- Occupation
Director - Country
Poland
Brzozowski Grzegorz
The Family of Exiles
This is a story about a family which gathered a variety of experiences throughout the 20th century including displacement, expulsion, and being deprived of one's roots. Despite the generation gaps and varying motivations, the members of each generation seem to follow a similar pattern, leave their homes around certain age. The oldest family member was sent to Siberia during WWII, his son left Poland for Israel in 1969; while his granddaughter decided to leave from Israel in order to study in the U.S. Farewells and returns intertwine as a constant motif in the family's history. What effects can such accumulation of experience have? How did the family adjust to constant changes? What is worth taking with you if one is leaving home forever?
Today in Warsaw, Tomorrow Whatever
Two cups of hot chocolate with chilli, an illegal rubbish dump, men's socks on the hardwood floor and a jam doughnut. Vera from Germany and Stephane from Belgium meet in strange, cold Warsaw to explore together the Praga district on the right side of Vistula river. They were brought together through Erasmus study programme and couchsurfing. Grzegorz Brzozowski, the director of the documentary, presents the curses and blessings of united Europe, which may, or may not, bring people closer to each other.
This is a story about a family which gathered a variety of experiences throughout the 20th century including displacement, expulsion, and being deprived of one's roots. Despite the generation gaps and varying motivations, the members of each generation seem to follow a similar pattern, leave their homes around certain age. The oldest family member was sent to Siberia during WWII, his son left Poland for Israel in 1969; while his granddaughter decided to leave from Israel in order to study in the U.S. Farewells and returns intertwine as a constant motif in the family's history. What effects can such accumulation of experience have? How did the family adjust to constant changes? What is worth taking with you if one is leaving home forever?
Today in Warsaw, Tomorrow Whatever
Two cups of hot chocolate with chilli, an illegal rubbish dump, men's socks on the hardwood floor and a jam doughnut. Vera from Germany and Stephane from Belgium meet in strange, cold Warsaw to explore together the Praga district on the right side of Vistula river. They were brought together through Erasmus study programme and couchsurfing. Grzegorz Brzozowski, the director of the documentary, presents the curses and blessings of united Europe, which may, or may not, bring people closer to each other.
Born in 1983, studied sociology and psychology at University of Warsaw and documentary directing at Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. His first project, "The Family of Exiles" was shown as a parto of Polish-Israeli exhibition in Israel and Sweden. He worked on few student film projects in Russia, the Netherlands and in the train going from Estonia to Turkey. He works now also as a film journalist and writes his Ph.D. thesis in sociology about contemporary festivals as religious events.
2008 - “The Family of Exiles” (29’), directed by Grzegorz Brzozowski, photography Magda Kowalczyk, production Instytut Adama Mickiewicza