Monika Martini-Madej

A film from the "Impressions" series, made using classic animation techniques – pastel drawings on paper. The director's debut and diploma at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Poznań under the supervision of Prof. Kazimierz Urbański. The film's composition uses selected portraits by Witkacy from his "Portrait Company." The director refers to Witkacy's "cosmic imagination" by showing animated portraits on a visualization of Earth "stolen" from the Universe.

A long, long time ago, or maybe not so long ago... Beyond the mountains, beyond the forests, or perhaps somewhere nearby... poor Susan went into service to a greedy farmer. Every day from dawn till dusk, for a roof over her head and a slice of bread, she grazed geese and a cow. One day, she saw Toad, who couldn't bring himself to the water. Susan carried him to the river. To her surprise, Toad emerged a moment later as the Drowned King. He invited Susan to his underwater kingdom. He wanted to reward her for her help, but Susan asked only that the water never flood the surrounding fields and meadows again. When Susan returned to her cell, she discovered that the Drowned had given her gold. The greedy farmer forced Susan to tell him where she had obtained such wealth. She ran to the river and demanded the gold for herself. However, the Drowned King had a surprise in store for him...

The unusual atmosphere of Fantaisie Impromptu, in which anxiety gives way to subtle reverie, is conveyed through a sequence of dreamlike, poetic scenes. A cloud of black birds emerges from the piano keys. A ballerina dances to the sounds of Chopin's piece; the woman breaks away from the ground and swirls with the birds in the air. The music allows her to transcend the boundaries of the real world.