Q&A

1. Let’s start with the simplest, yet perhaps most crucial question: when did the thought first cross your mind that instead of just collecting movies on DVD and Blu-ray, you could try publishing them yourselves?

Konrad Korkosiński: The idea first dawned on us during one of the early Q&A sessions on our podcast. Someone asked if we were going to release any merchandise connected to the show. We thought to ourselves that clothes or keychains weren't really our thing. If we were going to release anything, we wanted it to be a movie. Back then, we viewed it as pure daydreams. However, a few years later, one day, the idea simply hit me out of nowhere, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Naturally, I asked Piotr if he wanted to start this company with me—he didn't. Luckily, a week later, he wrote back saying that he hadn't thought about anything else for the entire past week except the publishing label. And that’s how it all started.

Piotr Maszorek: I actually had an interesting adventure a few years ago. I made the trailer and music video for Xawery Żuławski’s Bird Talk (Mowa ptaków). The producer and I hit it off so well that he also commissioned me to edit the making-of documentary, which he shot himself on set. That meant I was responsible for all the special features on the DVD release of Bird Talk. When I received that release from the producer, I felt like a dream I didn't even know I had had just come true. And I also thought that something like that would probably never happen again.

2. I’ve heard you talk many times about your love for physical media. Is Second Hand Video a natural extension of that passion for you, or rather a separate, business step that required a completely different mindset?

Konrad Korkosiński: It’s both. Without a passion for cinema, physical media, and the podcast, Second Hand Video wouldn't exist. But it’s definitely, if not a separate step, then certainly an additional one.

Piotr Maszorek: It’s an extension of our passion. We wanted a Polish boutique label in the vein of Arrow, and since we hadn't seen one pop up (so far), we decided to start our own.

3. Do you remember a specific moment, film, or release after which you thought: "Damn, we should be able to do this just as well in Poland"?

Piotr Maszorek: For me, it was Vinegar Syndrome’s release of Sexmission (Seksmisja). I remember being genuinely furious when I saw it. Do we really have to rely on foreign labels to release our own gems of national cinema?

4. When entering this business, did you feel more excitement that you were fulfilling your dream, or fear that passion was suddenly being confronted with costs, rights, logistics, and the harsh reality of the market?

Piotr Maszorek: I think it was a mix of both. We started out very excited and ready to take action, but the hard reality of paperwork immediately put us in our place. Interestingly, every single person we contacted expressed the exact same enthusiasm as we did.

Konrad Korkosiński: It definitely started with immense excitement. All the more so because, from the very beginning, everything seemed to go smoothly. Or at least that's what we thought. The obstacles in the form of formalities started appearing and ruining the fun only after a while. Nevertheless, today I’m glad it wasn't too easy. Thanks to that, we learned a lot more and will be better prepared for the future.

5. Where does the name Second Hand Video come from? It sounds like a cross between a rental store, a home film library, VHS tapes, and collector’s nostalgia.

Piotr Maszorek: You know, we’re proud of our national second-hand culture. However, the Polish physical media market started in a very specific place, and "used" is an important word in our history of VHS, and later DVDs and Blu-rays. We wanted to touch upon that somehow. Besides, the phrase "second-hand movies" felt charmingly affectionate to us. Even when we realized that there are at least two other boutique labels with the word "second" in their name, we were already too attached to it. But while they lean into something mystical or magical, we aim for associations with flea markets, car swaps, and old-school flea-market Pewexes.

6. How would you like audiences to perceive Second Hand Video in a few years? As a boutique publisher? A collector's brand? Rescuers of films that deserve a better life on the shelves?

Konrad Korkosiński: As a label that genuinely cares and loves cinema.

7. What does a good Blu-ray release mean to you? Where does a regular product end, and a collector’s item begin?

Piotr Maszorek: Above all, it’s a love for cinema. If you can feel that a release isn't just checking off another box on a publishing schedule, but stems from a genuine passion for the film and a desire to share it with the audience—that’s the sweet spot. Then you don't even need a super fancy release, although it always helps. Tracy Letts, the famous playwright and actor who is a huge advocate for physical media across the pond, once said that he hates standard Amaray cases because your shelf ends up looking like a video game store. Now, in the era of rigid boxes, your shelf can easily rival the aesthetics of a book collector’s library. And as we know: when you walk into a room and see a massive bookshelf, it instantly adds +10 to the occupant’s coolness.

8. Do you feel that physical releases nowadays must offer something more than just access to the film itself, considering you can increasingly find the film on streaming platforms, TV, or VOD?

