A story of a man with very dense eyes who sees all the surrounding reality only after seven years because that's how long the light travels through his eyeballs.

Interview with Writer/Director/Editor/Animator Katarzyna Kijek and Przemyslaw Adamski

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Because we always understand the past better than the present, and the meaning of life seeps into our consciousness very slowly. We made Slow Light a somewhat lyrical allegory of this phenomenon.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

To reflect on your life and maybe not end up like the protagonist of our film.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

At some point we got ourselves caught up in a constant misdating of the events we lived through and we realized the older we get, the more we reflect on the past. This seemingly obvious reflection pushed us toward a gloomier realization that we gravitate towards the past on a subconscious level as it takes constant effort to update our reference points in time if we want to stay relevant. In moments of weakness, we often follow our thoughts to the bygone events, because it is just easier to hook on the past as it is something we already understand and it makes us feel safer.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The best fiction is always rooted in truth. That is why we compulsively collected facts that were to shape the narrative stretched between the cosmic void and the densest substance filling our hero's eyes. To shape the narration we tackled Lene Vestergaard Hau's scientific research on the speed of light, the detonation of the world's biggest statue of Stalin chiselled by Otakar Švec, Oliver Sacks' essays on seeing and the accidental death of Tennessee Williams. These seemingly unconnected manifestations of life shaped various aspects of our protagonist's existence. Yet, to mimic his limited understanding of reality we had to scrap all the complex narratives leaving only residual traces of original inspirations and wrap everything in a symbolic poster-like visual style. As an effect, our hero's incurable immaturity manifested itself by an oversimplified visual style resembling children's building blocks.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We like to think people are kind at heart because no one at the festival route has shown us otherwise. So far, all the feedback we've gotten has been positive.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We were amazed by the wide range of interpretations people found in our work, and we are delighted whenever someone sees the film as more than just the story of a blind man. We don't feel entitled to comment on literal blindness, as that was never our intention for the film's theme.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We would love the film to be discovered by a new audience.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

The film had a very satisfying festival route, but we would always appreciate more screenings and overall attention to the film. We worked on Slow Light (on and off at times) for seven years and it would be great to have our work visible.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

If anyone connects with the film's message or finds it worthwhile, it proves that all the hours we spent bringing this project to life were well-invested.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Do you realize that technically you can only see the past?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We're creating an animated documentary that explores the peculiar case of the intersection of geopolitics and everyday life. The film is called "Stany" ("The States").

Interview: May 2024

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Slow Light

A story of a man with very dense eyes who sees all the surrounding reality only after seven years because that's how long the light travels through his eyeballs.

Length: 11:00

Director: Katarzyna Kijek, Przemyslaw Adamski

Producer: Grzegorz Wacławek (Animoon), Piotr Szczepanowicz (Animoon), Bruno Caetano (COLA Animation)

Writer: Katarzyna Kijek, Przemyslaw Adamski

About the writer, director and producer:

KATARZYNA KIJEK and PRZEMYSLAW ADAMSKI, a versatile directing duo based in Warsaw, Poland, are best known for their technique-driven approach to narration. Their short films and music videos employing both live action and a wide range of animation techniques won them Annecy Cristal in the MV category and Best Music Video award in Zagreb among other recognitions. Their short films and commissioned works were screened at over 400 festivals worldwide.

Key cast: Philip Lenkowsky

Looking for: distributors, buyers, journalists

Facebook: Kijek/Adamski

Instagram: @kijekadamski

Hashtags used: #stopmotion, #mixedmedia, #2danimation, #handmade, #experimental, #existential, #philosophical

Website: Kijek/Adamski

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Animoon, COLA Animation, Mazovia Film Fund

Funders: Polish Film Institute, ICA Portugal, Kijek/Adamski, The Mazovia Institute of Film, Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Bentonville Film Festival, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA, 10.06-16.06.2024
Terre da Film Festival, Canelli IT, 19-21.07.2024