The Peasants (2023)
(Chlopi, D.K. Welchman, Hugh Welchman, Poland/Serbia/Lithuania 2023, 114 min., Polish with English subtitles)
Building off the techniques they used to create Loving Vincent in 2017, married filmmakers D.K. and Hugh Welchman adapt Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning novel to the big screen. Following the seasons of agriculture in the village of Lipce in the late 19th century, young, unmarried Jagna (Kamila Urzedowska) is caught between her love for the married Antek (Robert Gulaczyk) and the generous dowry from his father, Maciej (Miroslaw Baka). Attempting to retain both, Jagna draws gossip and side-long glances from the rest of the village until tragic events bring everything to a head.
After the actors were shot on set, the filmmakers directed over 100 artists to create oil paintings of the original frames, which became the finished film. Painters in Poland, Lithuania, Serbia, and Ukraine spent more than 200,000 hours working on the film, inspired by artists such as Józef Chełmoński, Ferdynand Ruszczyc, and Leon Wycółkowski. After the invasion of Ukraine, several painters were moved to Poland so that they could continue their work.
Presented in collaboration with the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies and the Polish Film Festival.