Venice is the story of an 11-year old Marek, whose dreams of a summer trip to Venice are brutally cut short by the outbreak of war in 1939. To escape the cruel realities of the world the boy hides in the basement of his aunt's villa. When one night the basement is flooded during a storm, the woman decides to distract the Marek's imagination by building a replica of Venice underneath her house. Kolski combines the brutal images of war with the dream-like qualities of a child's sensitivity and need for magic.

Venice is based on the novel by the venerated Polish novelist Włodzimierz Odojewski, often mentioned as the next candidate for the Nobel Prize in literature. 

Kolski is a leading Polish director of both feature and documentary films as well as theater plays.Since his debut film The Potato's Funeral in 1990, each new film by Kolski has been an eagerly awaited event, and he is one of the most awarded filmmakers at the Gdynia festival. Kolski is internationally recognized for films including Jańcio Wodnik (1993), The History of Cinema In Popielawy (1998), Far Away From The Window (2000), Pornography (2003), and Jasminum (2006). His signature style mixes magical and dream-like elements from fables or folk tales with images of reality. 

Kolski held national castings to find the perfect boy to play Marek, choosing Marcin Walewski, a young Polish actor who worked in television from a very young age. He is accompanied by Grażyna Błęcka-Kolska, the director's wife and frequent leading lady.

Venice was shot in September and October of 2009 . The movies is produced by Akson Studio (www.akson-studio.pl) in co-production with Telewizja Polska S.A.(www.tvp.pl) and Studio Filmowe Tramway (www.tramway.pl).The budget was 6.2 million PLN (EUR1.5 million)  with 3.5 million PLN financed by the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl). The film will open in Polish cinemas in the first quarter of 2011, distributed by ITI Cinema (www.iticinema.com.pl). 

Crew:
Director - Jan Jakub Kolski

Screenwriter - Jan Jakub Kolski

Cinematographer - Arkadiusz Reinhart

Music - Dariusz Górniok

Set design - Joanna Macha

Production manager - Wiesław Łysakowski

Producer - Michał Kwieciński

Production company - Akson Studio

Co-producers - Telewizja Polska S.A., Studiow Filmowe Tramway

Co - financing - Polish Film Institute

Distributor - ITI Cinema

Cast:
Marcin Walewski, Grażyna Błęcka-Kolska, Magdalena Cielecka, Julia Kijowska, Agnieszka Grochowska, Teresa Budzisz - Krzyżanowska, Michał Kwieciński

Production contact:

Akson Studio Sp. z o.o.

ul. Stępińska 22/30
00-739 Warszawa

NIP 521-341-70-63

tel. 022 840.68.34
fax 022 841.77.82

akson@mediafilm.pl