Outside the Box [Office] and The Orchard invite you and a guest to a special preview screening of

All These Sleepless Nights

About All These Sleepless Nights

Director's Statement

The idea for this movie arose out of a thought I had one cold morning in Warsaw: “Shit, How much time do I have left to make a movie about what it’s like to be young?” Only a few great filmmakers, irrespective of their age, have been able to show youth in all its crazy splendor. So in part I began working on this movie because I realized that the time in which I could embed myself among the young as one of them was slowly coming to an end.

The thing is, I can’t stand most movies about youth. Their problems and inner worlds usually seem so oversimplified. On the other hand, there was a kind of anger caused by the fact that what was happening around me did not have the adequate visual imagery that it deserved.

Twenty years after the fall of the wall, a new generation has emerged; one that embodies a distinct Warsaw identity that is both inspired and cool, free from the troubles of the past. You can see it in the clubs, in the music, in the way people spend time or converse. These individuals are becoming as unique as you can be in today’s globalized world. They represent a new, freer spirit of Warsaw, one that has just come into itself and one which would have been nearly impossible to imagine not so long ago.

In order to portray all this vibrancy of youth with its ephemeral moments of beauty I decided to make this film in a manner that combines all possible techniques of filmmaking. On the personal level, the entire crew and cast became a like mind that was always on the lookout to experience and to record an emotional moment. On the technical side, I for example engineered a camera rig from the ground up — a combination of a Steadicam and computerized gimbal which allowed me to operate for hours at a time in crowded spaces.

With a film like this it’s hard to say how much is staged and how much is real. It’s a question I can’t really answer and one that I don’t think I have to. Some people will see this as a documentary, others as fiction. I’ve never been keen on labels, for me this is just a film. A film that created its own distinct form and way to tell its story.

-- Michal Marczak

About the Guest

MICHAL MARCZAK (Director, Cinematographer)

Michal Marczak is a Polish director and cinematographer. He is the director of Fuck for Forest, which premiered at SXSW and was the most highly screened Polish documentary of 2013, having been theatrically released in a number of countries. It was chosen by the UK’s Dazed & Confused magazine as one of the “top ten most innovative documentaries of recent years.” Michal also directed At the Edge of Russia, which garnered him the HBO Emerging Artist Award and Filmmaker Award at Hot Docs as well as numerous other accolades at festivals worldwide.

About Outside the Box [Office]

Outside the Box [Office] is a weekly showcase for upcoming releases highlighting world cinema, documentary and independent film titles. Recognizing a need for greater diversity on campus, the series will draw from around the globe to present movies that may challenge, inspire or simply entertain.

To view the calendar of screenings, click here.

To SUBSCRIBE to our MAILING LIST for upcoming free screenings and events, e-mail the word "Subscribe" to: aago@cinema.usc.edu

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Check-In & Reservations

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. Please bring a valid USC ID or print out of your reservation confirmation, which will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 6:30 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Parking

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is located at 900 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Parking passes may be purchased for $12.00 at USC Entrance Gate #5, located at the intersection of W. Jefferson Blvd. & McClintock Ave. We recommend Parking Structure D, at the far end of 34th Street. Metered street parking is also available along Jefferson Blvd.

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: aago@cinema.usc.edu