"ANDRZEJ WAJDA" "THE MOST RENOWNED POLISH FILM DIRECTOR 1956" " CANAL" "1958" " ASHES AND DIAMOND" "1974" " THE PROMISED LAND" "1976" " MAN OF MARBLE 1981" " MAN OF IRON" "OVER 40 FILMS MADE 4 ACADEMYAWARD NOMINATIONS" "AN OSCAR FOR LIFETIME'S ACHIEVEMENT" "This documentary was made on the set of Andrzej Wajda's film "Katyn", which tells the story of over 20000 Polish army officers murdered by Soviets during World War II, a tragedy left unspoken for decades." "One of the officers was Andrzej Wajda's father." " Camera!" " Camera!" "Attention!" "Everyone's looking." "Quiet." "Let's go!" "People!" "Where are you going?" "The Germans are behind you!" "The Soviets invaded!" "Where are you going?" "Turn back!" "You turn back!" "The Russians invaded." "With the support of present a film by" "ANDRZEJ WAJDA:" "LET'S SHOOT!" "There are two creative moments in a director's work." "All the rest is procedure." "The first is choosing a subject." "And the second is casting." "Beautiful." " Do you want a tighter frame?" " Make it tighter." " You did a great job." " Piotrus, to the right, and more bikes." "More bikes and a little wider." "When I say 'crowd'," "You shout for five, six seconds." "Then you all move." "And off we go with a rehearsal." "Please pay attention!" "The crowd!" "People, where are you going?" "The Germans are behind us!" "The Soviets invaded!" " Keep going!" " For fucks sake!" "Where are you going?" "Turn back!" "Throw it into the water." "The Russians are here!" " Germans!" " Quickly!" "Stop!" "A director's problem is often the materials he has to work with." "A person is the most difficult material, because even though you may have worked with him yesterday," "he's not the same person today." "In the meantime he may have worked on other films, and now he thinks differently." "His personality changes." "In that other film he gave everything he had and this time he has other concerns." "Living matter demands a lot of elasticity from the director." "You shoot for hours only to end up with couple of minutes on screen." "I'm gonna see this movie." "The priest is praying again." "Never again will he want to play a priest." " Are we ready?" " One moment!" "Now pull the thread, don't break it!" "They didn't give me a chance." "One moment." "Two more stitches." " Come on!" " Almost done." "The invisible is the most important." "Visconti always made sure that the underwear was folded properly in the drawer." "But that drawer was never opened." "He would only open it to check if everything is in order." "That's how he would discipline everyone." "So, I'm touched." "Sound!" "Ok!" "Nice!" "If a film is made by people who have something to say, the camera will film energy they present on the set." "The audience appreciates films which demand participation." "Let's shoot." "Camera!" "Camera's rolling." "Action!" "Daddy, Daddy!" "Nika..." "Don't leave." "What can I do?" "She says that text so badly that my stomach hurts." "What should I do?" "Will you give me a minute?" "I'll talk to her." "I'm not sure if I'll manage." "Action!" " Andrzej!" " He's never coming back." "Nika!" "Stop!" "I don't know how to do this." "Maja, come here." "Leave the child." "My point is, she has somehow thought this through and says:" "'He's never coming back to us'." "I can't show her that." "I can only direct actors who can act." "She needs a moment where she realises it." "Yes, exactly." "Show her how to do that." "'Camera' was called!" "Too late." "Daddy!" "Call out, three, four times." "Victoria!" "Listen, you have to..." "Come closer!" "You have to shout really loud, so that your voice reaches the train." "Do you hear me?" "The train is leaving, you scream, you shout 'Daddy'!" "So don't be reaching out with your arm like this, nor like this." "Don't think, just do!" "Just call after the train, so that it turns back." "Do you understand me?" "If only you'd do that." "I know many actors, who say they understand but nothing ever comes of it." "I'm holding onto your chestnuts." "If you act it right I'll give them back to you." "And not before." "Mr. Wajda, Piotrus will do it like this." "It will be on the car as it was before." "The car will move it a little higher." "Let's shoot." "Quiet!" "Are you ready?" " Answer me!" " 30 seconds." "I just want to put a filter on the camera." "So you're not ready." "That's what I always want to hear." "My husband knows what he's talking about." "They need to know we're safe." "How can you put yourself and your child in danger?" "Thank you, but we have to find him." "No, this is pointless." "Because I said that... shit!" "Let's move on, people." "Let's get Maja." "Maja Ostaszewska if you wouldn't mind." " Sit down..." " Mr. Wajda?" " Listen." " Our