What makes “DISCO POLO” such a success? Certainly, the choice of outstanding actors – with the film’s leading parts delivered by Tomasz Kot, Joanna Kulig, Dawid Ogrodnik, Piotr Głowacki, Iwona Bielska, Jacek Koman, Janusz Chabior, Juliusz Chrząstowski or Mariusz Drężek. On top of that, both the idea for the film’s main theme and its original storyline are themselves highly unconventional and handled with bravado, and that comes in addition to an excellent screenplay and the film’s sheer scale of production. Over 60 actors (including episodic parts) worked on the film set, as well as 2000 stunts and nearly 120 crew members. The film’s soundtrack contains several dozen musical hits.

“Don’t be misled by appearances, however. DISCO POLO is hardly a photo-safari from the Polish countryside. This comedy is somewhere on the path from a shoeshine to a millionaire and the story of Janko Muzykant [Eng. John the Musician]. “DISCO POLO” has a piece from both worlds: a musical and a surreal comedy. One thing is certain. (…) It’s the most colourful film in the history of Polish cinematography” – wrote the film’s reviewers.

Following the positive reviews from the media, the film became very successful across cinema turnout statistics. It doesn’t happen very often that both critics and audiences speak in the same voice.

“DISCO POLO” is set in the crazy 90s, at the time when freedom reached the shores of Vistula and the whole of Poland started to dream its American dream. It’s the time when the grand transformation, the gold fever, and the dreams of “from zero to Rockefeller” all become reality. Tomek (Dawid Ogrodnik) and Rudy (Piotr Głowacki) – boys from the countryside – driven by passion and dreams, say goodbye to a drab, grey reality and embark on their journey to conquer the top of disco polo music charts. Their careers start while performing concets at firehouses and provincial disco outlets. Soon enough, they emerge as a band called Laser and take the world of musical trend-setters by storm. Eventually they reach Alfa, a recording studio, with its uncontested king and the only true Pole – Daniel Polak (Tomasz Kot).
Over a short time, the band makes a lot of money and becomes famous. All girls dance only for them. Soon, it turns out, however, that every success has its price…  What was the road to career like in the golden age of disco polo? Are all Poles one big family?

“DISCO POLO” opened in theatres across Poland on 27 February 2015.

“NA GRANICY” tells the story inspired by real-life events, about the life of a father and his two sons, who come to the mountains, to mend their mutual relations, after a recent family tragedy. They come across a shady character who drags the two boys into the world of dark and dangerous dealings. In order to survive, the two brothers will have to pass a true test of maturity.

As the film’s co-producer, ALVERNIA STUDIOS was in charge of managing the shooting set, providing the following: lighting, sound equipment, generators, camera dolly and catering services. In later stages, the studio will manage the film’s sound post-production.

Marcin Wierzchosławski is the film’s producer. The film is scheduled to premiere in November 2015.

The new CD, produced at ALVERNIA STUDIOS, contains 10 tracks, representing the great diversity of accordion. The new album, FOR ALICE, comes as an artistic summary of the musician’s career to date. In addition to the material recorded with Tango Corazon, the CD also contains joint performances with the AUKSO band, under the baton of Marek Moś, as well as the traditional brass band.

The musician himself is the album’s producer. All parts leading to the recording of the final album have been supervised under his artistic vision, starting with the creation of musical notation, through individual recording stages and the actual final recording. Piotr Witkowski (Head of the Sound Department at ALVERNIA STUDIOS) was in charge of the project on behalf of ALVERNIA STUDIOS.

The show promoting the new album included the performance by AUKSO, under the baton of Marek  Moś, as well as the star of Polish television, Anna Głogowska (Dancing with the Stars), Jan Kliment, Tomasz Barański (You Can Dance) as well as singers: Marcin Jajkiewicz (Jaka To Melodia) and Kasia Moś ( Must be The Music).

Marcin Wyrostek is a graduate of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, (accordion class). He has received a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and is also a member of the American Society of Accordionists. He’s the winner of over 30 international accordion competitions in Poland and abroad. He performs worldwide, including. Belgium, Czech Republic, Holland, Ireland, Lithuania, Morocco, Germany, Slovakia, Scotland, as well as Switzerland, Ukraine, USA, Italy and Hungary.

Natalia Kukulska is one of the best-known and most recognized Polish vocals. She’s the author of lyrics and the co-composer of her songs. She has released 7 solo albums, most of which have reached gold, platinum or multi-platinum status. She’s the prize-winner at the Sopot International Song Festival, the Baltic Song Contest as well as the holder of Telekamera. Her albums have been multiple nominees to the Fryderyk award. Form many years now, she has cooperated with the best Polish musicians, who accompany her both in studio and during concerts.