Piotr Maszorek: In my opinion, that is their immense value, especially with boutique releases—you don't just get the film, but also behind-the-scenes insights and, with older films, a film studies lesson. That is something streaming services still don't offer for most titles. The exception for me is 4K releases—in that case, the film itself in a quality that no streaming platform can match is enough.

9. Why Hydrozagadka for the debut? What made you decide that this was the right first product from Second Hand Video?

Konrad Korkosiński: Hydrozagadka entered our realm of dreams pretty quickly. However, I have to admit that it wasn't the first film we picked. From the beginning, we were pursuing a different license. Unfortunately, our negotiations fell through at the very last minute, when the entire production was practically ready and just waiting for the green light. There is still a good chance that this title will land in our stable in the future and we'll be able to return to that beautiful journey.

The second film was Hydrozagadka. A movie that, once you watch it, you simply cannot forget. For me, Hydrozagadkaholds a very special place in my heart. I first watched it back in drama school. Afterward, I kept quoting lines from it constantly. I knew I wanted to have something to do with this film in the future.

Hydrozagadka is truly one of a kind. Aiming to build a boutique label that focuses on genre cinema, we believed Hydrozagadka would be the perfect appetizer for the plans we have ahead of us.

10. It’s a cult movie, but also a very specific, absurd one. Weren't you afraid of starting with such a distinctive title instead of a more commercially "safe" one?

Piotr Maszorek: Our beloved Arrow Video started out and made a name for itself on "un-safe" productions. You could say the exact same thing about Kino Lorber, Shout!, and Vinegar Syndrome. Big, commercial blockbusters will always find a willing distributor and reach their audience. We want to take care of the lesser-known titles.

11. Hydrozagadka has cult status, widely quoted and loved by fans, but it also operates somewhat within a pop-cultural niche. Are these kinds of titles the most interesting to you?

Piotr Maszorek: For collectors—total geeks of physical media—titles like these make up the majority of their shelves. Interestingly, I have a feeling that such films are actually more likely to be watched when released by someone like Criterion than if they landed on a streaming service. There, in most cases, they just get lost in the sea of content. If you're a fan of a particular publisher and trust them, you often buy films blind. It’s like having trust in a fantastic arthouse cinema—you know you can buy a ticket blind and you won't be disappointed by the experience.

12. What do you think makes Andrzej Kondratiuk’s film still work today? Why hasn't this absurdity aged?

Konrad Korkosiński: The authors of our wonderful essays, included in the booklet of the premium edition of Hydrozagadka, attempt to answer these and other questions!

Piotr Maszorek: In my opinion, it’s primarily the deadpan seriousness with which those lines are delivered. No winking at the audience—just full commitment to the joke.

Plus, despite being a TV movie, it was shot on 35mm film and looks gorgeous!

13. What does the road look like from the idea "let's publish this movie" to an actual product that can be pre-ordered?

Piotr Maszorek: 80% of it is waiting for an email or a callback.

Konrad Korkosiński: I agree with Piotr. Patience is key. I don't have any. That’s why I use a different arsenal. My secret weapon is being persistent and nagging like a mosquito in a dark room. Until I achieve the intended result, I won't let go.

The road was long and winding. Every now and then, a new issue would catch us off guard that we had to figure out. But right from the start, we tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I think that kept us grounded.

Piotr Maszorek: We still believe that light isn't an oncoming train.

14. What was the hardest part during the preparation of this release: licensing rights, materials, graphic design, special features, physical manufacturing, or logistics?

Piotr Maszorek: Definitely acquiring the license. As a novice physical media publisher in the age of streaming platforms, we had practically zero leverage. The question "why bother?" came up often. And since we didn't have a finished product yet, we drove around carrying a dozen films from our own shelves just to demonstrate: "wouldn't it be awesome to release Hydrozagadka like this?"

15. As a debuting label, did you have to convince people to trust you?

Piotr Maszorek: We constantly have to. Even now, there are huge doubts about whether we can pull it off.

Konrad Korkosiński: Of course. We're starting as complete no-names in the industry. We hope Ace from Hydrozagadkawill help us change that soon. It’s definitely much easier now.

16. How many things along the way turned out to be more complicated than you assumed when looking at finished releases from a buyer's perspective?

Piotr Maszorek: The license, the license, the license. And once we finally managed to sign it, it turned out we couldn't even make a proper trailer because we simply couldn't afford it. Consequently, we had to get creative—hence, for instance, the release trailer consisting of typographic quotes from the film.

17. After this first release, do you look at the boxes sitting on your own shelves differently?

Piotr Maszorek: Yes, I looked into corners of those boxes that I had never looked into before!

Konrad Korkosiński: I started thinking about the people responsible for them. Holding a case in my hands, I wonder which path they chose and what I could learn from them.

