Embraced by almost 2 million Poles, “The Peasants” is one of the three highest-rated films in the history of Polish cinema (with a rating of 8.1 on the FILMWEB portal).

The film premiered in British cinemas in December 2023 and is now also available online on platforms such as Amazon Prime, SKY, Virgin Media, Apple TV, and Youtube Movies & TV.

The film can be watched with subtitles or dubbing.

More information about the availability of the film online HERE.

“Chłopi” (The Peasants), like “Loving Vincent,” was created using the technique of painterly animation. However, the two films differ significantly from each other.

One half of the films directing duo, DK Welchman explains: “The scale of the two films is incomparable. Loving Vincent is an intimate film, with many static shots and dialogues. The Peasants is a true spectacle. The film features impressive dance scenes, battles.”

The technique of painterly animation extended the film’s production process from about two years to over five, but it allowed the team behind it to present the Polish literary classic in a completely new light, emphasizing its timelessness, picturesque nature, and subtle human emotions.

Initially, the BreakThru Films studio filmed the movie with actors. A plethora of Polish stars participated in “The Peasants”, including Mirosław Baka, Ewa Kasprzyk, Andrzej Konopka, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Maciej Musiał, Dorota Stalińska, Julia Wieniawa and Kamila Urzędowska in the lead role of Jagna.

Then, over 100 painters in four studios in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Serbia painted oil paintings on canvas, which became key frames in the film. The artists devoted over 230,000 hours of work. Animators supplemented the shots painted by the painters to ensure the fluidity and visual appeal of the entire film.

Watch the film trailer below:

THE ART OF THE YOUNG POLAND MOVEMENT

The film was made based on the paintings of painters from the Young Poland artistic period, which perfectly captures the mood of the novel. BreakThru Films collected hundreds of artistic inspirations that became the basis for the film’s visual style. On the big screen, interpretations of works by artists such as Józef Chełmoński, Julian Fałat, or Ferdynand Ruszczyc appear.

FOLK MUSIC

Rich film music played exclusively on authentic folk instruments combined with animated painting creates an incredibly rich and colorful artistic project. The soundtrack for “The Peasants” was created by some of Poland’s best and most popular contemporary artists such as Kayah, Kwiat Jabłoni, Ralph Kaminski, Apolonia Nowak, Dagadana, Lor, Laboratorium Pieśni, Sutari, Tęgie Chłopy, Maria Pomianowska, Julia Wieniawa, Bela Komoszyńska, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, T.ETNO, but also Ukrainian artists (Vyrij Choir) and Belarusian bagpiper Vital Voronau under the baton of L.U.C & the Rebel Babel Film Orchestra. The film music won the Fryderyk and Eagle awards.

Watch the clip – Autumn – Dance – L.U.C. & RB Film Orchestra ft. Kayah, Dagadana, Laboratorium Pieśni, Tęgie Chłopy, which has already been viewed by over 9 million people: