Screenings
Internetowa edycja 65. KFF
The Town That Drove Away
Poland2025documentary70'National Competition
The Turkish town of Hasankeyf lies on the Tigris River and has been inhabited for thousands of years. For centuries, its population included mainly Kurds and Arabs. The construction of a huge dam, which began in 2006, has led to the sinking of the ancient city and the displacement of thousands of people to new settlements. Following the two young protagonists, we watch the successive destruction of Hasankeyf and progressing socioeconomic transformation. We can see how, in the name of economic and political goals, traditional ways of life are being destroyed, which causes uprooting and tears apart the existing communities.
- directed by
- Natalia Pietsch
Graduate of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School and the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Scholarship holder of the ‘First Documentary’ programme of Munk Studio, as part of which she made the film ‘Euphoria’, presented, among others, at the Krakow Film Festival and the Warsaw Film Festival. As a cinematographer, she has won awards for best cinematography for the films ‘Też coś dla ciebie mam’ and ‘Żabi Król’. She is currently working as cinematographer for a documentary film directed by Michel Franco. 'The Town That Drove Away', premiering at the Vision du Réel festival in Nyon in April 2025, is her directorial feature documentary debut.
Grzegorz PiekarskiGraduate of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice and the Warsaw University of Technology. Scholarship holder of the ‘Young Poland’ programme of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, member of the Young People's Circle of the Polish Filmmakers Association. His diploma feature film ‘Slave’ took part in the competitions of the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and the Warsaw Film Festival. It was nominated for the Jan Machulski Polish Independent Film Awards and received a mention at the Wajda na Nowo Festival. Internationally, it was presented at, among others, the FEST - New Directors | New Films Festival in Portugal and the International Film Festival in Cottbus. 'The Town That Drove Away', premiering at the Vision du Réel festival in Nyon in April 2025, is his feature-length documentary debut.
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