Set against the landscape of the Polish transformation from communism to capitalism, WOMAN OF... spans 45 years of the life of Aniela Wesoły, who lives more than half of her adult life in a provincial Polish town as a man. Aniela's journey to find personal liberty as a trans woman reveals hardships in marriage and parenthood, strained family relations and complicated attitudes in her environment, which constantly place her in impossible situations. What choices will Aniela have to make? Will she be ready to sacrifice all to become who she truly is?

Directed by: Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert

Written by: Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert

Produced by: Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Bogna Szewczyk-Skupień, Katarzyna Jordan-Kulczyk, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert, Kristina Börjeson, Jonas Kellagher

Cinematography: Michał Englert

Editing: Jarosław Kamiński

Production Design: Marek Zawierucha

Costume Design: Anna Englert

Make-Up: Waldemar Pokromski, Monika Kaleta

Sound: Marcin Jachyra, Kacper Habisiak, Marcin Kasiński

Original Score: JIMEK

Casting Director: Magdalena Szwarcbart

Cast: Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, Joanna Kulig, Mateusz Więcławek, Bogumiła Bajor

Original Title: KOBIETA Z...

Film Production Country: Poland

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550363201811
https://www.instagram.com/kobieta_z_/
Statement of the Director/s
WOMAN OF... is a truly important film for us, the result of many years of work, countless meetings with transgender people - people of all ages who have lived in Poland for decades, who have graciously trusted us to share their stories.
Aniela - who for almost a half of her life lived as a man in a provincial town, making her laborious journey to freedom - seemed symbolic to us, becoming a metaphor for the transition of Poland, reflecting a society that had once before come together in solidarity to bring down the communist regime. That society now stands for a polarisation of attitudes, unwilling to accept beliefs which have long become a social norm in other parts of the world.
The title of our film is a deliberate reference to our Master - Andrzej Wajda (Man of Iron, Man of Marble). At this time when cinema is being replaced by content, we felt the strong need to tell Aniela's unique story, asking questions and referencing classic traits of the genre in its form.
WOMAN OF... stars many people who are transgender, who play the roles of both trans and cis characters. The production team was comprised of many people from the LGBTQ+ community. We hope that our film will help people understand what it means to be trans and increase support for amendments in the law which will guarantee a life without threat.
Our film does not judge any of the attitudes presented. The most significant element is the humanistic tone within the poignant story of our main characters, respectfully followed by our camera.

Biography of the Director/s
Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert have worked together as Director and Writer/DOP on various projects for over 20 years, but more recently as a director duo. Their debut "Happy Man" (2000) and their second film "Stranger" (2004) were nominated for European Discovery award at European Film Awards. "33 Scenes from Life" (2008) was awarded the Special Jury Prize at Locarno Film Festival and "In the Name Of" (2013) won the Teddy Award at Berlinale. Their film "Body" (2015) won the Silver Bear for Best Director in 2015 and they won a second Silver Bear Grand Prix for their film "Mug" (2018), both at Berlinale. They have made several English and French language films such as "Elles" (2011), "Infinite Storm" (2022) and "The Other Lamb" (2019) with actresses Juliette Binoche, Naomi Watts and Raffey Cassidy. "Never Gonna Snow Again" (2020) premiered at the Venice Festival in Competition and was the Polish Oscar Entry Nominee.

Production Company:
NO-MAD FILMS
Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +48787038881
Website: https://madants.pl/

World Sales:
Memento International
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +33153349033
Website: https://www.memento-international.com/