International Competition

Symphony of the Ursus Factory

Jásmina Wójcik
Screening time  
25.02. / Monday, 11:00 - 13:00 Theatre 5  
27.02. / Wednesday, 13:00 - 15:00 Theatre 1  
28.02. / Thursday, 22:00 - 00:00 Theatre 4  
With sounds and body memory, the ex-workers of the Ursus Factory re-enact one day of work in a plant that no longer exists.

The Ursus factory once covered 170 hectares and employed 20,000 workers, producing 100 tractors a day. Now, its buildings stand derelict and empty; half have already been demolished by investors with new plans. The symphony of mechanical sounds and gestures that is gradually built up throughout the film is produced by former factory employees. Proud of their factory, they reminisce about the huge numbers of people and the parties they had. They were a community, passionate about supporting agriculture through their factory. The Ursus tractor was well-known, not only in Poland but throughout the world. The energy these people had becomes palpable in their re-enactments. This is the story of bygone forms of labor.

Jasmina_20wojcik_director_headshot

Jásmina Wójcik

Jaśmina Wójcik was born in 1983, in Poland. She is a visual artist and social activist who creates videos, paintings, projects in public spaces, and interactive installations. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. She earned her doctoral degree in 2011. The documentary Symphony of the Ursus Factory (2018) is her director's debut. While still in the preproduction, Wójcik participated with the project at 2018 ZagrebDox Pro.

General sponsor

Symfonia Fabryki Ursus

Poland
2018, 61'

Directed by:
Jásmina Wójcik

Screenplay by:
Jaśmina Wójcik, Igor Stokfiszewski

Cinematography:
Kacper Czubak

Edited by:
Aleksandra Gowin

Music:
Dominik Strycharski

Producers:
Zuzanna Król, Wojciech Marczewski

Produced by:
Wajda Studio

Festivals & Awards:

IDFA 2018; International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018; DOK Leipzig 2018