"Fears" is the biggest winner of this year's Polish Film Festival in Gdynia

Coming to Polish theatres on November 5th, 2021!

The 46th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia ended on September 25th with a spectacular victory for the movie "Fears", coproduced by SPI International Affiliate Kino Polska TV SA. The picture directed by Łukasz Ronduda and Łukasz Gutt moved the Festival audience and received many positive reviews. „Fears" received a total of five awards – apart from the Journalists' Award, the film received the Don Quixote Award of the Film Discussion Clubs and the Youth Jury Award. During the Saturday gala closing of this year's edition of the Festival, Łukasz Gutt received an individual award for cinematography and the Golden Lions, the main award of the Gdynia event, was received by the filmmakers and Daniel Rycharski – the real-life inspiration behind the main character played by Dawid Ogrodnik. "Fears" will be distributed by Kino Świat, a CANAL+ group company.

The film, awarded with Golden Lions at Polish Film Festival 2021 in Gdynia, is based on real events from the life of the colorful and combining-extremes character of Daniel Rycharski – a respected artist, committed Catholic, outstanding activist, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and winner of "Polityka's" Polish weekly magazine special price called Passport.

The main character is played by Dawid Ogrodnik – the star of "The Last Family", "You Are God" and "You Want to Live" blockbusters, a two-time winner of the Polish Film Award (Eagle), who received numerous distinctions at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, as well as the title of Shooting Star 2019, awarded to the most promising actors of the European cinema.

Dawid Ogrodnik is accompanied by outstanding personalities of Polish cinematography, including: Andrzej Chyra, Jowita Budnik, Maria Maj, Jacek Poniedziałek and the star of the famous "25 Years of Innocence. The Case of Tomek Komenda" movie – Piotr Trojan. The film was directed by Łukasz Gutt, who also created the cinematography, and Łukasz Ronduda – the creator of the critically acclaimed productions "The Performer" and "The Heart of Love", awarded at the International Film Festival in Berlin. At the 46th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, the "Fears" movie won as many as five awards: Journalists' Award, Film Discussion Clubs' Award, Young People's Jury Award, Best Cinematography, and the highest award - Golden Lions for the best film of the Festival.

Daniel (Dawid Ogrodnik) is an artist, Catholic and gay activist. The houses in his hometown are decorated with his impressive murals, his sculptures are displayed in respected exhibitions in Warsaw, and his installations, such as a chapel illuminated and greeting the residents with their voices, serve the local community. His trademark is a sweatshirt decorated with rainbow elements. As a deeply faithful Catholic, Daniel is committed to spiritual matters. He believes that the church should not be a place of exclusion and that there is room in his community for everyone regardless of worldview or personal choices. As a result of dramatic events, Daniel decides to take part in a courageous fight to defend his ideas and decides to crack down on homophobia in his hometown.
 

FEARS
Genre: Drama
Poland 2021
Production: Kuba Kosma PGP („(Nie)znajomi”, „Serce miłości”), Katarzyna Sarnowska („(Nie)znajomi”, „Chemia”)
Coproduction: Kino Polska TV SA
Co-financing: Polish Film Institute, CANAL+
Direction: Łukasz Ronduda („Performer”, „Serce miłości”), Łukasz Gutt („Odyseja złomowa”)
Screenplay: Łukasz Ronduda („Performer”), Michał Oleszczyk, Katarzyna Sarnowska („(Nie)znajomi”, „Chemia”)
Pictures: Łukasz Gutt („Kamerdyner”, „Serce miłości”)
Scenography: Joanna Kaczyńska („Listy do M.3”, „Serce miłości”)
Costume Designe: Kalina Lach („Wszyscy moi przyjaciele nie żyją”, „Planeta Singli 3”)
Film editing: Przemysław Chruścielewski („Żeby nie było śladów”, „Boże Ciało”, „Serce miłości”), Kamil Grzybowski („Czuły film”)
Cast: Dawid Ogrodnik („Najmro. Kocha, kradnie, szanuje”, „Cicha noc”, „Chce się żyć”), Maria Maj („Między nami dobrze jest”), Andrzej Chyra („W imię…”, „Carte blanche”), Jacek Poniedziałek („Serce miłości”, „Pakt”), Oskar Rybaczek („Klangor”, „Ślad”), Agata Łabno, Jowita Budnik („Plac Zbawiciela”, „Jeziorak”), Karolina Bruchnicka („Córka trenera”, „Moje wspaniałe życie”), Konrad Eleryk („Klangor”, „Furioza”), Piotr Trojan („25 lat niewinności. Sprawa Tomka Komendy”, „Znaki”),  Wiktoria Kruszczyńska, Ewa Konstancja Bułhak („Drogówka”, „Dzień kobiet”), Wojtek Ziętek („Boże Ciało”, „Jak najdalej stąd”)




About SPI INTERNATIONAL: 

SPI INTERNATIONAL is a global media company operating 42 TV channels, multiple digital products across six continents, and a major player in content distribution and broadcasting worldwide.

SPI was founded 28 years ago and has extensive experience in the TV and broadcasting industry. The company operates multiple free-to-air and pay-TV channels in CEE, Western Europe, CIS and Ex-Yugo regions including key European markets such as Poland, Czechia, Romania, Serbia, the Netherlands and Russia. SPI is one of the premier movie service providers in the countries where it operates, with FilmBox being its flagship movie service. SPI Group owns a suite of legacy brands that have become household names such as FilmBox, Film1, Kino Polska, Stopklatka, Dizi along with different thematic channels and streaming services. 

SPI’s brands reach millions of households through operators, partner platforms and SPI’s own digital products globally. Working with over 700 operators worldwide, SPI uses cutting-edge technology providing its subscribers with access to SPI’s linear and on-demand content and FilmBox+ service that has over one million subscribers. The company recently launched a new digital service, Dizi, a state-of-the-art aggregator of the best Turkish series worldwide. SPI also owns and operates the brand assets of Film1 premium movie services in The Netherlands, including four linear channels and an on-demand service.

For over 25 years, SPI INTERNATIONAL has been a leading supplier of theatrical films and television programming in the international markets. SPI’s solid alliances with major license suppliers provide compelling content, with strong recognition and high demand.