Send us Fan Mail

On this episode of Indie Film Weekly, Glen Reynolds and Jason Connell speak with filmmaker Kasia Adamik about Winter of the Crow, a political thriller set in Warsaw during martial law in 1981, starring Lesley Manville as British professor Joan who witnesses a secret-police murder and becomes trapped in a shut-down country.

Adamik explains the film’s long development from adapting Olga Tokarczuk’s seven-page novel, the challenge of capturing Tokarczuk’s absurdity and humor, and the decision to tell the story subjectively rather than with detailed political factography. She describes changing the protagonist from male to female after earlier script versions stalled, which clarified Joan’s vulnerability, ambiguity with students, and Thatcher-era context.

Adamik details recreating 1981 Warsaw largely in Luxembourg with slightly exaggerated realism influenced by Brazil, using Polaroids as proof and a “reality check,” and reflecting on her storyboard career before discussing the film’s themes of normalized oppression, lost freedoms, empathy, and audience reactions after its Toronto premiere.

Winter of the Crow opened in limited theaters October 9.

00:00 Show Intro and Setup
00:55 Origins of the Adaptation
02:53 Tokarczuk Tone and Subjective Approach
04:44 Why Joan Became a Woman
08:06 Casting Lesley Manville
10:09 Building Warsaw 1981
13:03 Polaroids as Proof and Paranoia
14:53 From Storyboards to Directing
16:29 Themes of Oppression and Empathy
18:38 Festival Premiere and Audience Reactions
20:49 Quick Cuts Moviegoing Q&A
24:03 Final Cut and Where to Watch

Get the free Indie Film Weekly newsletter here - https://newsletter.CircusRoadFilms.com/

Companies:
Circus Road Films - https://www.CircusRoadFilms.com/
Just Curious Media - https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/

Listen:
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/indie-film-weekly/id1786274754
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7i8CzZ19BfM6lRfFAobxRu?si=29bf8ec6da5b44d0
Buzzsprout - https://IndieFilmWeekly.buzzsprout.com/

Watch:
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@IndieFilmWeekly

Connect:
Glen Reynolds - Glen@CircusRoadFilms.com
Indie Film Weekly - https://www.instagram.com/CircusRoadFilms/

#indiefilmweekly #independentfilm #indiemovies #filmreviews #movierecommendations #circusroadfilms #justcuriousmedia #glenreynolds