The Kraków and Małopolska Fairy Tale
A beautiful, mysterious girl, a ball, a clock striking midnight, a prince in love and a lost slipper - who does not know the story?! Małoposka and Kraków decided to present a new version of the story of Cinderella and use it to promote the city in Poland and abroad.
“The fairy tale convention used to promote Kraków and Małopolska is in line with the concept of the advertising activities of the Polish Tourist Organization (POT). It is a perfect complement to our campaign promoting Poland, which has been carried out around the world for the last several months,” says Bartłomiej Walas, Vice President of POT. “I am sure that the Kraków and Małopolska spot will strengthen our message and convince the audience that our country is simply worth visiting,” emphasizes Bartłomiej Walas.
We would like to remind you that in 2013, POT carried out a campaign (outdoor, press) under the slogan “Poland - come and find your story”, in which fairy tale characters known all around the world for their costumes or gestures were presented against the background of Polish landscapes and buildings. The creators of the campaign wanted to show, among others things, that a trip to Poland will provide visitors with an unforgettable experience that will always remain in their memory - just like we remember childhood fairy tales.
“While working on the concept of the new campaign promoting the city of Kraków, we decided to invite POT and MOT to cooperate and make use of the fairy tale convention in their advertising activities. Hence, the idea of making the main character of one of the most popular fairy tales the "ambassador" of the capital of Małopolska,” explains Magdalena Sroka, Deputy Mayor of the City of Kraków for Culture and Promotion. And she adds that the most important idea was to show the unique atmosphere that you can feel when visiting Kraków and Małopolska. “We did not want to present the viewer with a series of images of dozens of places, but to engage him in the story, arouse interest and emotions, so that after seeing the spot, he would think “This is it? I would like to see more ...”
Alicja Bachleda-Curuś as Cindirella
The storyline of the new promotional spot about Kraków and Małopolska makes use of the most distinctive fragment of the Cinderella fairy tale, the ball – including the journey to the ball and the famous scene of escape and losing the slipper. The setting for the fabulous events are: Dunajec and Pieniny (Cinderella’s journey to the ball), Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków (ball scenes), the Castle in Pieskowa Skała (escape from the ball) and the Main Market Square in Kraków (reunion with the Prince).
It should be noted, however, that the story of Cinderella was only an inspiration for the storywriters of the promotional film - the spot was not intended as a faithful screen adaptation. Therefore, Cinderella in Kraków does not go to the ball in a carriage, but by boat, and the action takes place in winter (this is a reference to another well-known fairy tale – “The Snow Queen”, which is used as part of the POT campaign promoting Małopolska).
The character of Cinderella is played by a famous actress, who comes from Małopolska, Alicja Bachleda-Curuś. What does she say about her performance in the spot? “It is a great adventure for me - the idea of using the story of Cinderella seemed very interesting, especially that Kraków is, undoubtedly, a “fairy tale” city. We cannot deny that every little girl dreams about being a princess.”
A fairy tale story and film dynamics
The “magic” of the Kraków and Małopolska spot is not limited to the fact that the plot is based on fragments of a well-known fairy tale. The fairy tale effect was also reinforced by the choice of the techniques and film equipment. So-called anamorphic lenses were used in the production of the spot - which allow to create the impression of “fairy tale images”. The material was recorded on a film tape (not in digital format), which gave the spot a true film character. The specific style and dynamics of the spot complement the rest, making it look like a movie trailer. The soundtrack is also important – with an original fragment of “Bajka” by Stanisław Moniuszko.
All this, combined with the slogan “Małopolska Kraków. Come and find your story” (referring directly to the POT “fairy tale” campaign), provides the audience with a picture of an amazing, beautiful story that may be experienced by everyone who decides to visit Kraków and other picturesque places in Małopolska.
The campaign on foreign markets
An advertising spot, featuring a famous Polish actress, will be shown from 9th March on CNN (covering Europe, USA, the Middle East, Asia and Africa). The foreign campaign is carried out jointly by the city of Kraków and Małopolska Tourist Organisation.
The spot “Małopolska Kraków. Come and find your story” is aimed at presenting not only the non-stereotypical, fabulous image of Kraków and Małopolska, but also the landscape and the winter potential of the city and the region - to encourage tourists to also visit outside the summer season (promotion of Kraków and Małopolska as winter tourist destinations).
The spot was created in two languages - Polish and English. It was co-funded by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. It may be presented on television, at the cinema and the Internet. The Alvernia Studios film studio is responsible for the production of the film.
Additional information
Alicja Bachleda-Curuś - was born on 12 May 1983 in Tampico, Mexico. She is one of the most recognizable Polish actresses both in Poland and abroad. Personally and professionally, she is connected with Kraków and Małopolska. She studied acting at the famous Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. The Polish audience knows her from such roles, as Zosia in “Pan Tadeusz” directed by Andrzej Wajda, or “Wrota Europy” by Jerzy Wójcik. She also appeared in foreign productions, such as: “Trade”, “Ondine”, “Comme des voleurs” and “Sommersturm”, “The Girl is in Trouble” and the most recent productions soon in American cinemas: “The American Side” and “Polaris”.
She won the award for Best Actress at the 23rd International Film Festival in Boston, as well as the Vallarta Film Festival in Mexico, and in 2007, the "New York Times" acclaimed her as one of the five most interesting debuts of the year. She is a member of the Association of American Actors and the European Film Academy.
Alvernia Studios - the largest and most modern film studio in Poland, producing feature films for international distribution, music projects and advertising and video games. The Alvernia Studios film complex includes film studios featuring, among others, the world's largest spherical, shade-less bluescreen, recording studios, a fleet of film vans, photographic equipment and a motion capture system based on modern Vicon cameras.
The most important projects implemented by Alvernia Studios include “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, “Gorejący Krzew” by Agnieszka Holland, “Arbitraż” by Nicholas Jarecki and “Essential Killing” by Jerzy Skolimowski.