Xaweri Zulawski has proven himself as a successful and talented director of the Polish film industry. The son of the internationally renowned Andzej Zulawski made his debut in 2006 with the film „Chaos“, for which he has also written the script. The film has received many positive reviews and Xaweri was extended the award for best beginner author on the Polisch film festival in Gdina. Subsequently, he received the award on the „Youth and Film“ film festival in Kosalin. Mr. Zulawski was also invited to show the film in Cannes, but not as part of the competition program. This is his first visit to Belgrade and FEST. 

Why did you decide to show the Polish society after the fall of communism?

Xaweri: The film is based on a contemporary polish novel authored by a 18-year old girl. We have tried to adapt the novel, while at the same time remaining faithful to the book. It is difficult to say that I have chosen to depic the Polish society after the fall of communism. I would rather say that this was a decision made by my producer, who bought the rights to the novel. According to his idea, I have tried to remain faithful to the book and the author decided to delve in the theme of the fall of communism.

How did you choose the actors in the film?

Xaweri: We wanted to make it as professional as possible. We had a long period of preparation and we wanted to pick the best actors. We had prepared almost everything before starting with the shot. We have picked most of the actors on the casting, while the lead actor was chosen by the producer. We were sure that Boris Shitz, who is plays the main role, was ideal for that character.

Why is the main character in the film obsessed with death? 

Xaweri: The whole story is placed in someone’s imagination. It may be the imagination of the author of the book or the one of the main character. At some point, the character gets lost between reality and imagination, he wants to escape from there and understand where he is and what he is looking for there. Generally speaking, everything in this film is imaginary. This is not even a film about Poland. We had fun shooting it, because it has a special language, which has proven to be very difficult for translation in other foreign languages. I guess that that is why I am here in Belgrade, I believe we have a similar understanding of the things around us. I would call it a Slavic way of understanding things. I believe we share a similar sense of humor too and it is possible that this is the reason the film was selected to be screened on FEST. It seems to me we are living in similar conditions and therefore it is easier to explain the fall of Communism here than in some other country. Western viewers will have some difficulty understanding the film.

How did the audience accept this film? 

Xaveri: The success is even more comendable for this is not a commercial, but an art film. Of course, there are elements of popular culture and the text is essentially a comedy. However, we didn't treat it as a comedy nor did we think of making a comedy. The text is fun, but not romantic. We have tried to stick to the original text as much as possible and we changed very few things - we interpreted it in a realistic way. We wanted the audience to really accept the text. I requested my actors to act in such a way - to believe in what they say and do and to express it in a realistic manner. It's in this process that we understood how fun the text was. During the screenings, people laughed at moments they were supposed to be appalled. This was quite a surprise. This film may be also called a nice dissapointment, because the public is not getting what it expects, but something different.