Wielki Teatr
Slawomir Batyra
Poland | 2016 | 30 min
World premiere
Language : Polish
Subtitles : English, French
The Teatr Wielki (The Grand Theatre) in Warsaw is the largest opera theatre in the world. But, what happens in the shadows of the Wielki Theater? While maestro Mariusz Trelinski sets the stage for Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, director Sławomir Batyra glides unseen behind the curtains. A look beyond the scenes of a gigantic theatre, that at times feels just as omi- nous as Star Wars’ Death Star, allows us to experience the theatre as one living and breathing organism. An almost Hitchcockian-expressionistic documentary about what goes on behind the scenes when people begin to think how to create another world on stage. The film is a journey that gives us an opportunity to discover an unknown, remarkable world, which is just as fascinating as the one presented live. The film is a visually and theatrically sophisticated symphony of images, sounds and lights, which enables a metaphorical understanding under which circumstances art becomes possible. Between observational information and abstract framing, the film is an eerie philosophical thriller. Reality is always stranger than fiction.
Giona Nazzaro
