Agnieszka Holland Chairs EFA
On January 1, 2014, Polish director Agnieszka Holland took over the position of Chairwoman of the European Film Academy Board. The EFA Board also has five other new members.
New Members of the EFA Board
New members of the European Film Academy Board starting in 2014 are: director David MacKenzie (United Kingdom), four producers: Roberto Cicutto (Italy), Ilann Girard (France), Nadine Luque (Spain) and Ada Solomon (Romania), and Agnieszka Holland, who has replaced Yves Marmion as Chair of the EFA Board. One of the 19 members of the EFA Board is Krzysztof Zanussi, who has been re-elected for the position.
Agnieszka Holland Chairs EFA Board
As an initiative of European filmmakers, the European Film Academy presents the European Film Awards, participates in projects that promote European film production, and organizes workshops that serve as a networking platform for film professionals.
In an interview with Barbara Hollender, Holland describes the European Film Academy in the following words: “The Academy is a well functioning structure, albeit minimalist and somewhat stiff, which is why I thought that my global experience might be useful here. That a strange person like myself, a woman born in Poland who lives in various places around the world and deals with many different approaches to life and art, might be able to breathe some new life and energy into the Academy. That I’ll be able to do something for European cinema, which is, after all, my homeland.”
Agnieszka Holland in 2013
Agnieszka Holland began 2013 with the premiere of Burning Bush, a mini-series she directed about the events surrounding the self-immolation of Jan Palach. This mini-series has screened and received awards at a number of international festivals. A theatrical cut of Burning Bush was released in cinemas not only in the Czech Republic, but also in other countries, including Israel. The Czech Republic decided to nominate Burning Bush to be its Foreign Language Academy Award® candidate, however the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected the candidacy for procedural reasons.
Later in 2013, Agnieszka Holland served as the head of the jury at the 48th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. At the 15th Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, the Polish director received a lifetime achievement award. As the press release about the award states: “Her films are an emotional and conscientious confrontation that takes place on the screen, and as in all great art, reaches us, the viewers, and challenges our hearts and minds.”
Agnieszka Holland recently celebrated her 65th birthday. A three-time Academy Award® nominee, she is currently working on Rosemary’s Baby, a mini-series for NBC, and a film project that is an adaptation of the works of Olga Tokarczuk.
Kalina Cybulska
Translated by Karolina Kołtun
Sources:
- Agnieszka Holland, “Film może być prowokacją”, Rzeczpospolita, January 4, 2013 (Polish only)
- Jakub Szczepański, “Agnieszka Holland podbija świat”, Polska The Times, December 13, 2013 (Polish only)