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MASKA

This trip into the quaint microcosm Brothers Quay is yet another foray into the world of Polish literature. After the Street of Crocodiles (inspired by Bruno Schulz's prose) and Inventorium of Traces (a tribute to Jan Potocki), the time is ripe for the allegorical science fiction of Stanislaw Lem. In Maska the masters of puppet animation create a world suspended between the future and the past, full of weathered props and a sultry carnality. We meet the demonic female robot, Duenna, who has to annihilate the rebel threatening the royal throne. However, the seemingly simple plot generates a number of disturbing reflections circulating around the themes of love, identity and power. The film was made in Se-ma-for studio in Łódź, and is accompanied by the composition „De Natura sonoris I” by Krzysztof Penderecki.

GENRE:
animation
COUNTRY:
Poland, United Kingdom
RUNNING TIME:
23'
YEAR:
DIRECTING:
Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
SCRIPT:
Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
DOP:
Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
EDITOR:
Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay
MUSIC:
Krzysztof Penderecki
PRODUCTION:
Se-ma-for, Polish Cultural Institute in London

Stephen Quay »

Stephen i Timothy Quay were born in 1947 in Norristown. They graduated from the Academy of Art in Philadelphia and the Royal College of Art in London. Their films are collages of puppet animation and live-action. Some of them contain Polish inspirations, e.g. the soundtrack to Nocturna Artificialia (1979) was influenced by Zygmunt Konieczny’s music to Deszcze, the film Ein Brudermord (1982) was illustrated with the music of Krzysztof Penderecki and Lech Jankowski wrote the film score for Street of Crocodiles (1986) based on the prose of Bruno Schulz. In 2003 they received the Dragon of Dragons special prize at the Krakow Film Festival.

Timothy Quay »

Stephen i Timothy Quay were born in 1947 in Norristown. They graduated from the Academy of Art in Philadelphia and the Royal College of Art in London. Their films are collages of puppet animation and live-action. Some of them contain Polish inspirations, e.g. the soundtrack to Nocturna Artificialia (1979) was influenced by Zygmunt Konieczny’s music to Deszcze, the film Ein Brudermord (1982) was illustrated with the music of Krzysztof Penderecki and Lech Jankowski wrote the film score for Street of Crocodiles (1986) based on the prose of Bruno Schulz. In 2003 they received the Dragon of Dragons special prize at the Krakow Film Festival.
 
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