“The Peasants”

THE PEASANTS tells the story of Jagna, a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village — a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by pride in their land, adherence to colorful traditions and a deep-rooted patriarchy. When Jagna finds herself caught between the conflicting desires of the village’s richest farmer, his eldest son and other leading men of the community, her resistance puts her on a tragic collision course with the community around her.

This film was produced using the painted animation technique over the production of five years, similar to the film, Loving Vincent. Initially the film was shot with the actors, and then more than a hundred painters in four studios in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Serbia painted oil paintings based on the shots, which became frames in the film. Animators then worked to supplement the paintings to make the whole film seamless. The artists spent over 200,000 hours in total working on the project.

The Welchmans have created a gorgeous film which is divided into all four seasons. Especially breathtaking are the landscape vistas and shots of nature, which are made even more stunning with the painted animation.

– Jeanne Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan