Starring: Marek Sosenko
Directed by: 3czwarty.eu
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Welcome to the world of Marek Sosenko, the greatest collector of antique toys in Poland. Sosenko, alias ‘the Emperor of the Collectors,’ boasts playthings commissioned for German Kaiser Wilhelm II and Polish artist Stanisław Wyspiański among many other rare items in his collection. Krakow-based artists’ collective 3czwarty.eu (‘3quarters’) has created a cinematic tribute to Sosenko in the form of a semi-animated documentary using live-action scenes manipulated in post-production.
Zabawki cesarza (The Emperor’s Toys) once again demonstrates the love of inanimate objects typical of the Polish school of animation. The collective’s technical efforts in bringing Marek’s antiques to life are remarkable, especially considering their relative inexperience. The parade of toys is preceded by a short visual insight into the collector’s everyday life, with Marek shown hunting for bibelots (knick-knacks) in Krakow’s Hala Targowa flea market. From this perspective, The Emperor’s Toys is also the story of an overriding and selfless passion to collect and preserve relics of childhood for no personal gain.
The Emperor’s Toys is only one of the many short films that have recently received production support from The Munk Studio on behalf of the Polish Filmmakers Association. Marek Sosenko’s life deserves, however, to be featured in a full-length documentary.
Originally published by The Krakow Post on August 03, 2012