Survival
The film Survival addresses the problems of homelessness and the degradation of the human environment. It shows these problems in an exaggerated and grotesque form. The film is an auteur film, combined with artistic ambitions. It consists of live action shots and animated sequences combined into an integral whole. The original form of the film is determined by various types of animation such as pixilation, animation of real objects, animation of graphic forms and 3D animation. In the scenography, references can be found to the art trend called upcycling (also trash art), in which rubbish, recycled or not, becomes a source of artistic inspiration. Marcel Duchamp can be considered a distant precursor of the activities of today’s artists, who gave banal objects the rank of art, provoking the viewer and making him or her think. These works are today priceless exhibits in respected galleries, such as the “Fountain”, the “Bicycle Wheel” and the “Bottle Dryer”. Alongside the aforementioned objects, the film also features street art – the graffiti we encounter at every turn. These quotations discreetly insert themselves into the discussion about the place of art in our lives.
Directed, written and artwork by Hieronim Neumann
Cinematography by Janusz Tatarkiewicz, Maciej Ćwiek
Co-operation by Dominik Krzeszewski
Performed by Jakub Woźniak – Mr H (a homeless man), and Jacek Adamczak, Jagna Ćwiek, Maciej Ćwiek, Jarek Jasik, Igor Mikoda, Mariola Olejniczak, Anna Rozmianiec, Ignacy Rozmianiec, Tymon Rozmianiec, Izabela Puk-Tatarkiewicz, Janusz Tatarkiewicz, Gustaw Woźniak, Ireneusz Jerzy Woźniak and Dog Obelix under the supervision of Aleksandra Musiał
Making the decorations by Jarek Jasik, Michał Szmyt
Making props by Jarek Jasik, Mikołaj Smolarek, Wojciech Wąsik
Animation by: Maciej Ćwiek, Jakub Baniak
Compositing, editing by Maciej Ćwiek
Music by Andrzej Konieczny
Performance of music by Kacper Krupa – saxophone, Andrzej Konieczny – percussion, Piotr Cienkowski – double bass
Sound effects by Dawid Konecki, Aleksandra Brzykcy, Zuzanna Dziurawiec, Katarzyna Jastrzębska, Aleksandra Jakubowicz
Sound direction by Adam Szlenda
Sound by Dreamsound – Kacper Habisiak, Marcin Kasiński
Colour correction by Miron Broda
Master copy by Janusz Czubak
Production Manager: Mariola Olejniczak
Co-operation: Angelina Janas-Jankowska
Producer: Ewa Sobolewska
Author animated film, animation – mixed pixilation techniques, animation of real objects, animation of graphic forms, 3D animation, colour, 2K picture format, 22:00 min. stereo 5.1.
Production date: 2025-06-01
Producer, production: TV Studio of Animation Films Ltd.
Co-producer: University of the Arts in Poznań
Film is co-financed by Polish Film Institute
The protagonist of the film, Mr H (a homeless man), is one day thrown out of his home under unclear circumstances. He completely surrenders to the course of events and thus begins living in a cardboard box next to a nearby dumpster. This new situation forces him to find ways to survive in extremely harsh conditions. Local dumpsters become his source of food and various items, some of which are essential, others – completely redundant in his new reality. Over time, the surrounding trash – torn newspapers with fragments of pictures – becomes part of his face (identity). Posters from a nearby advertising column become a catalyst for various actions – sometimes reminding him of hunger and thirst, at other times allowing him to escape into exotic, faraway destinations. Gradually, the boundaries between waking life, imagination, and dreams begin to blur.
PHOTOS FROM THE FILM SET