situation is too comfortable." "Like in a salon unfortunately." " No, that's not true." " No?" "Everything is dead on the screen." "Instead... she should be surprised." "There's such a huge crowd..." "If I called her from there." "And she could push through here..." "No, pussycat, you can call her straight away." "This is the balls-up right here!" "Excuse the expression." "Everybody's walking by and we can't see you at all!" "Let's fuck them all out..." "Excuse the language." "We'll throw them all out and then we'll see you properly on this camera." "But it has to be loud because when I see a crowd like this..." " Make sure to draw attention." " Ok." "Ready!" "Attention!" "Action!" "Anna!" "Where are you going with that child?" "I'm looking for my husband." "Where are they?" "You don't know?" "The Soviets attacked today." "How can you put you and your child in danger like this?" "You're right but I have to." "Nika!" "How many times have I told you not to leave my side?" "You're to stay right beside me!" "Don't you see what's going on?" "Stop." "Beautiful." "How many films have you made?" "I've made fifty." "But I've had a long life." "And if you start even earlier, then you'll make even more." "It's a great job." "During rehearsal it's OK to take photos but during the shot It's absolutely forbidden." "We might not notice this now but later on this material can't be used." "Thank you very much and quiet please." "He's babbling through that fucking tube." "And nobody's listening to him." "What sort of idea is that?" "Who's he talking to?" "Is he giving a speech?" "Stop talking and let's shoot." "Nobody had briefcases in 1939." " How do you know?" " More like a sack, this is wrong." "We're shooting a city scene." "This is not the village." "It's a city scene." "We don't even know which city." "It could just as easily be Lvov." "And you're dressed elegantly like you've just left the office." "You see, we're from Lvov." "We have briefcases man..." "We have to sort of..." "Keep up appearances." "That man in the coat, who's pointing with his finger..." " That's Wajda." " Really?" "Gentlemen, I have a favour to ask." "If it's not too cold," "could you have the gloves in your pockets?" "Because they are just too big." " So long as your hands don't freeze." " No." "So put them in your pockets." "They told us to wear gloves, so we wore them." "Put your gloves on." "You'll freeze." "But she told us to take them off." "Place those old men in front of the red fabric." "I've asked three times already!" "And each time someone moves them!" "Gentlemen, come and stand here." "You sir, stand here closer to me," "To me, good." "And can you turn your back?" "To him, right." "That's better." "No!" "Leave him where he is!" "That's better." "Can we shoot?" "Marek!" "Let's shoot!" "The film captures the energy and temperament with which you have made it." "Whatever type of film it is, action, psychological, whatever" "I am watching the work of these people," "and I film their intensity." "Their need to tell me something is captured together with the films action." "A director's elasticity is vital when working with this living matter." " And stop!" " Listen, that was great!" "It couldn't have been better." "Wonderful." "It was fantastic!" "They work well, I'm telling you." "But they wasted too much snow." "Financially speaking." "Let's shoot because I'm already bored." "I don't like that." "Stop." "Stop!" "He should be looking at us!" "Look at us!" "Look at us!" "Someone has to stand here and put his foot on this." "Let's shoot." "Camera!" "Now don't kill each other!" "Good, you see it's nice here." "But that one's not approaching." "He's not approaching from further back." "They're so late." "Here's good." "Good sound." "What a clown." "And that one's going so slow." "Get a move on, what's he waiting for?" "No, it's too difficult for them." "They can't do anything." "They're incapable..." "they understand nothing." "Rubbish!" "Because nobody is standing there to chase them towards us." "Stop!" "Can I have the stuntmen over here?" "So what can we do?" "We can only put them here." "I think we'll do it like this." "Spread out but not just in a line." "Make it deeper." "Tight lines." "And you can come from that side." "They are not afraid." "Like in the old Russian movies." "That's how it should be done." "The snow is falling beautifully." "That's sorted as the kids say." "Beautiful." "He's walking fast." "He runs over here." "The Willys is coming from behind." "Now you bend down over him." "You close his eyes." "You take a step back like this." "They jump out from the Willys." "You see all the lights!" "They will talk quickly amongst themselves and load it onto