Letters from Wolf Street

Official selection

A street in downtown Warsaw is the focus of this witty and personal portrait of Poland. Arjun Talwar came here for his studies, but years later, still has trouble fitting in."Wolf Street" — or "Ulica Wilcza" — hasn't made it easy for him. In an attempt to accelerate his integration, the director begins filming his neighbours, testing his relationships with them, while seeking ways to overcome his own alienation. With the help of his friend Mo, another immigrant turned filmmaker, Arjun uncovers the hidden mysteries of the street, revealing a web of charming characters. He finds others like himself, people who live between past and present, between an imagined homeland and a real one: a quick-witted postman, who along with letters delivers remedies for loneliness, an exile from Damascus building a replica of his hometown, and a wandering brass band. The street,like an invisible thread, connects them all, offering its solace against the melancholy of everyday life. From within its kilometre-long confines, an image of modern Europe forms, exposing a kaleidoscope of contradictions and anxieties. The film throws stereotypes to the wind, as it tries to navigate the fictitious boundaries between neighbours. Poland, known for being homogeneous and unwelcoming, is faced with a mirror, held up by a foreigner-filmmaker.