Sara Sulej Director / Writer

https://filmfreeway.com/SaraSulej
I grew up in an artistic household. My dad is an actor, and my mum was a Polish teacher who
loved all kinds of art — theater, visual arts, and music. As a child, I watched plays like 'Hamlet'
and 'The Master and Margarita.' I'm not sure if it was good or bad for a child to watch such
intense performances, but that experience is deeply rooted in me. I believe that without that
exposure, I wouldn't be the person I am today, and I genuinely like myself. I've always felt
destined for the artistic world because, honestly, I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to do anything
else.

I began working on 'Patchwork Family' over three years ago. At that time, I was a completely
different person with no experience as a movie director and producer. Now, I can see what I
could have done better or differently, but I appreciate and love my work, this experience, this
adventure so much. Sometimes, I think that my naive and profound faith in this project was my
biggest asset, and this movie was meant to happen to me.
When the idea came to me, I was living in Poland in a world gripped by a pandemic. I don't
know what kind of force inspired me to write a message to a band I only knew from YouTube,
asking if I could make a movie about them, but I did. They came back to me in the same week,
saying, 'That sounds great!' At that moment, I thought that was the hardest part, and I was so
happy that they agreed even though they didn't know me at all. The most challenging part was,
of course, the financial aspect—looking for sponsors. Unfortunately, the thriving pandemic
made it even more challenging. All potential funders were hesitant to get involved in foreign
projects.
It's hard to believe how all of this happened, but I know it wouldn't have worked without the
immense trust of my crew, the band, and the support from my family and friends, for which I
am incredibly grateful.

I am currently still involved in 'Patchwork Family,' which has not premiered yet. My focus is on
showcasing all the projects I have completed so far. The premieres for 'Queer Day,' my very first
short movie, and 'Good Craic' in Galway at Little Cinema have already taken place. I have an
idea for my next short feature, which I am slowly putting onto paper.
I aim to expand on the story from 'Queer Day' but in a less depressing and more darkly
humorous way. This short film served as an assessment for my media production course, and I
was constrained by time and deadlines. Now, I want to explore the topic in unconventional
ways, as it is remarkably close to my heart.
4.
I would say “Patchwork Family” because (and I am sorry I cannot put it any other way than Irish
slang) Galway Street Club is such a good craic. When you see a movie, you understand why. It is
not possible to share one story connected with these guys they all one, big, amazing story.
But the most memorable story would be when I was at a festival with them in Waterford.
Although “memorable” is not the best description I’d say. They had one gig in Waterford after
“All Together Now” where I joined them. They had a hostel but there was no room for me, so
the plan was that I’ll sneak with them and would be sleeping on the cough. During the day it
turned out that there is another extra room, so I was sorted. That’s what I thought. We went
back to the hostel late and drunk. The receptionist gave me a two keys and said: Those two
room are free, choose whatever. So, I choose. Nobody went back to the room because we were
still drinking and playing some music. When I wanted to go to sleep it turned out that
somebody was in “my room”. Eventually I had to borrow smelly sleepy bag and sleep on the
couch. That was a time that I was consistently sleeping on couches because I was homeless. I
find it funny that even If I had a choice, I took occupied room, probably at that moment
couches were my destiny.
 

My roots as an artist lie in the theater. My learned profession is set design, mostly for theaters,
and for most of my life, I believed that the theater was the place I was meant to be. As I
mentioned, my dad is an actor, and as a child, I often went with my mom to watch him perform
on stage. I developed a love for theater arts through my mom, while I watched movies with my
dad. I distinctly remember buying 'Dead Man' in an old bookstore in Lodz. I had no idea about
the director; I bought it simply because Johnny Depp was on the cover. When I showed my dad
what I bought, he told me about Jim Jarmusch. That was the first movie I saw from this director,
and at once, I fell in love with his style and his work. From that point on, I started watching
everything Jarmusch created.
Jim Jarmusch is my hero, but I would say I draw inspiration for my stories mostly from
situations that happened to me. The idea for 'Good Craic' came to me when I was working as a
housekeeper in a hotel. I was having a bad day, and admittedly, I wasn't the best cleaner.
Someone asked me if I worked there, and at that moment, it struck me as the most ridiculous
question someone could ask a person in a housekeeping uniform in a hotel. The plot for 'Good
Craic' originated from this situation and my deep fascination with Irish slang.
 

My recent project is 'Good Craic.' Me and my amazing crew, who are also my friends, and I
filmed it in June of this year. It was a two-day shoot, and while it was very intense work, it was
also an incredibly good time. This was my second time working with actors on set, and once
again, I discovered how much I love working as a director, especially when I'm working with
such a talented team.
On all my movies, I have taken on the roles of director and producer, but moving forward, I
would love to focus more on my work as a director and writer. This is where I find the greatest
joy, fun, and satisfaction. It's my plan for the future to do more of this. I've realized, not for the
first time, that working with actors and text is what I am meant to do.

During my adventure as a set designer, I had the opportunity to collaborate with incredible
individuals from the theater industry in Poland, such as Agata Duda-Gracz, Jan Klata, Agata
Skwarczyńska, and Radosław Rychcik. These experiences taught me a lot about life, in general,
and helped me discover my own path. I am truly grateful for that.

I’m in contact with Volunteer Galway. I'm working on video promotion for them.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/galway-volunteer-centre/

Why was theater your first career choice, and do you plan to return to the theater industry,
either as a director or a set designer?
When you're a kid, and everybody asks you that seemingly trivial question: 'Who do you want
to be in the future?' I usually responded with; actor, model, painter. At that time, I wasn't even
sure what these professions entailed. I was about five years old. Eventually, I decided to find a
genuine answer to this question. So, I started by asking myself: Is there a place in this world
where you feel happy? The answer was yes—Theater. That became my answer. While I still
didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, I knew where I wanted to be. I chose to become a set
designer, thinking that I wasn't good enough to be a director.
During my time at the Academy, I had the opportunity to direct my own play. Before the first
rehearsal with actors, who were also my friends, I felt immense stress. I had no idea what to do.
However, when I was on stage with the actors, words just flowed naturally, and in one moment,
I knew exactly what I wanted to say and what I needed from them. It felt like magic. That
moment means everything to me. Theater holds a special place in my heart, and even it was a
bitch, I know I'll find my way back to it somehow, at some point.

https://www.minds.com/Talon123/blog/interviews-with-an-infamous-clinton-r-siegle-1140340962022912000