03/11/2023 - The third feature by the Polish filmmaker revolves around an independent and strong-willed biologist who lived in a forest for three decades

Sandra Drzymalska and Jakub Gierszal in Simona Kossak (© Jarosław Sosiński/Balapolis)

Combining the two very current themes of female empowerment and environmentalism, a Simona Kossak biopic is ready to dock the editing bay, with eyes on a 2024 release. Written and directed by Adrian Panek — whose film Werewolf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adrian Panek
film profile] was presented at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2018 —and simply titled Simona Kossak, the film tells the story of a Polish biologist. Coming from a renowned family of artists (both her father Jerzy and grandfather Wojciech were famous painters, and her aunts Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and Magdalena Samozwaniec were poets), Simona had no talents towards arts whatsoever. Eventually, in the mid 1960s she studied biology and after graduating, she moved to examine Białowieża Forest, where she lived in a small hut for 30 years. 

She was involved with nature photographer Lech Wilczek, whom she met in the wilderness. According to the press release, Simona Kossak focuses both on that relationship and on Simona’s professional efforts and her struggles as a woman biologist in a male-dominated environment. Adrian Panek states that his character is somewhat “archetypical” because she “rebels and runs away from her family, circumstances, place of birth, and wanders into the unknown in order to forget who she was or who she was told to be. And that way, she finds herself.” He adds that the film is also about Białowieża Forest, its story and the people connected to it. Simona Kossak recently regained popularity among Polish audiences thanks to a documentary by Natalia Koryncka-Gruz, titled Simona.

Sandra Drzymalska (Sole [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Carlo Sironi
film profile], EO [+see also:
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trailer
film profile]) interprets Simona Kossak, while Jakub Gierszał (Beyond Words [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Urszula Antoniak
film profile]) plays her love interest, Lech. The rest of the announced cast includes Agata Kulesza (Ida [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile]), Borys Szyc (Cold War [+see also:
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trailer
Q&A: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile]), Marta Stalmierska, and Olga Bołądź. 

Magdalena Kamińska and Agata Szymańska are producing the film through their Polish company Balapolis, while the co-producers are Documentary and Feature Film Studios, Krakow Festival Office and Hollman Emea Limited. The Polish distributor is Next Film, while the world rights are up for grabs.