First Trailer for Poland’s ‘Woman of…’ Telling the Story of Trans Woman
by Alex Billington
September 29, 2023
Source: YouTube
“I feel this pull to the other side.” Memento International has unveiled an early promo trailer for the Polish film called Woman of…, originally known as Kobieta z… in Polish (which is also a direct translation to Woman Of). The film initially premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival a few weeks ago, playing in the Main Competition. It was one of my favorite films of the festival, and I wrote a positive review of it to bring some extra attention to it. The film tells the entire life story of a trans woman named Aniela, starting from her young life as a boy growing up in Poland during their transition away from communist rule, through her own coming out and eventual life as a woman. Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik stars as Aniela, with a cast including Joanna Kulig (seen in Cold War), Bogumila Bajor, and Mateusz Wieclawek. This is a rather odd trailer that doesn’t actually properly capture how beautiful and moving this film is, showing us the entire life of one person and all that they’ve been through. It’s a fine first look intro for this film at least.
Here’s the first promo trailer (+ poster) for Englert & Szumowska’s Woman of…, from YouTube:
Original synopsis from Venice: “Set against the landscape of the Polish transformation from communism to capitalism, Kobieta z… (Woman of…) spans 45 years of the life of Aniela Wesoły and her journey to find personal liberty as a trans woman. She faces hardships in family life and the complicated attitudes in her environment. What choices will Aniela have to make to become who she truly is?” Woman of…, also known as Kobieta z… originally in Polish, is co-written and co-directed by acclaimed Polish filmmakers Michal Englert & Malgorzata Szumowska (also of Happy Man, Elles, In the Name Of, Body, Mug, The Other Lamb), both co-directors of the films Never Gonna Snow Again and Infinite Storm previously. Produced by Gregory Jankilevitsch, Katarzyna Jordan-Kulczyk, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, Bogna Szewczyk-Skupien, Englert & Szumowska. This initially premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival in the Main Competition (read our review). No other international release dates are set yet – stay tuned for updates. Who’s curious?
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