18. You prepared two variants: a collector's edition and a standard Amaray release. Why was this split important to you?

Konrad Korkosiński: It’s an industry standard. The collector’s edition, as the name suggests, is targeted at people who care not only about the film itself, but also about the aesthetics of the release, the extra features, and the heart put into polishing it.

Some people only care about the movie and feel no need to pay extra for physical goodies they will never look at. We want to offer options for both groups.

19. The collector’s edition is limited to 650 numbered copies. Where did that print run come from? Is it more of a market calculation, collector’s intuition, or an attempt to find a middle ground? Will this number remain fixed for all your future releases?

Konrad Korkosiński: First film—first experiment. We’ll draw conclusions after some time has passed.

20. What elements of the release were absolute must-haves for you? What had to be inside for you, as collectors yourselves, to say: "yes, this is a solid release"?

Piotr Maszorek: Special features are crucial for me. I happen to be one of those people who watches everything cover-to-cover—every trailer, every production photo, and every audio commentary included on the disc. Video quality is also key. There’s that classic phrase: "this film has never looked so good."

Konrad Korkosiński: I agree. Additionally—I’m an aesthete. The look of such a release must be unique. Standout. Beautiful.

21. Rigid box, booklet, postcards, numbered certificate, slipcase—these are things that matter to a collector. But what do you think truly builds the value of such a release: the quantity of extras or their meaningfulness?

Piotr Maszorek: Meaning. I own plenty of releases that pack a ton of special features, but most of them are 5-minute fluff pieces that don't actually tell you anything about the making of the film or its legacy. Just blowing hot air.

22. The release will feature a 40-page booklet with three essays. Why did you place such heavy emphasis on contextual and companion writing?

Piotr Maszorek: Because we knew that the licensing agreement we could afford, combined with the fact that there are very few living creators of Hydrozagadka left to talk to (and whom we could afford), would significantly limit our video extras. But one thing was clear from the start—we will never release a bare-bones disc.

23. The extras also include "The Diary of Andrzej Kondratiuk" (Pamiętnik Andrzeja Kondratiuka). How important was it for you that the release didn't stop at Hydrozagadka alone?

Konrad Korkosiński: It was very important to us to have something extra on the disc. Something special. Something that adds context. When we got our hands on The Diary, I knew I had to secure the license for it.

Piotr Maszorek: It’s an hour-long mockumentary/documentary hybrid that serves as a bookend to Kondratiuk’s filmography. On a single disc, we have one of his earliest films alongside his final cinematic statement.

24. Are bonus materials one of the strongest arguments for buying physical films for you today?

Piotr Maszorek: They are one of the main arguments. With 4K releases, I primarily look at image quality.

Konrad Korkosiński: They are a strong argument. And they’ve become an industry standard.

25. Do you have favorite foreign releases that served as inspiration when thinking about what a Polish premium Blu-ray should look like?

Piotr Maszorek: New ones pop up every month. Recently, I fell in love with BFI’s releases of Kurosawa films. Their 4K of Seven Samurai is absolute perfection! Arrow just released John Woo’s films—Hard Boiled and The Killer. Their 4K transfer brings out all the slow-motion bloody poetry.

Konrad Korkosiński: When we were trying to put together our vision of a perfect collector’s edition, we met up and laid out dozens of different films from various publishers around the world on a table. We picked which elements appealed to us most: what type of paper, booklet thickness, box rigidity, Amaray color, reversible inlay, etc.

In the end, we assembled our own hybrid, which we are very proud of.

26. How do you assess the state of the Polish DVD and Blu-ray market? Is it bad with a glimmer of hope, or quite the opposite—a small but fiercely dedicated audience?

Piotr Maszorek: That’s a question we’ll find the answer to very soon.

27. Is there a genuine community of physical media collectors in Poland today? (Though I don't know why I'm asking, considering the interviewer is a collector and the interviewees are collectors… xD)

Piotr Maszorek: Yes, absolutely. And they already made themselves known—literally on the very day we launched pre-orders, they pointed out several crucial technical details to us. At first, they completely freaked us out and we panicked, but very quickly we realized that this was an incredibly valuable check from people who know this stuff best. It would be fantastic to rely on them in the future.

28. Do you feel that streaming might paradoxically help physical releases because people are realizing that digital access can be temporary?

