“Minghun” by Jan P. Matuszyński will open the New Horizons festival. A film about trying to cope with loss through the titular ritual, which can bring solace, will be one of several opening films of this year's festival edition.

“Minghun” – what is the film about?

“Minghun” is described as Jan P. Matuszyński's most personal work. The film, based on the script by Grzegorz Łoszewski, tells the story of a father who, after the loss of his daughter, tries to cope with grief together with his father-in-law. The men decide to perform the Chinese minghun ritual, hoping that this action will bring them relief. Matuszyński's film is a story about hope, love, and the search for the meaning of life and what comes after it. It talks about the most important emotions and the existential limits of human experience. The film ironically confronts us with loss, our own beliefs, and spirituality. It is a moving and sensitive film that talks about the most important values ​​in human life, giving the viewer what is most needed in our times - hope.

“Minghun” touches on the topic of losing a loved one and searching for the meaning of life with subtle irony. It is a story about the meeting of cultures, love, and new beginnings. The characters set off on a metaphorical journey into themselves,  full of emotional turmoil, the aim of which is to find the perfect eternal partner for the deceased. The clash of two very different cultures is intended to help both the film characters and the viewer realize that, regardless of our origins, we all belong to one human family where basic emotions are common.

“Minghun” – creators and cast

The author of the script is Grzegorz Łoszewski, who wrote such works as: “The Collector” and “Shameless” . Jan P. Matuszyński directed the film, and the cast included  such actors as: Marcin Dorociński, Daxing Zhang, Natalia Bui, Antek Sztaba, Ewelina Starejki, Wiktoria Gorodeckaja, Fenfen Huang, Kwong Loke, Yuk Han, Brid Ni Neachtain.

The photos were taken by Kacper Fertacz (“Hardkor Disko”, “Leave no Traces”, the series “The King of Warsaw”), the set design by Joanna Kaczyńska, and the costumes by Emilia Czartoryska. Pola Guźlińska was responsible for the make-up, and Jarosław Bajdowski was responsible for the sound. The film  was edited by Leszek Starzyński. The production managers were Weronika Pacewicz and Dariusz Kłodowski.

The film was produced by Wonder Films, a studio composed of winners of the most important Polish and international film awards and great cinema hits: Klaudiusz Frydrych (“Jack Strong”, “Dogs 3. In the Name of The Rules", “The Vulture”), Krzysztof Rak (“Corpus Christi”, “Gods”, “The Art of Loving. The story of Michalina Wislocka”), and Inga Kruk (“Mug”, “In the Name of”). The film's co-producers are: Canal+ Polska, TVP, City Culture Institute - Operator of the Gdańsk Film Fund, Gdynia Film Center, DI Factory and Dreamsound. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

The Polish distributor of the film is Kino Świat.