Patrick Wilson is renowned for his many roles, including those played in Broadway musicals as well as big-budget blockbusters. He is a critically acclaimed and award-winning actor. He became known to the wider audience for starring as Ed Warren in “The Conjuring” film series. During the 17th edition of Mastercard OFF CAMERA in Krakow, the actor will honor the special screening of the film “Hard Candy” with his presence and collect the Against the Current award.
The 17th edition of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema starts already on April 26. The Organizers continue to reveal more names of festival guests, among them Patrick Wilson who will collect the Against the Current award, which has been presented since 2010 to individuals who have made a distinguished contribution to independent cinema. The previous years’ winners include David Thewlis, John Malkovich and Agnieszka Holland.
We’ve been full of admiration for Patrick Wilson’s acting talent for a long time. Nearly fifteen years ago, during one of the first editions of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA Festival, we screened “Hard Candy”, a truly good movie in which he played the lead role together with Elliot Page. After years, on the occasion of Wilson’s visit at our Festival, we fall back into this masterly constructed thriller, the unforgettable game of cat and mouse. We present the actor with the Against the Current Award, in recognition of his rich filmography and achievements. Primarily for the consistency with his own artistic path, on which he combines what is the seemingly contradictory: career in theater and Broadway musicals, leading roles in box-office hits and blockbusters, like “The Conjuring” film series and “Aquaman”, with starring in morally bold film productions, such as “Angels in America” and “Little Children”, which belong to the canon of contemporary (pop)culture.
Grzegorz Stępniak, Artistic Director of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema.
“Hard Candy” is a story about the meeting between a teenage girl Hayley with much older Jeff – a handsome fashion photographer, preceded by online chats between the two. When they meet in Jeff’s house, their true intentions become clear, which may have serious and potentially fatal consequences.
Special screening of the film “Hard Candy” with the participation of Patrick Wilson will be held on Saturday, April 27, in Kijow Cinema, 7:00 p.m., at Mastercard OFF CAMERA – tickets on sale soon!
Title: “Hard Candy”
Director: David Slade
Screenplay: Brian Nelson
Cinematography: Jo Willems
Music: Harry Escott, Molly Nyman
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Ellliot Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae
Country: USA
Releasing date: 2005
Running time: 104 min/color
Patrick Wilson, born in Virginia and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, studied Fine Arts at Carnegie-Mellon University. He took his first steps in theater. In the film “Aquaman” by James Wan, Wilson wowed audiences playing the role of King Orm. He has recently made his feature directorial debut with Insidious 5, called “Insidious: The Red Door”.
Wilson’s breakthrough role was that of Joe Pitt in “Angels in America” (2003) HBO miniseries, for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe and Emmy awards. He was also a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series for the role of Lou Solverson in the “Fargo” series. Other numerous films and series productions in which Wilson performed include “The Conjuring”, “Prometheus”, “Jack Strong”, “Little Children” and “The Phantom of the Opera”. Together with some film industry professionals Wilson set up a company named Cinema Lab, the aim of which is to revive movie theaters impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The company plans to purchase, renovate and reactivate movie theaters across the United States.