Szamota‘s Mistress

Brief Synopsis:
Short feature film about a young, polish catholic named Szamota. He feels an obsessive affection to the rich beauty of the town, Jadwiga Kalergis. He’s never spoken to her. And he didn’t tell anybody of that. Suddenly this woman writes him and invites him to a rendezvous. He can’t hardly understand his luck. A journey to his very own sexual wishes and affections begins until the dismay comes …

Inspired by a classic novela of the greatest author of fantastic fiction in the Polish language Stefan Grabinski, written in 1919.

35mm (parts shot in S-8mm); Colour and b/w; 1:1,66; Dolby SR; 16 min 35 sec (481 meters);
Germany 1998-2000

Script: Holger Mandel inspired by Stefan Grabinski
Producer and Director: Holger Mandel
Music: Hermann Beesten jr.
Production manager: Anja Däbritz
Cinematographers: Jürgen Jürges (35mm), Ralf H. Schlotter (S-8mm)
Editors: Bärbel Lehmann (35mm), Peter Klum (Avid)
Art Directors: Felicitas Schnatmann, Pik Yu Chan
Costumes: Jeannette Seydler
Make-up artists: Ela Bumbul, Thomas Bensch
Sound recordists: Boris Jöns, Wolfgang Schmidt
Sound mixer: Holger Rogge

Cast:
Holger Mandel (Szamota/young man), Katrin (Wilhelmine) Horschig (Jadwiga), Silva Finger (young woman), Falko Freitag (Trustee), Eva Ebner (Woman with baby carriage) a.o.

Festivals (selection):
1999 5th Calcutta Film Festival (India)
1999 14. Mainzer Filmfest (Germany)
2001 XXI Oporto International Film Festival/Fantasporto (Portugal)
2004 5. Kurzfilmfestival Landshut (Germany)

TV Broadcast:
2001 – licensed by the french-german tv-channel ARTE for screenings in the “Short-circuit” magazin

Generously supported by:
Dr. Joachim Mandel,
Filmboard Berlin-Brandenburg,
Kuratorium junger deutscher Film,
Studio Babelsberg Independents