Sing and Cry, Cry and Sing

the story of Artur Ligeska

An unlikely friendship develops across 11m walls as Polish fitness celebrity Artur Ligeska finds himself in an isolation cell of a maximum security prison in the United Arab Emirates. Arrested on false charges, subjected to mental and physical torture, and lacking access to the outside world, Artur is struggling with extreme hunger and fear when a friendly voice from an adjacent cell reaches out to him.

The camera captures Artur in long, intimate shots as he entrusts the filmmaker with his ordeal and relates how the support of his neighbouring inmate, the prominent Emirati prisoner of conscience Ahmed Mansoor, helped him to maintain hope and survive his nightmare. Later, when Ahmed needs help, Artur does not hesitate to undertake enormous risks for his friend – without thinking of the costs to himself.

Credits
Filip Drodz camera, Poland
Christian Haake camera, United Arab Emirates
Mukul Patel sound design
Ulrich Grimm post-production
Margo Przymierska Polish-English translation
directed and edited by Manu Luksch

produced by Mathias Forberg and Manu Luksch
denkbar projektentwicklungs gmbh 2021
thanks to Kristina Stockwood
Creative Commons Attribution- Non Commercial No-Derivates 4.0 International

Global distribution:
Excerpt online on
VOD / rent film

Length: 43 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.39) 24 frames
Sound: 2.0 stereo / 5.1 surround

Polak przeżył koszmar w emirackim więzieniu. “Wydostał się z piekła” by Ewa Szponar; onet.pl (review from 5 Jun 2022)

This document/ary was created during the 2020-21 Artist Residency at The School of Law, Birkbeck, University of London.
A 5min excerpt was introduced at the Alternative Human Rights Expo. [Virtual event on YouTube 22’50”]