Personalities

5 films
Did you know that Franciszka Themerson never parted company with a pencil before she had even learnt to walk? Or have you ever wondered about the deeply strange bond between Paul Bowles and Mohammed Mrabet, or how Siri Hustvedt found her literary voice and what her marriage with Paul Auster was like? Or, perhaps, you would rather attend a performative reading of texts written by Nobel Prize laureate Annie Ernaux? The festival’s new side section, Personalities, brings together documentaries devoted to remarkable figures from the worlds of art and culture, while the literary dimension of the programme is further underscored by its partnership with the Conrad Festival – one of the most important literary events in Europe.
  • In-I in Motion (En nous)

    dir. Juliette Binoche
    dok2025

    In 2008, Juliette Binoche collaborated with British dancer Akram Khan to create a performance entitled ‘In-I’. From the many hours of recorded rehearsals, the actress produced a documentary that offers a unique insight into the creative process and artistic exchange.

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    film still In-I in Motion
  • Mohammed & Paul - Once upon a time in Tangier (Mohammed i Paul. Pewnego razu w Tangerze)

    dir. Nordin Lasfar
    dok2025

    In the 1960s, Paul Bowles transcribed and translated the stories of Mohammed Mrabet, from which he subsequently profited. The author of the novel ‘The Sheltering Sky’ and the Moroccan storyteller were bound by an ambiguous relationship. Today, the elderly Moroccan feels exploited by the American writer.

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    film still Mohammed & Paul - Once upon a time in Tangier
  • My Themersons (Moi Themersonowie)

    dir. Marcin Borchardt
    dok2026

    This film is a double portrait, or rather a triple one, as the extraordinary story of Franciszka and Stefan Themerson is told by the painter’s niece. Jasia Reichardt’s life story, deeply marked by the Holocaust, has become intertwined in a unique way with the biography of this couple of versatile and ever-experimenting artists.

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    film still My Themersons
  • Siri Hustvedt - Dance Around the Self

    dir. Sabine Lidl
    dok2026

    One of the most important contemporary authors opens the door to her New York home, talking about her Norwegian roots, early days as a writer and connections to feminism. She devotes a great deal of attention to her marriage to Paul Auster.

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    film still Siri Hustvedt - Dance Around the Self
  • Writing Life – Annie Ernaux Through the Eyes of High School Students (Écrire la vie - Annie Ernaux racontée par des lycéennes et des lycéens)

    dir. Claire Simon
    dok2025

    Who said young people do not read good books? It turns out that the work of a Nobel laureate work strikes a particular chord with today’s teenagers. The film director visits French secondary schools, where shared reading and discussion prove that literature can still engage young people.

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    film still Writing Life – Annie Ernaux Through the Eyes of High School Students