Piotr Maszorek: Yes, and people are talking about it more often and more loudly. Movies disappear and don't come back. You feel like watching a specific title, and instead of just pressing play, you first have to play detective to find which platform it’s on. That’s if it’s even available, because it might just be locked in a vault. People are also starting to appreciate intentionality and the home viewing experience. Picking a movie off a shelf is a completely different decision than scrolling through content on a streaming site. One of the things I hate on streaming platforms are those damn "recommended for you" prompts that pop up a second after the end credits start. I love end credits! It’s a crucial moment of the experience where the movie settles inside you. On streaming, they instantly attack you with other movies. Come on, let me listen to Celine Dion in peace after watching Titanic! Or digest the twisted end credits of Se7en!

29. What do you say to someone who asks: "why buy a movie on disc when everything is online"?

Piotr Maszorek: First of all, not everything is online.

Secondly, buying a movie you love is a way of giving back some of that love.

Besides, when something matters to us, we want a physical, tangible manifestation of it. We want keepsakes. A friend of mine once said that after experiencing art, we deserve a trophy. And movies often carry tremendous emotional value for us. They are deeply tied to a time, place, and the people we watched them with. For instance, I have a steelbook of Enter the Dragon on my shelf. It’s not my favorite martial arts movie—I’m definitely among the disciples of Jackie Chan. But Enter the Dragon is in my dad’s top 3. So I wanted it on my shelf. Because one day, it will be a deeply meaningful keepsake of my father.

30. Is the Polish viewer ready to pay more for polished, limited editions, or does the market still require education?

Konrad Korkosiński: We hope so. If we create a product that is worth the money—and I firmly believe this one is.

31. You can’t escape the business question: can publishing such titles in Poland be genuinely profitable, or are we still talking mostly about a passion project with a very cautious financial model?

Piotr Maszorek: For now, we're talking about a fool's hope.

32. Is the pre-order a form of market research for you, a way to secure production, or simply a natural component of collector’s releases like this?

Piotr Maszorek: You hit the nail on the head with all three answers. With our first release, we're definitely leaning heavily on pre-orders. Right now, we’ve taken a dive and we're still holding our breath. We have a good idea of when we’ll surface and swim forward, but we also have a contingency plan just in case.

33. Do you have a benchmark for success for Hydrozagadka? A moment where you’ll say: "yes, this makes sense, let’s keep going"?

Konrad Korkosiński: Of course we do. We want to sell out the entire run!

34. How did your experience with "Ten Podcast Filmowy" influence Second Hand Video?

Piotr Maszorek: This would never have happened without that podcast. It also gives us confidence that this won't be a one-off whim. The podcast taught us perseverance and consistency—doing something week after week, month after month… for 6 years now.

Konrad Korkosiński: We learned how to work together under various situations and pressures. Thanks to that, it’s easier for us to navigate new territory and find solutions in a more composed way.

35. Your listeners know you as people who don't just watch movies, but live cinema as a culture, history, and collecting passion. Do you think that trust is important when launching a publishing label?

Piotr Maszorek: I think those who listen to us know that we take this seriously and that it comes from a deeply emotional place.

Konrad Korkosiński: Absolutely. We hope our audience will be among the first to get their hands on our releases. We’re thrilled to have built such a large and strong community. And Second Hand Video was created with them in mind. We knew there was a demand for it.

36. Will Second Hand Video naturally tie into the podcast, or do you want to keep the two spaces separate?

Piotr Maszorek: This is where we disagree, I think. I was firmly against it when Konrad wanted to add our audio commentary to Hydrozagadka.

Konrad Korkosiński: I think it’s a fairly organic connection, and there will be moments where that connection is more intense.

Piotr Maszorek: In those moments, I will also be more intense with my "no."

37. Do you worry that, as reviewers, commentators, and collectors, you will now also be judged as publishers—and by people with equally high standards as your own?

Piotr Maszorek: That’s already happening, and we’re very glad that people who care are keeping us on our toes. It’s great motivation to do better with every single film.

38. Does Hydrozagadka hint at the direction Second Hand Video wants to take? Polish classics, cult cinema, forgotten titles, weird stuff?

Konrad Korkosiński: I revealed earlier that we were aiming for genre cinema, and that’s the direction we’ve taken. We don't want to reveal what titles we have in mind just yet, but we hope to revive some forgotten genre classics.

39. Can you reveal yet whether future releases will lean Polish, international, genre, art-house, or cult?

Konrad Korkosiński: To start with, we’re focusing on Polish cinema. However, we already have open doors to several international productions, and I hope that category will also appear on our website in the future.

40. Are you exclusively interested in Blu-rays, or are you thinking about 4K UHD down the road?

Piotr Maszorek: Oh, yeah! 4K is our Holy Grail. As soon as we grow into it, we won't even hesitate.

Konrad Korkosiński: We started with Blu-ray. 4K is the natural evolutionary path in this industry. So of course, those releases will appear in our lineup eventually. And who knows… maybe even VHS tapes.

