my dear quarantine

"My dear quarantine" is a short, simple story from the time of pandemic–a poetic view of isolation, loneliness and boredom.

The inspiration for the film came during the complete lockdown, when many of us suffered from being closed up in concrete cubes. At the same time, however, something extraordinary happened: wild animals all over the world, intrigued by the sudden silence and peace, visited city centers. Animals walked the city streets, looked into the houses through windows and fences, got to know the charms of the playgrounds and–apparently–had a lot of fun. Their curiosity and innocence contrasted with our loneliness and fears, my dear quarantine portrays that special, poetic moment.

This project is the animation debut of puppeteer and theatre director Ewa Maria Wolska, who, as all theatre people around the globe, couldn’t work in live theatre, or meet with audiences during the last year. This film was made in her own apartment, which was converted into a home animation studio.

  • Ewa Maria Wolska
    Director
  • Magdalena Parszewska
    Postproduction
  • Pimon Lekler
    Music, sound
  • Ewa Maria Wolska
    script, set design, puppets, animation, photos, montage
  • Project Type:
    Animation
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 19 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 26, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    1,760 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Poland
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Vesuvius International Monthly Film Fest

    Italy
    Best Animated Short Film
  • POUR FAIRE COURT
    Lyon
    France
    February 4, 2021
    Finalist
  • Golden Sparrow International Film Festival

    India
    Best Animated Short Film
Director Biography - Ewa Maria Wolska

Ewa Maria Wolska – puppeteer, theatre director, stop-motion animator. She graduated from Theatre Direction at the Theatre Academy in Warsaw, Puppetry Art Department in Bialystok as well as from Polish Philology and Cultural Studies in the University of Lodz. She founded Teatr FRAKTAL (FRACTAL Theatre), that creates original, poetic and intimate theatre forms. Her works are known for their rich visuality and experimenting with sounds by creating special musical instruments for each performance.
Her most important performances are « Adventures of Peddy Button » by Stefan Themerson (Pinokio Theatre in Lodz), « Pomelo is in love, with the frog, the rain and many more » (FRACTAL Theare) inspired by the book of R. Badescu and B. Chaud, « Biba Fish » (FRACTAL Theare) inspired by “Tales from the Deep Sea” by Monika Kompaníkova and performance dedicated to blind kids “Nothing, Wild Ant, Adam and Eve” by Malina Prześluga (Animation Theatre in Poznań). During pandemic she created her first animated films: „my dear quarantine” (she won 12 awards on international film festivals for it) and „small. quite small” (Grand Prix of the International Puppetry Video Campaign, UNIMA Korea).
Ewa Maria Wolska won the Reward of the Author’s Association ZAiKS at the 8. Forum of Young Directors, Stanisław Wyspiański Academy of Theatrical Arts, Kraków 2018; Reccomendation of the Artistic Committee for the program of theater tours – Teatr Polska in 2019 and Scholarships: from the President of Białystok (2015 and 2018), the President of the City of Lodz (2019) and the Ministery of Culture and National Heritage (2019).

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Director Statement

In my art I try to find and express the poetry of life, the unexpected, the weird, the unknown… I’m especially interested in the delicate matter of our emotions, both their power and and their charming complications. I dream about my viewers’ tears and believe in the power of katharsis.