the jeep." "And we cut to the alleyway." "But the jeep has to drive to exactly where it should be." "Turn the lights on." "Can't they be any stronger?" "There aren't any?" "Nothing more." "Shit..." "And why we're the lights so strong from back there?" "Maybe you have too much backlighting?" "You have to get lower." "And that's what we'll see, right?" "He'll walk here as we planned, just as Pasikowski has so nicely written, through the water, through everything." "He's walking," "and then suddenly here he pulls his pistol," "Bang!" "And you fall here." "You have to be sure that you want to be a filmmaker." "That you want to lead a different life." "Film is film." "I get up in the morning and I get ready to shoot." "And if I'm not shooting, then I'm preparing to shoot," "because you have to move yourself if you want results," "you have to prepare, to decide which project today and which one tomorrow." "You have to live your entire life as a director." "I've tried never to mix my private life with my filmmaking because I think it's healthier." "Can you put that camera away?" "Because if you don't I'll block you off with a black curtain." "You are freezing." "You can pass this way." "Thank you." "Ask him to hold his hands higher on the stole." "I don't know who I'm talking to!" "Why is there no assistant next to me?" "When I say something, there should be someone here." "We can't make a film like this." "Tell the priest to hold his hands higher on the stole." "Could the priest hold his hands higher?" "No, go over to him!" "Don't ask him through the telephone!" "What sort of custom is that?" "You can use a telephone to call Lodz." "Attention." "No photographs." "We're shooting." "I'm always thinking of the films that lie ahead, the ones I'd still like to make." "I never return to old films I've made." "I don't watch them, because I will always remember" "what was good and what was bad about them." "If I were to watch them again and again," "I may convince myself that they are better than I thought, or but as it is, it's a learning curve for the future." "Good..." "I don't know if it's good." "Can you change places gentlemen?" "Turn a little to your right please." "But just a little." "Quiet please." " Name?" " Anna." "Before the war..." "The General Government..." "My family was there." "May I get a photo with you sir?" "I can't hear you properly." "May I have a picture taken with you sir?" "Do we look good together?" "Are you looking at the camera?" "Did you take it?" "We have to check." "Are you happy enough with that?" "It's super!" " Your mother isn't too pleased." " It's not important." "It's not important for you but I'll be ashamed for the rest of my life." "Give us some styrofoam here." "Does that help?" "I'm worried we can't see her eyes." "I look good, but the child looks lifeless." "Are they working over there?" "They're doing something?" "We're here taking photos and they're..." "I'll fix the light Mr. Wajda." "If you let go." "Are your eyes open wide?" "What's going on with these eyes?" "Show it here." "That's a good camera, because I look good but the child is not looking as good as I'd like." "Now you have beautiful big eyes." "We need another camera." "Piotr, we are trying to take a photo for her mother, but it's not going too well." "The light's too strong?" "Big smile." "Stay still." "Look at me." "Good." "And smile a little softer." "One more." "We've done all we can today." "It won't be any better." "Thank you so much." " It's lovely." " Isn't it?" "She looks lovely." "It has to be a factory because lots of people are at work." "But of course all these people must be certain of one thing, that there's someone there who knows what's going on, because otherwise it's completely chaotic." "For some strange reason," "film crew knows there's someone out there who's taking responsibility for it all." "For example, the actors in the film 'Katyn', they play the parts with ease because they know that I saw those people in the past and therefore I'm responsible for their performance." "They act something they haven't acted in other films or in all those TV series but they know I saw these people." "They can be sure that... they're doing the right thing." "Complete silence!" "Attention!" "Camera!" "Action!" "Concrete." "What are you doing?" "Stop." "Maja, what happened?" "Sorry, are we shooting?" "We were planning to." "I was trying to focus and decide on something." "Just tell me that you're not ready." "You tell me when you're ready." "I thought you were standing there waiting for me." "You should always check if the actors are ready to act." " Camera!" " Rolling." "Action." "He said Andrzej is dead." "Stop!" "Where are you going to work