Aleksander is a Polish writer-director, currently based in Kraków, Poland. He has written several feature and short screenplays both in Polish and English, and recently he has completed a new 6 episode mini-series that he plans to further develop and produce in Poland. So far he has directed six short films across different genres and themes, five of them in Ireland, that have been selected and screened at over 50 festivals across Europe, Asia and US, receiving a few wins and nominations, most notably for the Best Cinematography and Best Editing at 2018 Warsaw Grand OFF Festival, but also nominations for Best Screenplay and Directing at festivals in Ireland. Aleksander has also gained valuable experience working in a camera department on a feature drama “You’re Ugly Too” and he has also worked as script supervisor on a few student short films. Currently, Aleksander, together with his team, works on developing two new short films, including a proof of concept short for the mini-series, as well as a new high-concept thriller feature screenplay that he hopes to set in motion after completing the upcoming short films.
Director Statement
“Road Games” is a mystery thriller that takes us on a journey into the unknown, following a chance meeting of three characters, each of them clearly holding onto some past, each of them convinced they have the upper hand. Through this story I wanted to play with a genre and this type of story set up expectations, that we may intuitively have, and instead set us on a guessing game, knowing that, when it comes to other people, there is always more than what meets the eye, which is the same true for us in real life like for our characters, as it turns out…
Even though I’m not discussing this openly through this story, what has drawn me to it is that, deeper down, I’m fascinated with the ‘psychopath issue’ – that is the horrible impact that psychopaths, most often white collar criminals, have on society, but also philosophical consequences of what we know about the issue today, namely what the society can and should do about it, knowing that the lack of empathy and many other disturbing symptoms of psychopathy is predominantly of genetic origin.
Sometimes in life it is the good things that amplify each other, to a greater effect, but that can be also true for negative amplification, so hold your breath because the worst may yet to come…
Crime/Mystery Film & Writing Festival 