Cinema at the Border it's not only movies, but also music. He was the star of the evening on the second festival day Tomasz Ziętek – Polish actor and musician. Since 2013, he has been the guitarist and vocalist of the Tricity band The Fruitcakes. He also performs solo with the project The Ape Man Tales. In 2007, together with his team, he won the Grand Prix at the 2nd National Festival of Young Talents “Niemen Non Stop” in Słupsk. Individually, he also received the audience award.
In 2023 he released debut solo studio album “Some Old Songs”. So far, the album has been promoted by three well-received singles: “Your Kiss”, “C'mon” and “Some Old Gum”, and along with the premiere of the entire material, visualisers illustrating all the songs from the album were released on the artist's official YouTube channel. The album includes 11 compositions inspired by classic guitar sounds. The artist himself describes the album with the following words: “These are my delights. Admiration for everyday life”.
The concert during Kino na Granicy gathered many fans despite the late hour. The actor on stage was applauded by both the festival audience and a large group of stars, including: Andrzej Chyra, Jowita Budnik, Piotr Pacek, Mateusz Więcławek, Karolina Bruchnicka and Eliza Rycembel, who celebrated her birthday after midnight. Tomasz Ziętek played a song for her as an encore “Lullaby” from the album “Some Old Songs”. Guitar sounds, atmospheric lyrics and the artist's extraordinary voice won the hearts of the audience.
A moment before the concert, Tomasz Ziętek found a moment and answered a few of our questions.
Anna Kempys, Interia: We know you mainly from your film roles, but here you appear in a completely different role.
Tomasz Ziętek: – Music was in my life before there was acting. I got to know them thanks to the vocal and acting study I was accepted into. So my path was the other way around, first there was music, then acting. Now I'm paying off this debt.
– We're just finishing the tour because I'm starting filming, but we'll be back with another dose of concerts in the fall. I hope that we will visit those cities that we did not reach during the spring-summer tour. Now southern Poland will be more frequented by concerts, but also the east and west.
You mentioned that you were coming onto the set. Can you tell us what it will be?
– I can't say too much yet, but in a moment we will start the film I have been waiting for for a long time. I'm also finishing the series, but I don't know at what stage it is and if I can talk about it. I can only reveal that we are doing it with Janek Matuszyński for one of the platforms.
How are your emotions different when you get slapped on set and when you stand on stage with a guitar in front of the audience?
– This is a diametric difference. This is primarily due to the tasks entrusted to me. As a musician, I am the author of my compositions and lyrics. I have full control over how the concert will proceed, and as an actor I am a cog in a big machine that has to function somehow. This is the most significant difference.
Is stress different?
– There is always stress. The awareness that one acquires with age while performing both professions, unfortunately, does not leave the person until the end. This is sad because I thought maybe it would change. But it is also an engine for me, a kind of fuel.
We are at the Kino na Granicy festival, so the question is: Should cinema cross any borders? Are there limits in cinema?
– There is one, definitive, insurmountable boundary of the stage, that is, in the case of cinema – the boundary of the screen, which allows for telling difficult stories, difficult stories in safe conditions. This is a unique and sacred frontier for cinema.
Are there any topics that cinema should not discuss?
– I don't know. It's like having a sense of humor and jokes. Trying to narrow down what we can joke about, also in the case of cinema, would be detrimental to history. History is often used for various purposes, it is used as a form in which something else sticks. Any attempt at restriction would be harmful.
An actor probably has some limits too.
– Everyone has limits. In my opinion, nudity is the last bastion. Despite the apparent appearance of actors at every step, the actor's true face is always subject to some limitations, just like any other person.
What do you look for in a cinema as a viewer?
– Now I am mainly a recipient of documents, so I am looking for fascinating slices of the world.
Favorite Polish film?
– The first one that comes to my mind is “Law and fist”. A beautiful song, perfect for the backing tracks.
Me in 10 years…
– In 10 years I will be 45 years old. So much.
Cieszyn lives with Cinema on the Border. During the festival, viewers can watch over 120 films, including such Polish productions as: “Blackbird”, “Jesters”, “White courage”, “Crazy people”, “Escape”, “Strawberry wine”, “Imago”, “Pianoforte”, “Bow”, “Fin del Mundo” Whether “All hope lies in them”.
There are such stars in Cieszyn as: Marian Dziędziel, Magdalena Łazarkiewicz, Gabriela Muskała, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Robert Więckiewicz, Kinga Dębska, Bożena Stachura, Aleksandra Popławska, Marek Kalita, Sandra Drzymalska, Marta Stalmierska, Andrzej Chyra, Eliza Rycembel, Sebastian Dela, Tomasz Włosok, Julian Świeżewski Whether Zbigniew Suszyński.
The 26th Kino na Granicy Film Festival takes place on May 1-5, 2024 in Cieszyn and Czech Cieszyn. All details on the festival website. INTERIA is the media patron of the festival.