SIMONA

Simona Kossak – who was she, really? The legendary researcher who lived surrounded by wild animals in the Białowieża Forest? Why did she escape her family home – the famous Kossak dynasty? What was the life of the first ever Polish eco-activist like in the 1970s? Unique photos and recordings (often presented for the very first time) from the archives of Simona and her life partner Lech Wilczek take us to the primeval Forest and allow us to experience a unique life away from civilization. Simona was the favorite of a raven terrorizing the area, she was also a mother to a lynx and a couple of elks, and her empathetic approach to animals and plants not only allowed us to see the Białowieża Forest as a world-unique ecosystem, but also helps us understand that we are flatmates on Planet Earth and that we should let other creatures live. This vibrant and uncompromising visionary way ahead of her time often had to fight alone for the well-being of nature and our respect towards it.

  • Genre: Documentary
  • Country: Poland
  • Running time: 91
  • Year: 2022
  • Color: colour

Director: Natalia Koryncka-Gruz

Script: Natalia Koryncka-Gruz

DOP: Krystian Matysek

Music: Alex Gruz

Editing: Marceli Majer

Sound: Radosław Ochnio

Production company: Natalia Koryncka-Gruz, Eureka Studio

Trailer

About the director:

Natalia Koryncka-Gruz

Natalia Koryncka-Gruz

Director, screenwriter, producer. Graduate from Polish Film School in Łódź (Directing Faculty) and Warsaw University (Polish Literature). Her short „1 — 1” (1986) won 20 prizes at international film festivals. For “Amok” awarded with Best Debut Director Prize in Gdynia. She is an author of many widely discussed documentaries, well recieved feature films and TV plays. Member of Polish Film Academy, Polish film directors guild, European Film Academy.

Filmography:

2022 – Simona

2018 – A Minor Genocide

2014 – Warsaw by Night

2006 – Inka 1946

2004 – Heaven-hell

At festivals:

62nd Krakow Film Festival, Poland, 2022 (screening)