Roman Polanski: Short Films with Live Music by Sza/Za

This program features the early short film work of Roman Polanski accompanied by live music by the electroacoustic duo Sza/Za. Between 1958 and 1962, the acclaimed director and Academy Award–winner made a series of short films, most at the renowned Polish Lódz Film School. From playful filmmaking exercises (Murder and Teeth Smile) to the metaphorical (Break Up the Dance, Mammals) to his award-winning graduation film Two Men and a Wardrobe (SFIFF 1958), these films together offer a glimpse of a young filmmaker formulating his artistic concerns. Polanski's trademarks—a meticulous, crisp directorial style and predilection for examining grotesque and often disturbing themes—appear in these early works and would later undergo further development in such masterpieces as Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist. These shorts reveal Polanski’s surreal and dark style, his masterful storytelling ability and his tireless search for the truth about human nature, however crooked and evil it may be.

Let’s not talk about the rapist the criminal as he belongs in jail.