DISCOPOLO is a dynamic, tarantinoesquely ironic account of two, young, talented musicians who get to the top of the lists with bravado. It’s also the story of the collective state of mind that was very much part of the early free-market reality in Poland, at the time when everything seemed possible. Main characters are portrayed by Dawid Ogrodnik, Piotr Głowacki, Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig. They are partnered by, among others: Aleksandra Hamkało, Jacek Koman, Iwona Bielska, Rafał Maćkowiak and Janusz Chabior. Supporting roles include contemporary disco-polo stars: Tomasz Niecik, Robert Klatt and Radosław Liszewski.

“We are convinced that DISCOPOLO will be a great entertainment treat for many viewers – both for those who distance themselves from the world of discopolo, as well as fans of this music genre. This is guaranteed by a nifty screenplay, outstanding actors, but also the film’s dazzling production” – says Robert Kijak, chairman of NEXT FILM and head of Special Projects at Agora.

AGORA SA is a media company, also active in film co-productions. To date, the company has supported the production of: BOGOWIE [Eng. “Gods”] directed by Łukasz Palkowski, DROGÓWKA [Eng. “Traffic Department”] by Wojciech Smarzowski, BABY SĄ JAKIEŚ INNE [Eng. “Man, chicks are just different”] by Marek Koterski, AMBASSADA [Eng. “Embassy”] by Juliusz Machulski and SERCE, SERDUSZKO [Eng. “The Heart and the Sweetheart”] by Jan Jakub Kolski.

NEXT FILM is a distribution company, part of the Helios Group, with capital links to Agora, which introduced, among others, DROGÓWKA to Polish cinemas, PAPUSZA by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, which has received multiple awards, or, the uncontested winner of the 39th edition of the Gdynia Film Festival – BOGOWIE by Łukasz Palkowski.

Sergey Nazarenko is now Senior Pipeline TD at ALVERNIA STUDIOS. His prior experience includes, among others, assignments as a software developer and a pipeline technical director. He created the project management systems for the following titles: “Curse of Chucky”, “The Little Rascals Save the Day” and “Influence”. Sergey specializes in Python and c++ programming.

Ostap Pochtarenko is our new Effects TD. His passion for IT extends to all its branches, starting with R&D, all the way to computer graphics. He is particularly interested in volumetric effects such as cloud-creation and voxel modelling. Before joining the ALVERNIA STUDIOS team, Ostap worked on the following feature films: “Influence” and “Dead in Tombstone” as effects technical director.

Ivonne Orobio is now a composer in the VFX ALVERNIA STUDIOS team. She’s a graduate in VFX 3d design at Westbridge University in Mexico. For over 4 years, she has been active in the film industry, working on feature films, commercials and television series. Ivonne’s portfolio is full of excellent film productions, such as:  “Gone Girl” , “X-Men: Days of Future Past” or the popular television series “House Of Cards”.

Jose Ignacio Narvaez  has taken the post of a composer in the VFX ALVERNIA STUDIOS team. Jose studied arts and design in Great Britain, then he moved to Mexico to study animation and special effects. After the studies he started working on special effects in feature films in Turkey and the United States. In his portfolio, the following feature films are included: “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, the Oscar-winning “Her”, “2 Guns” or the television series “House Of Cards”.

Dmytro Kolisnyk is now a composer in the VFX ALVERNIA STUDIOS team. At the outset of his career, Dmytro’s interests focused on photography, which expanded his understanding of artistic creation processes. He has worked in the film industry for 3 years, mainly in post-production. Dmytro has participated in the production of multiple series and feature films, including: “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning” or “Anna German”.

Filip Molski is now a composer in the VFX team. He’s the graduate of the Digital Film Production Institute at SAE in Amsterdam and Compositing for Film at London’s Escape Studios. Filip’s chief area of interest is the use of digital image processing for traditional drawing techniques. His portfolio includes the following feature films: “Influence”, “The Heart and the Sweetheart” or “The Caged Swallow”.

Currently the VFX team is working on several feature projects, including “11 Minutes” by  Jerzy Skolimowski and “Discopolo” – the most recent production by ALVERNIA STUDIOS .

THE HEART AND THE SWEETHEART [original title: “Serce, serduszko”] is a heart-warming road movie about the power of love and dreams. It’s the story of Maszeńka, a foster child at a children’s home in Bieszczady, who hopes to fulfil her dreams and get to a ballet school. She runs away from the facility in order to make it for the entrance exams in Gdańsk. During the trip, she’s accompanied by her befriended eccentric tutoress.
The film stars, among others: Marcin Dorociński, Julia Kijowska, Borys Szyc, Maja Komorowska, Franciszek Pieczka and Gabriela Muskała. The leading character is portrayed by Marysia Blandzi, for whom it’s a large-screen debut.

As the film’s co-producer, ALVERNIA STUDIOS has provided comprehensive production and co-production services throughout the process. On the film set, the ALVERNIA STUDIOS team has cooperated closely with Piotr Lenar, the camera assistant, contributing the SONY F65 camera, the lenses, the grip, a lighting unit and generators. Colour correction, music recording and the final recording for the film have also taken place at ALVERNIA STUDIOS, including Dolby encoding.