Piotr Maszorek: How about VCD then?

41. Do you plan to release films that were previously only available on DVD in Poland, or never received a proper physical release?

Piotr Maszorek: Absolutely, those titles are the most valuable to us. I’m still in shock that this is Hydrozagadka’s first-ever Blu-ray release.

42. Without revealing specifics, what kinds of titles are most tempting to you: big cult followings, forgotten gems, classics, genre cinema, or Polish oddities?

Piotr Maszorek: Anything at risk of fading into obscurity. That’s the true power of boutique labels—they rescue films from being forgotten.

43. Is it a dream of yours to build something akin to a Polish boutique publishing brand that collectors will follow regardless of the specific title?

Piotr Maszorek: Of course it is. I check Arrow’s announcements every last Friday of the month, even if I don't buy anything. And I’ve discovered so many titles that way. Recently, for example, Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45. I’m on the verge of buying it blind!

44. What was the first DVD or Blu-ray that you remember as a truly milestone piece in your collection?

Konrad Korkosiński: A large steelbook anthology of James Dean films. It looks stunning on the shelf—a black metal box with an accordion folder of films and photos inside. If it hadn't dropped on the floor and gotten dented, it would be one of the prettiest items on my shelf.

Piotr Maszorek: Moulin Rouge!. A two-disc edition in a cardboard slipcase. The movie on disc one, and disc two packed to the brim with special features—there were even hidden easter eggs you could access if you knew when and where to click on your remote. That was the first release I bought with my own money. And I bought it blind—I hadn't seen Moulin Rouge! before.

45. Do you have releases you look at and think: "that is the benchmark, that's how cinema should be treated"?

Piotr Maszorek: That’s easy—The Lord of the Rings extended editions on DVD. But I’ll also throw in Drunken Masterfrom Eureka!—it didn't have a huge budget, but that restoration, that film grain… it instantly gives the film the nobility of Lawrence of Arabia.

46. Are there movies on your shelves that you bought not because you needed them, but because the packaging was simply too beautiful to pass up?

Piotr Maszorek: Yes, I recently bought Twin Peaks—the first two seasons on Blu-ray. Granted, I’m falling in love with Twin Peaks (and Lynch in general) more and more, but I could have survived without it on my shelf. I bought it because it’s the most beautiful release I’ve ever seen.

47. What hurts you more as collectors: the absence of a film on physical media, or a lazy, half-baked release of a movie that deserved better?

Piotr Maszorek: The latter, by far. We live in a time where if a movie hasn't been released yet, it means there’s something to look forward to, and maybe someone will take a stab at publishing it. But when someone releases something half-heartedly, it just hurts. Take Brokeback Mountain—a fantastic film with gorgeous cinematography that for a long time only had a dreadful Blu-ray release that looked like a slightly retouched DVD, which already looked like garbage. Thankfully, Kino Lorber stepped in and gave it a proper 4K release.

48. What are your personal collector quirks? Slipcovers, booklets, alternate art, numbered editions, steelbooks, audio commentaries?

Piotr Maszorek: I love mediabooks. I know Konrad is biased against them because they remind him of cheap magazine tie-ins. I like them—I think they look great on a shelf. And German mediabooks are next-level. They absolutely love mediabooks over there.

Konrad Korkosiński: I love thick box sets. I like feeling that someone poured their heart into the release. I really like releases from 101 Films—simple, but very tasteful. Mediabooks don't convince me, but I wouldn't rule them out.

49. Is there a dream film whose release would be the ultimate achievement for you?

Piotr Maszorek: Yes, but we don't want to talk about it openly just yet. There are titles sitting in our minds that would be a monumental event for us, but for now, we prefer to leave them in the realm of dreams and plans that shouldn't be shared too early.

50. What would you say to people who are on the fence about pre-ordering Hydrozagadka?

Piotr Maszorek: We know that hesitation, but nothing beats that second feeling—when the package arrives, and you finally hold the film in your hands knowing it’s yours forever and ever.

Konrad Korkosiński: Don't hesitate. Give us a chance, and you’ll fall in love with our little, special baby.

51. Why is it worth buying movies on physical media today?

Piotr Maszorek: Because it means something. Those movies will always be there waiting for you to watch them.

52. If you had to describe Second Hand Video’s philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?

Piotr Maszorek: We fill our shelves with movies that might otherwise never find a spot on them.

53. And finally: did Ace land on Blu-ray to save the Polish physical media market?

Piotr Maszorek: Ace never refuses a worthy cause.

Interview conducted by Mateusz Cyra.

Głos Kultury

www.gloskultury.pl