Interview: Maciej Kawalski on his Double Oscar-Qualifying Comedy, Atlas – the right one

Maciej Kawalski “A remote, and a bit crazy to be honest, psychiatric hospital receives a curious patient -one who he doesn’t move nor speak but spends his days standing with his hands up. The only thing known is his nickname – The Atlas.”

Philosophy, humour, Tomasz Kot, Marian Opania and the music by Łukasz Targosz. What secret is Adam aka Atlas hiding? Day and night, he is standing with his arms up and remains stubbornly silent. Who is he? Why is he in this, slightly crazy, psychiatric hospital? And what will happen when he lowers his arms?

In a word, he is a riddle and riveting one at that, like an itch you cannot quite scratch. Theories and informed-and-fact-based-gossip flourish all around the place. As luck would have it, so does the conflict as what to do with him. The situation is close to exploding, but the Atlas won’t stir. Or will he? Maciej Kawalski explains The Atlas in his interview below…

indieactivity : Give a background of your personal experience with the story, writing, and production?
Maciej Kawalski : I was already studying Medicine when I decided to apply to the Kieslowski Film School for a Film Directing MA. One of the requirements of the application was a script approximately 30 pages in length. Having had no previous experience in screenwriting, I read a book about screenwriting and decided to give it a go. The first thing the book told me to do was: ‘write what you know,’ to which my initial reaction was — ‘no way!‘ I was frustrated with Medicine, and the last thing I wanted to write about was it. But somehow, the imagination, the subconscious, the muses, call it what you will, knew better than that, and I ended up writing a story happening in a hospital, after all.

In my third year of Medicine, we had a course in Clinical Psychiatry, and during the classes, I met a catatonic patient who would stand motionless for entire days, and nobody knew why he did that. That was a powerful experience, which later found its way into a script, whether I wanted it or not. I got accepted into the film school, partly thanks to the script of ‘Atlas,’ but curiously never even considered filming it. In my mind it was labeled ‘application script‘ and as such couldn’t be regarded as filming-worthy. But a few years later, I came across a program called ‘Thirty Minutes,’ run by Munk Studio, in which what they called for was ‘scripts of approximately 30 pages in length.’ Too bad I didn’t have time to write one as I only found out about the program a day before submissions were over. But then a light bulb when on — ‘wait a second, you do have a script ready, you wrote it 5 years earlier, and it’s called “Atlas,” dummy.’ So I submitted Atlas, it got financed by Munk Studio, and it went from there. And I am so grateful it did.

indieactivity : Did you start writing with a cast in mind?
Maciej Kawalski : As I mentioned above, I wrote Atlas never even considering ever filming it, so no, I had no cast in mind. It was only when Atlas got into the ‘Thirty Minutes’ program that I started to take the matter of casting seriously. Then I knew instantly that there was only one actor who could play it — Tomasz Kot. When I approached him with ‘Atlas,’ his schedule was full for over a year to come. I decided to wait with the production for his availability, and I consider it as one of the best decisions I ever made.

indieactivity : How long did you take to complete the script? (Do you have a writing process?)
Maciej Kawalski : I write fast. Partly due to keeping the ideas fresh, to outrunning your inner critic (and having the days pages down before the inner voice can paralyze progress), and partly because of Medicine. You see, I studied Medicine simultaneously with Film Directing. Doing both worked sorts of fine during the studies. Okay, let’s call it ‘manageable,’ that’s closer to the truth. It was only when I got my Doctor of Medicine diploma that I arrived at real T-junction — ‘there is being a doctor to the left, and being a film director to the right, and before you ask, no, you cannot actively do both and be any good in either.’

