Simona

"The story of the woman who fought to protect Europe's oldest forest."

2022 1h 31m PL

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 2

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ida, the grandniece of Simona Kossak, travels to the Bialowieza Forest at the Polish-Belarussian border. Sorting through the photos left by Lech Wilczek, Ida uncovers the life he had with Simona, captured in the photographs, footage and memories. A moving and powerful documentary about the life of Simona Kossak, a biologist, ecologist and activist known for her efforts to preserve the remnants of natural ecosystems in Poland and for living among the animals in the Białowieża Forest for over 30 years.

“The story of the woman who fought to protect Europe's oldest forest.”

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Cast

Simona Kossak
Self (archive foorage)
Lech Wilczek
Self
Joanna Kossak
Self
Ida Matysek
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Natalia Koryncka-Gruz
Writers: Natalia Koryncka-Gruz
Languages: Polish
Countries: Poland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Natalia Koryncka-Gruz, shot by Krystian Matysek. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex Gruz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marceli Majer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Simona Kossak and Lech Wilczek and Joanna Kossak carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The story of the woman who fought to protect Europe's oldest forest.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt19849852 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Natalia Koryncka-Gruz directs. Krystian Matysek behind the camera. Alex Gruz scores. Marceli Majer cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Poland. Dialogue in Polish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 4 years ago.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Natalia Koryncka-Gruz, shot by Krystian Matysek. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alex Gruz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Marceli Majer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Simona Kossak and Lech Wilczek and Joanna Kossak carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The story of the woman who fought to protect Europe's oldest forest.".
8IMDB entry: tt19849852 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "human vs nature", "climate change", "love of animals", "wild animal".