Draft:In the Rearview

In the Rearview (Polish: Skąd dokąd, Ukrainian: Звідки куди / Zvidky kudy) is a 2023 Polish documentary film directed by Maciek Hamela in his directorial debut. It is about a Polish van, that traverses the roads of Ukraine. On board, the driver-director and evacuated people, following the Russian invasion. The vehicle becomes a fragile and temporary refuge, a zone of confidences of exiles who have only one objective left, to escape the war. It is a co-production between Poland, France and Ukraine.

In the Rearview debuted at this year's Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival, where it won the main prize in the Polish Competition and the Arthouse Cinema Association award , and then had its world premiere at the ACID section of the Cannes Film Festival . Since then, it has been presented at over 50 festivals in Poland and abroad, receiving numerous accolades, i.e. the Grand Jury Prize in the International Competition at Sheffield DocFest, which made it eligible to apply to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, or main awards in Odesa, Zurich, Hamburg, and Chicago. It was also presented at Toronto Film Festival where it had its North American premiere and at DMZ Docs in South Korea.

In the Rearview was nominated for the IDA - International Documentary Association awards, in the Best Documentary Film category and received the Pare Lorentz Award, awarded to films that reflect the spirit and tradition of the work of Pare Lorentz - an award-winning documentary filmmaker, author of groundbreaking productions for the administration. President Roosevelt, who served as a filmmaker in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, documenting, among others, bombing raids, or by making educational films as evidence during the Nuremberg trials, which were intended to present the atrocities of the Nazis. His films are a powerful synthesis of stunning images, poetic narrative and evocative music, inspiring generations of filmmakers.

In the Rearview was also among the 14 titles on the so-called shortlist of the best European documentary films, published by the European Film Academy this year.

Full synopsis

In the Rearview is an authentic, intimate observation of war as it unfolds, following multiple generations of Ukrainian civilians as they abruptly abandon their homes and rely on the help of director Maciek Hamela's volunteer aid van to escape the life-threatening conflict. As he steers through minefields to leave Ukraine and tries to get through numerous military checkpoints, Hamela offers us a seat in his car, guiding the documentary from behind the wheel and behind the camera, crisscrossing the roads of Ukraine to transport uprooted refugees safely to Poland. The van traverses tens of thousands of kilometers and serves as a waiting room, hospital, shelter, and zone for confidences and confessions among compatriots thrown together by chance. In the Rearview is a collective portrait composed of an array of experiences of Ukrainians who share a single goal: finding a safe haven in the throes of conflict. With temporary asylum granted to all passengers, their differences in gender, age, skin tone, physical condition, origin, identity, worldviews and faith become irrelevant. While the war itself remains in the backdrop, its reflection and impact are evident and raw.

Maciek Hamela is the author of the screenplay and the director of In the Rearview. The authors of the image are Yura Dunay, Wawrzyniec Skoczylas, Marcin Sierakowski and Piotr Grawender. Antoni Komasa Łazarkiewicz is responsible for the music, Marcin Lenarczyk for sound design, and Aleksandra Kraus for color grading. The producers of the film are Piotr Grawender (Affinity Cine) and Maciek Hamela (Pemplum), and the co-producers are Jean-Marie Gigon (SaNoSi Productions) and Anna Palenchuk (435 FILMS). The film received funding from the Polish Film Institute.

Film's title in original language - context

Skąd dokąd and Zvidky kudy are the Polish and Ukrainian versions of the film's title, respectively. These phrases can be translated to mean "where from" (skąd / звідки / zvidky) and "where to" (dokąd / куди / kudy). They are routine questions asked when trying to pass through the numerous checkpoints located throughout the country that Maciek Hamela passed during his trips to and from Ukraine.

Film's original score

The film's score was composed by Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz, a Berlin-based Polish composer who writes music for film, theater, and television. He is one of the best-known composers of his generation in his region and is particularly known for his multiple collaborations with director Agnieszka Holland. They have worked together on films such as the Oscar-nominated "In Darkness," the Berlinale Silver Bear Winner "Spoor," and the Berlinale Competition entry "Mr. Jones," among many others. Komasa-Łazarkiewicz's other notable projects include the feature film "Quo Vadis, Aida," which was Oscar-nominated and directed by Jasmila Žbanić, the 2014 Lions Gate production of "Rosemary's Baby" for NBC, as well as the first Polish-language original Netflix production, "1983.".

In addition to the original score, Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz composed the film's theme, a classical piece called "The Wings" performed by the Ukrainian Choir. The theme is based on a poem of the same title by Lina Kostenko, one of Ukraine's most prominent contemporary poets.