The Peasants

Original Title: Chłopi 

Duration: 105 minutes 

Country: Poland, Serbia, Lithuania 

Language: Polish with English Subtitles 

Directors: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman 

This reimagining of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning novel recounts the bitter tale of a village called Lipce, held together by pride, patriarchy, and extremely strict tradition. As peasant Jagna reaches a conflict in her social life–forced to choose a lover between the village’s richest farmer, his eldest son, and other powerful men in the community–we see in full the timeless conflicts of the rich against the poor, the charismatic against the meek and the humble, the terrible liars against the dwindling tellers of truths. But what truly sets The Peasants apart as a distinctive film is not its story, but rather its near-tangible production design: every single frame has been hand-painted by a team of artists, creating a style of animation utterly unique to this particular production studio. 

Quote: 

“A free-spirited young beauty in late 19th-century rural Poland falls foul of the repressive patriarchy, the petty-minded jealousies simmering in her village and her own extremely poor judgment in this lavish rotoscoped and oil-painted animation." (Wendy Ide - The Observer) 

Awards: 

+ Polish Film Festival: 2023 Winner Special Jury Prize (Main Competition) 

+ Polish Film Festival: 2023 Winner Audience Award, Best Film 

Pre-screening Event: 

+ Special Exhibit of Original Oil Production Paintings from The Peasants to be on display at the Harris Theater!

 

Post-screening Event: 

+ Zoom Q & A discussion with the directors Hugh and DK Welchman! 

+ Catered Reception