Online edition of the 66th KFF
Kontrewers
Poland, The Netherlands, France2026documentary21'National competition
The story begins with a dialogue between the director’s 102-year-old grandmother and a spirit trapped in a mysterious stone from Kontrewers. According to folk beliefs, the spirit of a possessed girl has lived within the stone for centuries. By mistake, she recognises her mother in the woman, which triggers a series of ambiguous interactions straddling the line between documentary and mise-en-scene. A hybrid narrative form makes it possible to capture what is ambiguous and invisible to the eye, yet present in the subconscious. The boundary between the world of the living and of the dead slowly begins to blur.
- directed by
- Zuza Banasińska
An artist and filmmaker from Warsaw, based in Amsterdam. In their practice, they are interested in the reproduction of images and how these enable the reproduction of systems, subjects and bodies. Zuza Banasińska is an artist and filmmaker from Warsaw, currently based in Amsterdam. In their essay films and installations, they use archives to examine how the reproduction of images enables the reproduction of systems, subjects and bodies. Their newest film, Kontrewers, recently premiered at the 76th Berlinale Shorts. Their previous film, Grandmamauntsistercat, premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2024 and the 74th Berlinale, where it received the Teddy Award for best short film. It has now screened at over 100 film festivals, including New York Film Festival, Visions du Réel, and winning 14 awards, including a nomination for the European Film Award and the Doc Alliance award.
- cinematography
- Jakub Dylewski
- script
- Zuza Banasińska, Violeta Paez Armando
- protagonists
- Barbara Ptaszyńska
- music
- Constanza Castagnet
- sound
- Zuza Banasińska, Constanza Castagnet, Ahmet Türk, Neval Tarım
- editing
- Zuza Banasińska
- production
- Zuza Banasińska, Aleksandra Aleksander (ALE ALE), Quentin Just (Vents Contraires)
- Photo
- Trailer