Granny pierced condoms so I could make my film

A FILM student who convinced her grandmother to sabotage condoms for her art has been nominated for two Baftas.

Agata Jagodzinska, originally from Szubin in Poland, convinced most of her family to take on starring roles in the ten-minute film Secret of Confession. And now she has seen her work nominated for the Scottish Bafta New Talent Awards in two categories – Fiction under 30 minutes and Writer.

The film was produced as Agata’s final year dissertation project at Queen Margaret University, and looks at the generational conflict between the young and the elderly community in Poland.

Agata’s mum Arletta, dad Roman and 19-year-old brother Piotr all appear in the film. It is her gran Stanislawa Jagodzinska, 75, who is the star, however, playing the lead role of a religious woman dismayed by the promiscuous behaviour of youngsters, whose plan to sabotage condoms goes wrong.

Agata, 26, who lives in Leith and shot the film in her home town of Szubin, said: “I kind of forced my granny into it, she didn’t really want to be in the film. She thought people were going to think she was crazy piercing condoms.

“I wanted to use the film to bring to light some of the cultural issues which are currently affecting Polish society.

“When I screened the film in my home town, it was met by initial silence, as the audience digested the issues. It may have made uncomfortable viewing from some of the more religious members of the community.

Walid Salhab, lecturer in film at Queen Margaret University, said: “This is the first time that a student film from Queen Margaret University has been nominated for a Bafta, so this is a real coup for Agata.”

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