The new album, recorded at ALVERNIA STUDIOS, is a series of songs and instrumental themes, inspired by frescoes discovered at the Mieroszewscy Palace in Kraków, dating back to mid-nineteenth century. The frescoes portrays the city’s surroundings and its important sites, such as Tenczyn, Tyniec or Ojców. The idyllic work of Józef Peszka, reminiscent of Italian painters’ decorative style, is set against the lyrics by Bronisław Maj, Horace and Turnau, which emphasize both fleeting and fragile nature of human affairs, while at the same time acknowledging the unavoidability of the passing of time. The music by Grzegorz Turnau creates a balanced tone between the high and the low, between the lyrical and the satirical, between sacrum and profanum.

Grzegorz Turnau has written and performed songs and compositions for over thirty years now (recorded for over twenty years). To date, he has released fifteen solo albums with his own music. Lyrics in his albums include poetry pieces by different authors, but also his own. He has also released a number of special-occasion records, and performed as guest vocal, music composer, author of lyrics and as pianist for over a dozen records. Turnau has also composed music for several dozen theatre performances, TV programmes and films. He has been awarded as many as 9 “Fryderyk” awards – the awards of the Polish music industry. He’s very active in concert tours, solo performances, duets, chamber ensambles but most of all, with his own band.
ALVERNIA STUDIOS is a unique complex of recording studios, designed to record all types of musical productions. Its studios have hosted, among others: Elliot Goldenthal, Don Davis, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Michael Price, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jonny Greenwood, Leszek Możdżer and Lakshminarayana Subramaniam.

Dawid Ogrodnik (awarded a prize during the recent Gdynia Film Festival for the supporting role as Tomek, in “Obietnica” [“The Promise”]), Piotr Głowacki (the winner of the Zbyszek Cybulski Prize) as Rudy, and Aleksandra Hamkało as Mikser, portray the roles of young musicians who, driven by dreams and bravado, decide to set up a discopolo band.

The role of Anka – Gensonina, a true diva and the biggest discopolo star, is portrayed by Joanna Kulig, who is partnered by Tomasz Kot, an award-winner at the recent Gdynia Film Festival, for his daring portrayal of Doctor Religa in Łukasz Palkowski’s “Bogowie” [“The Gods”].
In DISCOPOLO, Tomasz becomes the Polish owner of the biggest discopolo production studio in Poland, a powerful man without scruples, whose voice is decisive in the “to be or not to be” for the music industry.

The film’s supporting roles include, among others, Jacek Koman, Iwona Bielska, Janusz Chabior, Weronika Książkiewicz, as well as contemporary discopolo stars: Tomasz Niecik, Robert Klatt from “Classic” and Radosław Liszewski, the lead singer of “Weekend”.

During the 35 days of shooting, the film crew visited three regions: Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Pomeranian and Masovian. The last, spectacular scenes in the film were shot at multiple locations in Warsaw, including the observation deck of the Palace of Culture and Science as well as the Venecia Palace Hotel in Michałowice, near Warsaw.

DISCOPOLO is a dynamic, Tarantinoesquely ironic account of two, young, talented musicians who get to the top of the lists with bravado. It is also the story of the collective state of mind that was very much part of the early free-market reality in Poland, at the time when everything seemed possible.

In the words of the director, Maciej Bochniak, “In DISCOPOLO, we tell the stories of people, for whom their discopolo careers were the high point of their lives. People from provincial areas overnight became recognizable. They made a lot of money, they felt that here’s their American dream coming true. And to show it without judgments we decided to “boost” everything visually, in terms of colours, costumes, to re-paint it in such a way that the entire kitch of the 90s does not seem tacky or comical, but instead that the younger audiences, who don’t have any memories of that era, feel they’d love to go through something like that. Our bet is on a solid dose of entertainment – the type of film that combines multiple genres, all the way from a thriller to a comedy “.
The screenplay for DISCOPOLO was co-written by Maciej Bochniak and Mateusz Kościukiewicz, for whom it is his debut as a screenwriter.

The film premiere is scheduled for 2015.

During the Gdynia Film Festival BOGOWIE received as many as five statuettes: the Golden Lions, for best screenplay, best leading actor, for make-up and screenplay. Additionally, the film scooped five prizes outside the Festival regulations, including the important ones awarded by the audiences and the media.

“We are extremely pleased to have taken part in a movie project as special as this one. For the purposes of this film we recorded sound effects at five different hospitals all over Poland. A lot of emphasis was put on recreating the sound characteristics of the 80s and the sounds accompanying the operating rooms of the era, by recording the many different noises produced by medical equipment, cars and ambulances of that era”, says Michał Fojcik,  Head of Sound Postproduction / Sound Designer at ALVERNIA STUDIOS, who was responsible for sound in the film.

BOGOWIE – official trailer.