Crulic - The Path to Beyond, Droga na druga strone Romania-Poland 2011, 73 min., animated documentary
Directed, written, and produced by Anca Damian
Animation by Dan Panaitescu, Rauluca Popa, Dragos Stefan, Roxana Bentu, Tuliu Olten
Music by Piotr Dziubek Produced by Aparte Film
(Romania)
Co-producer: Fundacja im. Ferdynanda Magellana (Poland)
Voices: Maciej Stuhr (Claudiu Crulic), Andrzej Olejnik (narrator)
This is the true-life story of Claudiu Crulic, a Romanian native living in Poland who was falsely arrested for a theft allegedly committed in his adopted home of Krakow. After his attempts to contact the Romanian consulate and to seek out other means of justice lead to nothing, he launched a hunger strike that ultimately led to his death. Crulic’s ghost haunts this tale in a calm and detached manner, retracing the steps that brought him to a sham trial defined by a casual absurdity that rivals some of the most distressing moments in Kafka. The film’s beautifully layered mix of watercolor backdrops, collage cutouts, photographs, stop- - motion, and live-action animation, combined with a beautiful score by Piotr Dziubek, intensifies the stark injustice of Crulic’s fate. The case resonated widely with public opinion in Poland and in Romania. The minister of foreign affairs of Romania and Romanian ambassador to Poland resigned their posts.
Following the screening: Question-and-answer session with Arkadiusz Wojnarowski