A Presentation of Film Commission Poland

A presentation of Film Commission Poland was held at Warsaw’s Kultura cinema on June 18, 2013. Film Commission Poland is a joint initiative of several organizations, including the Polish Film Institute.

Participants in the presentation included Agnieszka Odorowicz, General Director of the Polish Film Institute, Jacek Bromski, President of the Polish Filmmakers Association, Tomasz Dąbrowski, future Commissioner of Film Commission Poland, Maciej Strzembosz, President of the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce (KIPA), as well as representatives of the Regional Film Funds, Regional Film Commissions, and local authorities.

An Initiative of the Polish Film Institute

Film Commission Poland was established in 2012 as a result of an agreement between cultural institutions, representatives of the film industry and local authorities. Until the end of 2012, the party responsible for creating the system was the Polish Audiovisual Centre Foundation, which has been running the RIA Regional Audiovisual Initiative programme since 2008, with support from the Polish Film Institute and the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce. Film Commission Poland today operates within the structure of the Polish Filmmakers Association, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Polish Tourism Organization. Starting on July 1, 2013, the position of Commissioner of the Polish Film Commission will be held by Tomasz Dąbrowski, former director of the Polish Institute in Berlin.

Support of Local Authorities Needed

Film Commission Poland is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Polish Filmmakers Association. However, involvement and support of the local government across Poland is also much needed.

“There is a lot to be done. Without the local authorities, this enterprise is doomed to fail. We have created the basic tool, but in order to move forward, we must have the local authorities declare whether or not they wish to participate in our initiative. The Regional Film Funds are for the Polish Film Institute a true treasure, one which we would not like to lose. Many films would never have been produced without your support. Outside prospects for receiving additional financing for filmmaking are decreasing,” said General Director of the Polish Film Institute Agnieszka Odorowicz at the presentation.

Promoting Polish Filmmaking Potential

“Our mail goal is to increase awareness of Poland as a film location, and improve the effective use of the Polish audiovisual sector. We should continue to improve the effective use of our potential,” said Tomasz Dąbrowski.

The aim of Film Commission Poland is also to coordinate promotional activities with the various regions, and to standardize promotion mechanisms, as well as to introduce tax incentives into fiscal law. “We would like Film Commission Poland to become the central body that coordinates activities in the regions. Close cooperation is a necessary condition for success in this area. Not all regions have become active participants to date. This is an area that also deserves financial participation,” Dąbrowski continued.

Film Commission Poland runs the filmcommissionpoland.pl website as a database of Polish locations and film services for foreign producers. With support from the Polish Film Institute and the Polish Filmmakers Association, Film Commission Poland publishes Production Guide Poland – an annual guide to audiovisual services in Poland, published in paper and digital form.

Good Examples from Abroad

Rafał Orlicki of the Krakow Film Commission, who took part in the creation of Film Commission Poland, presented the operating structure of regional film commissions. He also discussed the financing incentives used in other countries and their tangible advantages in the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom. Maciej Strzembosz of the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce shared his own experience and argued that the development of Regional Film Funds may contribute to the development of the regions and to the improvement in the quality of Polish audiovisual services.

The website of Film Commission Poland is available at filmcommissionpoland.pl.

Paulina Bez

Translated by Karolina Kołtun