after this?" "I want to stay here for now." "I hope you'll stay with us until the end." "Afterwards to Italy." "And what's in Italy?" "Film with Carlos Saura." "Is he older than me?" " Hard to tell?" " He probably is." "So that's your next project?" "And after that I have, you know..." "The Female Pope." "The Female Pope?" "But they're having difficulty getting the money." "Schloendorff is to direct it." "Schloendorff is making it." "They should give money to Schloendorff, right?" "You know, it's a delicate topic." " That's also true." " Have you read the book?" "No, but I can imagine what it's like because it's a true story." "It ends when he gives birth to a child and then it turns out he's actually a woman." " That's probably a little far-fetched." " A little." "You shouldn't come back to Poland after that." "Forget about making another film with me!" "The downside of directing and being a director is having to communicate with everyone through words." "There are no codes like a conductor has with his orchestra." "There's no musical score which he understands as his orchestra does." "He merely presents an interpretation." "Film is different." "You shouldn't say too much, it's always better to say less." "And watch them more." "There are other ways to communicate what you need from your actors." "The worst, in my opinion, is when you show an actor how he should act." "Perfect." "There's no point messing around." "Let's close the door and move everyone off." "Get in and off you go!" "In the name of the Lord." "We can't see a rehearsal." "We will see it on the monitor." "We want to do a rehearsal while the car is standing." "I don't believe you." "The monitor is under the tent as it was." "Really?" "Such technology has reached our country?" "Will we really see them as they're driving?" "No." "We will watch it when they bring us the cassette." "I was afraid things had gone that far." "I could be sitting at home watching what they do." "Good, so we'll watch it later." "What a relief." "Master." "We're ready." "Move back please." "As you were earlier." " Would you like a coffee?" " Not right now." "Put it like this." "A little back, towards you." "Perfect." "Who's Mr. Wajda?" "He's a famous director." "And what's Mr. Wajda filming?" " A film." " About what?" " About the Orthodox Church." " No." " Who did we see?" " Soldiers." "How do you know they're not real soldiers?" "Who did we see?" "The man who teaches us what?" " Dancing." " Who else?" "The P.E. Teacher." "Who else did you see?" "My Daddy." "There are thousands of people here." "I'm looking after the Poles." "With a shotgun." "Attention!" "I have to go." "Jeez it's cold." "Let's shoot, Mr. Wajda!" "I'm very happy that" "I'll be able to see this film." "Thank you." " So I'm off back to work." " Of course." "I'll show you later how to get down there." "Everyone's gathering." "Someone must be making a film." "It looks like it." "Listen, this is beautiful." "Jurek says that tree isn't there that I see it but..." " But you don't see it." "And the pigeons." "We have to throw them some food, so they're all around us." "It's a nice place." "I like it here." " Do you feel the film is ending?" " Yes." "But if we had to we could go another week." "Another week, but no more." "What I most expect from the people I work with is that they will give me a special present." "They know that I will find room for it in my film and that it will be their little fragment of the larger whole." "Then people work with passion because they know they're not just acting a part in some film" "but they are cooperating." "When a film is successful they say it was our film and when it's unsuccessful, then it's my film, because I could have hired other people, different actors." "I could have chosen a different screenplay." "Everything is now the director's fault." "But if it's a success, then everyone worked perfectly, everyone gave something from themselves and then we have a film that's alive." "Ask if they have some black paint, because you can't see anything from up there." "This car is hopeless." "You can't see a thing." "He's sitting here and he can't see anything!" "An idiotic idea." "Give me some black paint, a paintbrush and a man who can do it quickly." "You're taking the best job from me." "There's no way the NKWD painted this." "It's too well done." "It will dry off quickly." "He starts to pull away and they grab him." "By the arms, by the coat." "They pull of his coat, hold and twist his arms." "And they lead him over here." "Rehearsal, let's record it." "Rehearsal and action!" "KATYN was nominated for the best foreign film at the 2008 Academy Awards." "Directed and filmed by" "Editing" "Production" "Co-production"