Lady Thatcher's Feast

Director's note

The 1990s remain inseparable in my memory from food and gastronomy. As the child of a cook working in a hotel in Poland, I grew up among tables, kitchen counters, and the tension between what felt distinctly “ours” and the urge to imitate Western models.
Those years were shaped by overwork and the pursuit of prosperity. I was especially drawn to women trying to reconcile professional ambition with care for their families. Years later, in Poznań, I discovered a real story that brought these themes together: a local chef was asked to prepare a gala dinner in a university canteen for Margaret Thatcher, who had just received an honorary doctorate.
The contrast between these women fascinated me: Thatcher, a symbol of Western economic transformation, and Maria, an overworked mother navigating Poland’s transition. Their encounter takes place in an ordinary canteen-a meeting point for different social classes, suddenly expected to become an elegant venue fit for an international icon.
“Lady Thatcher’s Feast” is a story about transformation, class, work, motherhood, and food. Maria expresses care through the dishes she prepares for her family, staff, and customers. Food allows her to build a community, but also becomes an outlet for emotions she cannot name. It carries both comfort and burden, becoming an extension of her identity.
Although Thatcher’s visit is the historical trigger, the film remains focused on those who stand behind major events and are rarely remembered. I want to tell an intimate, local story rooted in fact, while exploring its psychological and moral dimensions through small gestures. The visual language will evoke Polish cinema of the 1990s, while the camera stays close to Maria. Food will serve as visual commentary and emotional metaphor. I imagine the film as vibrant in the rhythm of the workplace, yet subtle in the feelings Maria suppresses. Set three decades ago, it should also reflect who we are today-socially, locally, and personally.

Screenwriter's note

Telemark develops and produces creative documentaries, arthouse cinema and premium fiction series for Netflix, Canal+ and HBO, incl. Heweliusz, High Water, The Pact,
Over The Limit, Pianoforte . It is managed by the producers: Anna Kępińska and Maciej Kubicki, members of the EFA and the Polish Film Academy. The company seeks
projects that offer innovative storytelling and unique stories with strong characters, presented in an original cinematic form. Telemark’s productions have been awarded
(two Emmy Awards, three Eagle Awards, among others) and screened at many festivals in Poland and abroad, incl. Sundance, IDFA, Slamdance, Tribeca, Visions du Réel.

Producer's note

“Lady Thatcher’s Feast” is the planned feature debut of Marcin Kluczykowski, a graduate of the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź. His work includes acclaimed music videos and short films, among them Close Reading, The Clench and A Cappella, produced with Telemark. A Cappella received numerous awards, including the Special Jury Award at Premiers Plans in Angers, the Grand Prix at Wajda na Nowo, and the Grand Prix and Anna Wasilewska Award at the WAMA Film Festival. Jury statements repeatedly praised Marcin’s sensitivity, emotional precision and ability to portray relationships with tenderness, humour and authenticity.
Human relationships are central to his filmmaking. His close, empathetic approach to characters gives his work a personal dimension, while his writing process allows him to build a strong connection with them from the outset. “Lady Thatcher’s Feast” continues his collaboration with Telemark. Marcin also worked as assistant director to Jan Holoubek on the series “Heweliusz”, gaining experience in recreating 1990s Poland.
In his debut feature, Marcin focuses on strong, hard-working women who carry responsibility for others while remaining faithful to their values. Although Margaret Thatcher appears only near the end, her presence shapes the entire film. The titular feast becomes the story’s climax and the source of growing tension.
The university canteen offers a vivid cross-section of 1990s society, from Poznań’s poorest residents to political elites, and creates space for complex characters and relationships. For older viewers, the film may evoke nostalgia; for younger audiences, it will reveal an unfamiliar reality. Set in Poznań and partly shot there, the project will showcase the city’s cinematic potential. We aim for festival and theatrical distribution in Poland and abroad, combining the internationally recognizable figure of the Iron Lady with an intimate story about Polish transformation and the dream of the West.