heroes to the places that shaped them, I would like to provoke them to talk about fundamental topics that touch every human being, such as the passage of time, memory, the search for meaning and the attempt to define one’s own identity.

Despite the dramatic experiences as well as the difficult internal changes taking place in both friends, I want to emphasise in the film, what inspires me most in them – the will to live so strong that it allowed them to break free of fate and saved them from the judgments of history. Miraculously, the Holocaust survivors - the one by Oskar Schindler, the other by Polish peasants – despite the trauma that marked them, they not only survived, but also found their place in the world, achieved incredible successes and world-wide recognition, about which – it would seem - boys from the Krakow ghetto could never dream of.

While making the film, I paid attention that characters felt at ease and thanks to that allowed the viewer to get to know the heroes from a very personal point of view. Hence the idea that the camera should discreetly watch the friends as they walk and talk to each other. Before each scene, we discussed the topic of conversation with the heroes, and at the same time left space for spontaneous, natural interactions. Roman and Ryszard visited places that brought back to them memories of childhood and youth, which encouraged the heroes to open up and share their hidden
feelings.

The journey is complemented by the narration of Ryszard, who from behind the frame, with a warm voice introduces the viewer to the dramatic context of the events he tells, shares his feelings and reflections, paints a portrait of his friend, and at the same time discovers something important about himself.

The openness of the artists, their observations, experience and humility towards the world, as well as an extraordinary sense of humour give hope for an honest, universal story that will intrigue and make the viewers who are interested in the works of the heroes and those who are looking for answers to the most personal and fundamental questions.

Biography of the Director/s
Mateusz Kudła is a documentary film director and TV reporter. Since 2010, he has been working at TVN, one of the biggest commercial TV networks in Poland. For his journalism achievements, in 2016 he was awarded by the Journalists of the Republic of Poland Association and in 2017 nominated for the Boleslaw Prus Award. He won the Gold Dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards and the Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Television Festival for his documentary THE PHOTO FILM PEOPLE. His documentary THE DEPOSITARY won Best Editing at the Southampton International Film Festival and was awarded twice at the Best Shorts.

Anna Kokoszka-Romer has been working in media since 2008. Her articles have been published in the press and on the Internet. For the last five years she has been working at one of the biggest commercial TV networks in Poland. She gained valuable experience in PR and communication while working at a creative agency. She got a degree in Journalism and Communications from Jagiellonian University. In her master’s thesis „Black and white myth of a pop culture icon”, she concentrated on how Roman Polanski’s image is being presented by the media.

Filmography of the Director/s
Mateusz Kudła:
2021 - POLANSKI, HOROWITZ. HOMETOWN
2021 – POWIERNIK
2017 - THE PHOTO FILM PEOPLE
2015 – WILCZUR
2014 - THE DEPOSITARY

Anna Kokoszka-Romer:
2021 - POLANSKI, HOROWITZ. HOMETOWN
2019 - NA GÓRZE TYRRYRY

Awards Won
Krakow Film Festival 2021: Audience Award
Two Riversides Film and Art Festival: Audience Award

Production Company:
KRK FILM
Mateusz Kudła
ul. Odrzańska 11/45
Kraków, 30-408, Poland
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +48 519 520 418
Website: http://krkfilm.com/

World Sales:
KRK FILM sp. z o.o.
Mateusz Kudła
ul. Odrzańska 11/45
Kraków, 30-408, Poland
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +48 519 520 418
Website: http://krkfilm.com/

Press:
KRK FILM sp. z o.o.
Mateusz Kudła
ul. Odrzańska 11/45
Kraków, 30-408, Poland
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +48 519 520 418
Website: http://krkfilm.com/