Simona

A story about the power of nature and meaning of ecosystem in our lives. Ida (26) – the grandniece of Simona Kossak, a famous Polish Białowieża Forest protector – is following her remarkable life and uncovers family secrets through sorting old pictures. Simona Kossak was an exceptional person. She spoke of herself as ‘daughter, grand‑ and great‑granddaughter’ – meaning her famous painter ancestors from the Kossak family. Born and bred in the famous ‘Kossakówka Manor’ in Krakow, right after graduation she decided to move to the forester’s house in the heart of the Białowieża Forest. Without electricity, surrounded by boars, crows, roe deer, foxes and lynxes, Simona lived in the company of photographer Lech Wilczek, who later became her life partner and the author of her exceptional pictures with animals. Ida, who studies and works in Finland, discovers the world of her great‑aunt and, along with it, the magical world of the Białowieża Forest.