Inland Empire — directed by David Lynch, France/USA/Poland 2006, 180'

We invite you to the second meeting as part of the second part of the series {Shutter Conversations}, film screenings combined with discussion, whose starting point is psychoanalysis.

The Inland Empire screening will be accompanied by a discussion led by the originator of the series, Justyna Dworczyk. Our guest will be Dr. Piotr Schollenberger.

Inland Empire is the story of actress Nikki Grace (Laura Dern in one of the best roles of her career) who, after receiving a role in a new film, finds herself in a world full of mystery, surrealism and unanswered questions that Lynch has accustomed us to in his previous productions. The creation of the Inland Empire is directly related to David Lynch's visit to the Camerimage Festival in Lodz in 2003. At that time, the director realized a short study “The Green Room in Łódź”, which became the starting point for his later full-length film.

Pictures for the Inland Empire were shot, among others, in Łódź and Warsaw. Polish artists took part in the project — Karolina Gruszka and Krzysztof Majchrzak appear in acting roles, and Krzysztof Penderecki's compositions were used in the soundtrack. The Polish part of the shooting brought a unique atmosphere to the film. The austere urban spaces of Łódź and Warsaw fit perfectly into Lynch's surreal aesthetic. The director worked intuitively, often without a script, experimenting with the image and form. Shortly after its release in 2006, the film received a mixed reception, but it has gained recognition among critics and viewers over the past few years.

{Shutter Talks} is a series of film screenings combined with discussion. Psychoanalysis — as in the case of other works of art — is a rich instrument for film to study and unravel the phenomena undertaken by cinema. The error to which the human psyche is often subjected can sometimes be explained with the help of a psychoanalytic network of concepts. Common reflection and discussion can be an attempt to explore the functions and meanings of the title veil that is the work, whether it serves to defend, reveal, or capture what eludes simple readings. Meetings with spectators with the participation of invited guests are conducted by Justyna Dworczyk.

Justyna Dworczyk is a certified therapist of the Polish Psychological Society, a candidate of the Polish Psychoanalytic Society, a doctor in the field of film and theater arts, a graduate of the State Higher School of Television and Theater Film. He works in Warsaw and runs the Konteksty centre. Place of Psychotherapy.

Piotr Schollenberger, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Department of Aesthetics, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw. He deals with phenomenology and the tradition of phenomenological aesthetics, as well as the theory of art, in particular contemporary art. He has published two monographs devoted to the phenomenology of art and post-phenomenology: “The Limits of the Cognition of Aesthetic Experience” (Warsaw 2014) and “Uniqueness and Event. Studies in the aesthetics of Lyotard” (Warsaw 2019). Co-editor of the works “Phenomenon and performance. French Phenomenological Aesthetics. Assumptions/applications/contexts” (Warsaw 2012), “The actuality of Kant aesthetics” (Toruń 2016), “Horizons of aesthetics” (Warsaw 2021).