The Debt 1999
Synopsis
Warsaw, the 1990s. Two friends and business partners in their twenties, Adam and Stefan, decide to start up a business on a larger scale. They plan to start assembling scooters, but the bank refuses to lend them money. They meet Gerard, a former pal, who, in exchange for a commission, offers them help in finding a reliable guarantor of the loan. The plan fails, but Gerard demands the return of the alleged \\'costs\\' – a total of several thousand dollars. Gerard begins the collection of the debt which is impossible to pay off... Three months after the first meeting of those three, the police pulls two headless corpses out of the Vistula...
The screenplay of the film was based on authentic events.
Awards
1999 – Gdynia Film Festival – Grand Prix (Grand Jury Award Golden Lions)
1999 – Gdynia Film Festival – Best Actor in a Leading Role (Andrzej Chyra)
1999 – Gdynia Film Festival – Best Film Score (Michał Urbaniak)
1999 – Gdynia Film Festival – Journalists Award
1999 – Passport of the Polityka Weekly for Krzysztof Krauze – in the category of Film
1999 – Warsaw Mermaid Award of the Club of Film Critics of the Polish Journalists Association – in the category of Feature film
1999 – Wrocław Film Festival "The Recent Polish Releases" – Grand Prize
1999 – Wrocław Film Festival "The Recent Polish Releases" – Best Male Lead (Robert Gonera)
1999 – Wrocław Film Festival "The Recent Polish Releases" – Best Debut (Andrzej Chyra)
1999 – Wrocław Film Festival "The Recent Polish Releases" – Honorary Mention for Cinematography (Bartosz Prokopowicz)
1999 – Award of the Cinema-Goers Club "Mozaika" in Bydgoszcz – for Best Film of the Year
2000 – Lubuskie Film Summer, Łagów – the Juliusz Burski Prize of the Organizers
2000 – "Machiner" – the award of the monthly "Machina" – in the category of mass film
2000 – Eagle, Polish Academy Award for Best Film
2000 – Eagle, Polish Academy Award for Best Direction (Krzysztof Krauze)
2000 – Eagle, Polish Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Krzysztof Krauze)
2000 – Eagle, Polish Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Jerzy Morawski)
2000 – Eagle, Polish Academy Award for Best Actor (Robert Gonera)
2000 – Eagle, Polish Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Andrzej Chyra)
2000 – Tarnów (Tarnów Film Award) – Leliwita Silver Statuette for Best Screenplay (Krzysztof Krauze)
2000 – Tarnów (Tarnów Film Award) – Leliwita Silver Statuette for Best Screenplay (Jerzy Morawski)
2000 – Tarnów (Tarnów Film Award) – Youth Jury Award
2000 – Tarnów (Tarnów Film Award) – Audience Award
2000 – Nationwide Festival of the Film Art "Prowincjonalia", Września – Main Prize
2000 – Nationwide Festival of the Film Art "Prowincjonalia", Września – Best Score (Michał Urbaniak)
2000 – Golden Tape (granted by Polish Filmmakers Association) – Best Polish Film of 1999; ex aequo with the film "Pan Tadeusz" by Andrzej Wajda
2000 – Don Quixote Award of the Federation of Film Discussion Clubs – Best Polish Film in 1999–2000
2001 – Philadelphia Film Festival – Best Director (Krzysztof Krauze)
About
Year of production:
1999
Producer:
Juliusz Machulski
Genre:
crime, psychological drama
Premiere:
19-11-1999
Technical specs:
Color, Dolby Stereo, 102 min
Admissions:
181 759
Production:
Zebra Film Studio
Co-production:
Canal+ Poland, ITI Cinema
Co-producer:
Jacek Moczydłowski, Jacek Bromski
Co-financing:
Film Committee, Film Production Agency
Filmmakers
Directed by:
Krzysztof Krauze
Written by:
Krzysztof Krauze, Jerzy Morawski
Cinematography by:
Bartosz Prokopowicz
Edited by:
Krzysztof Szpetmański
Music by:
Michał Urbaniak
Set Decoration by:
Magdalena Dipont
Costume Designer:
Elżbieta Radke
Production Manager:
Tadeusz Drewno
Cast
Robert Gonera (Adam Borecki),
Jacek Borcuch (Stefan Kowalczyk),
Andrzej Chyra (Gerard Nowak),
Cezary Kosiński (Tadeusz Frei),
Joanna Szurmiej (Basia, Adam\'s fiancée),
Agnieszka Warchulska (Jola, Stefan\'s girlfriend),
Joanna Kurowska (Ania, pregnant woman in hospital during Basia\'s stay),
Sławomira Łozińska (Adam\'s mother),
Krzysztof Gordon (Adam\'s father),
Przemysław Modliszewski ("Młody", Gerard\'s assistant),
Maria Robaszkiewicz (Basia\'s mother),
Edyta Bach (Joanna, Adam\'s sister),
Jakub Bach (Jurek, Adam\'s niece),
Ewa Kania (credit transaction manager),
Katarzyna Trzcińska (Gerard\'s wife),
Izabela Kuna (Matczak\'s wife),
Sławomir Jóźwik (Matczak, store owner, Stefan\'s debtor),
Maciej Szary (department director, colleague of Adam\'s father),
Katarzyna Tatarak (duty officer receiving Adam\'s complaint),
Aleksander Mikołajczak (investigation officer by the Vistula),
Maciej Karpiński (owner of the pizza restaurant, Adam\'s boss),
Jerzy Gudejko (Basia\'s doctor at hospital),
Jowita Miondlikowska (girl from the laundry),
Aleksandra Nieśpielak (Tadeusz\'s girl),
Józef Mika (German company\'s president, Stefan\'s boss),
Andrzej Andrzejewski,
Jarosław Budnik (policeman by the Vistula),
Ryszard Bugaj,
Marzena Chmielewicz,
Tomasz Gęsikowski (homicide bureau policeman by the Vistula),
Henryk Gołębiewski (worker at the building site of Adam\'s house),
Marcin Jamkowski,
Dawid Kaszlikowski (Stefan\'s colleague),
Paweł Kleszcz,
Mariusz Liedel,
Edyta Łukaszewicz-Lisowska,
Wojciech Nieradzki (chief of police squad which recovered bodies from the Vistula),
Tomasz Nowosielski,
Małgorzata Prażmowska-Jakubiec (wife of a man buying a car from Tadeusz),
Jerzy Próchnicki (man buying a car from Tadeusz),
Małgorzata Rożniatowska (nurse),
Patrycja Seweryńska,
Jakub Snochowski (waiter),
Robert Wabich (worker at the building site of Adam\'s house)