Duplass Bros. Board Jan Naszewski’s Oscar-Qualifying Short Exam As EPs

EXCLUSIVE: Mark Duplass, Mel Elsyn and Jay Duplass have joined Jan Naszewski’s short comedy film Exam as executive producers through the Duplass Brothers’ Productions label.

To folks on the international film sales and distribution circuit, Naszewski is known as the congenial founding head of Warsaw-based company New Europe Film Sales.

The industry veteran, who has handled sales on films including Lambs, Rams, Godland, Corpus Christi, Julie Keeps Quiet Sometimes and I Think About Dying among many other titles, has another string to his bow.

He also occasionally creates comedy projects with local Polish comedians. Exam is his second comedic short.

Naszewski co-wrote the screenplay with comedian and stand-up Agnieszka Matan, who stars alongside Polish actors, Sebastian Stankiewicz, Piotr Polak and Sebastian Łach.

The film follows a pair of sensitive millennials who are asked to be a model couple during their therapist’s board exam session. A therapist, an international committee, the worst interpreter and the hidden frustrations of the spouses are the ingredients for a spontaneous combustion.

“Jan made a smart, delicate, funny film that we hope is just the beginning of a larger collaboration between Duplass Brothers and New Europe,” said Mark Duplass.

The film has played such festivals as Encounters FF, Chicago IFF, Flickerfest and John Cooper’s inaugural Film Festival of Love and won audience awards in Adelaide and at Secidicorto FF in Italy.

It is now doing festival rounds and special screenings in L.A. It also had a period of paid screenings in L.A. and Warsaw in the summer.

“Duplass Brothers’ work has been very inspiring for a whole generation of comedians in Poland. Their involvement in Exam is a great coup and recognition that we’re all one global creative family,” said Naszewski.

Exam was produced by Haka Films (line producer of Fatherland and EO), New Europe Productions, Kidam (producer of A Man of His Time, Zero Fucks Given, Kika) and Condor Production and executive produced by Duplass Brothers Productions. The film was supported by CNC.