Two women, two lives, one prison and one love.
Sylwia, who has left prison, wants to return to the world and win back her first love. Aneta's life decisions make it difficult for the women to be together again.
Radiant is upcoming polish independent feature written and directed by Konrad Kultys.
The project involves graduates of film and art schools (Film School in Łódź, Academy of Dramatic Arts in Wrocław, Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź).
What the film is about (in a nutshell)
Sylwia, who has left prison, wants to return to the world and win back her first love - Aneta. Aneta's life decisions (marriage and motherhood) make it difficult for the women to be together again.
Sylwia, who doesn't fit into the modern world, will once again try to fight for her place by confronting the harsh reality of a society that rejects people who have been convicted.
Will love overcome the reality in which both women live?
RADIANT is a story about two women who are confronted with the fact that the only true feeling they have in their lives is the one they cannot experience together.
RADIANT is a film told in two parallel narratives. On the one hand, we see a few days in the life of a woman leaving prison. The dynamically narrated external world, full of mess, which the protagonist has to face, has something of the aesthetics close to brutal realism and documentary. On the other hand we observe Sylwia's inner world, marked by her prison experience, which in an original visual way stands in contrast to the brutal layer of everyday life.
The free camera work and the independent nature of the production allow for the creation of a unique space for actors' expression and the use of the talent of those involved in the project.
Timeline of RADIANT: pre-production (2021) pricipal photography (2022) editing and post production (2023) finished movie before premiere (MAY 2023).
Currently we are aiming for festival premiere and future distribution.
Who are we?
DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER
Konrad Kultys
Student of the Department of Directing and a graduate of the Department of Cinematography and TV Production at the Łódź Film School.
At the same time he is finishing a PhD in the Department of Photography and Multimedia at the Wladyslaw Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz.
His film works have been shown at festivals in Poland and abroad (including the US, UK, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, Greece, Spain, Venezuela, Croatia, Armenia, Portugal),
his short fiction debut Stagnant (2021) was the most awarded Polish short film at foreign festivals.
Among other awards, in 2022 Konrad received the Best Director Award in Spain and Venezuela, the Best Screenplay Award in Spain and the Audience Award in Belgium.
Among other awards, in 2022 Konrad received the Best Director Award in Spain and Venezuela, the Best Screenplay Award in Spain and the Audience Award in Belgium.
Radiant is Konrad's independent feature debut as director, screenwriter and cinematographer.
LEADING ROLE / SYLWIA
Anita Tomczak
Actress, improviser, theater instructor. Graduate of the Acting Department of the Polish National Film School in Lodz. She starred in the plays "Stone" by G. Wisniewski and "Cyberiada" by W. Koscielniak at the Studio Theater, "Zanikam" directed by K. Dabkowska at the Instead Theater, plays for children and young people at the Form Art Foundation Theater and the King Theater. She took part in performance readings of dramas by Magdalena Drab ("Corpse" in Warsaw and "Weak" at the finals of the Gdynia Drama Award), as well as in the radio play "A Short History of Long Love" at the Polish Radio Theater.
She appeared in several episodes in TV series and feature films. She is a finalist in the "Modjeska calling" Shakespearean monologue competition at the Polish Theater in Poznan.
SIDE-PART / ANETA
Paula Stepczynska
Actress, student at the Stanislaw Wyspianski Academy of Theater Arts in Cracow. She has played numerous theatrical roles, including in the plays "Broniewski", "Techno Rzeczpospolita" and "The Virtues of the Infant". She has also appeared in television series and feature films. She won the Grand Prix Award in the national "Verba Sacra" competition for actors in Poznan.
ALSO STARRING
ADAM HADI, MARCIN WALKOWSKI,
MATEUSZ CZWARTOSZ, JAKUB KLIMASZEWSKI, MONIKA SZUFLADOWICZ, RAFAL DABROWSKI,
JULIA MIKA, OLIWER WITEK, BARTLOMIEJ DARGIEWICZ, JAKUB CEMPLA, JAKUB KONDRAT,
AMADEUSZ URBANEK, DYMITR HOLOWKO.
How it was done?
Over 50 people involved in making it possible!
We worked in the rain and snow with a minimal budget under covid restrictions. The entire shoot took four months during which we organized as many filming days as possible. Everything was able to happen thanks to the commitment of all the production divisions and the trust of the whole team that we would be able to realize something independently without a massive production and financial support.
The whole project was financed by the producers and people supporting our project.