It was a tough one. I decided to embrace filmmaking full time, but for years to come felt terrible anxiety that it wasn’t ‘work.’ What I had ingrained in my mind was that ‘work’ means going to a hospital and helping people with real issues, and filmmaking is… what is it exactly? The only way I found to battle the guilt that I do what I love and get paid for it was to create a very rigid writing process. When morning strikes, I need to dress up as for a regular office job and leave the house as any sensible working-for-real person would. Then I need to write for a couple of hours straight. And when I mean write I do mean write. The phone is in airplane mode, the browser is locked; it’s single-tasking. Only then can I feel like I’m doing this writing thing for real, and guess what — this is when I write my best things.

indieactivity : What was your first project?
Maciej Kawalski : My very, very first project was a commercial for a hotel chain. I got the gig a day after I got accepted into film school. Loved it!

indieactivity : Which scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot?
Maciej Kawalski : The entire filming of ‘Atlas‘ was extremely tough. For starters, it took place in an unheated XII century monastery in the early Spring. Short days and biting cold. Thick stone walls and four-meter high ceilings, which made any attempts to heat up the place useless. That, in an of itself, made the filming a sort of Navy Seals ‘Hell Week,’ but for filmmakers.

The finish of that Hell Week was shooting the ending of the film — a group scene with over twenty actors, and a short single day to shoot it, with no means whatsoever to re-shoot it if it went south. That was an exercise in not cracking under pressure.

indieactivity : What worked better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
Maciej Kawalski : My latest production was a TV series for Canal+ which I wrote and directed. Normally, I come well prepared for the shooting — I have a storyboard and/or a floor plan, rehearse the scenes before filming, write out a complete analysis of beats and subtext of every scene. But here, due to the sheer amount of filming and the need to work with two other directors, who made other episodes of the show, that wasn’t always possible. I had to approach the project with much more flexibility and uncertainty than I did ever before, and it opened me up a lot. That was a plunge way outside of the comfort zone.

It worked well, and it taught me to work with less preparation but rely more on being ‘in the moment,’ on discovering the scene as it unfolds onset, without having had it all figured out beforehand. I believe it wouldn’t have worked for me a couple of years ago, but this time it was a valuable learning experience.

indieactivity : Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business that you struggle with?
Maciej Kawalski : Absolutely! Struggling is the name of the game in independent filmmaking, isn’t it? To me, the greatest challenge comes with maintaining an unwavering belief in your film. The only thing which keeps you going throughout the years it takes to make a film is your belief that it is worthwhile and that your effort will come to fruition. This belief is that thing that keeps you writing when nobody is waiting for your script, that keeps you and your team striving and overcoming the infinite amount of hurdles that are bound to try to wreck your film.

I often compare it to the image of Jesus and Peter walking on water. As long as Peter had maintained certainty that he could do it — he could. But the moment he wavered — CRASH! — he went under. I believe this is the gospel of independent filmmakers. As long as you believe you can do it, you can. The moment you doubt it… prepare to get wet.

That’s why a trusted creative team is ESSENTIAL. Everyone is bound to lose faith in the process at some point, and a crew which can fish you out back on board can save your life and your film.

indieactivity : Where do you think your strengths lie as a filmmaker?
Maciej Kawalski : I’m no comedian but think I’m good with smart humor. I write stories that make me laugh, then the crew laughs on set, and then, miraculously, the people in theaters laugh as well.

Secondly, I’m a team player, and I’d like to believe that as a director I’m able to create a positive vibe on set which is inclusive and open for everybody to chip in ideas. Couldn’t vouch if that’s really the case, or if it’s severe megalomania on my part. You’d have to ask the crew.

indieactivity : How was the film financed?
Maciej Kawalski : The film was financed by Munk Studio in a program called ‘Thirty Minutes.’ A terrific opportunity for indie filmmakers to make a film which is a stepping stone between a school short and a feature film.

indieactivity : What do you hope audiences get from your film?
Maciej Kawalski : I see ‘Atlas‘ as a film about identity. It is so easy to get our story, our identity hijacked by other people’s preconceptions. It requires no effort on our part, other people will do it all for us quicker than you can say ‘Atlas.’ It is true in mental health patients just as much as in all the so-called ‘normal’ people out there.

To me, Atlas is about finding the courage to reclaim your story. To drop the burden of other people’s conceptions of you, to make your story your own, to stand your ground. If attempted, the effects can be seismic, and nothing shakes things up better than a good earthquake.

indieactivity : What else have you got in the works?
Maciej Kawalski : Currently, I’m developing two feature films. One in Poland, with the backing of the Polish Film Institute, and one in the US. Can’t wait to invite you for a screening of either one!

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