News
Special mentions for Polish production in Venice
Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Jan P. Matuszyński’s film „Leave no traces” received the Premio Bisato d’Oro (best picture) critics award at the International Film Festival in Venice. A similar distinction in the Orizzonti section went to the co-production „El hoyo en la cerca” by Joaquin del Paso (best cinematography). In total, five Polish productions were presented in Venice this year (three at the festival and two at Venice Days), in addition to the awarded: „Rhino” by Oleg Sencov (Orizzonti), and as part of Giornate degli Autori: „Anatomy” by Ola Jankowska and „Il silenzio grande” Alessandro Gassmann. The 78th edition of the festival took place in September 1-11.
The Venice Film Festival is considered to be the oldest film event in the world. It was founded in 1932 and is now part of the Venice Biennale. This year’s edition was opened by the film by Pedro Almodovar – „Madres Paralelas”.
23.09.2021
„Leave no traces” is the Polish candidate for the Oscar
The Polish candidate for the Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category will be the production of Jan P. Matuszyński – „Leave no traces”. The film goes to cinemas on September 24.
The committee chose from among four submitted films: Apart from Jan P. Matuszyński film there were also „Najmro” (dir. Mateusz Rakowicz), „Prime Time” (dir. Jakub Piątek) and „Hyacinth” (dir. Piotr Domalewski)
17.09.2021
„First Last Summer” in the final of the Student Oscar
The film, directed and written by Nastazja Gonera, was appreciated at the 48th Students Academy Awards. On October 21, we will find out whether the short fiction produced by the National Film, Television and Theater School in Łódź will win a statuette.
The Student Oscars are awarded annually by the American Film Academy to the best student films in several categories: animated, documentary, fictional, alternative and foreign feature, animated and documentary films. Winners may apply for an Oscar nomination.
27.08.2021
Polish delegation at the Nordisk Panorama Forum
Although the Nordisk Panorama Forum is an event related to the financing of documentary films from the Nordic countries, each year the organizers invite one delegation from a country outside their circle. In 2021 – for the second time in history – a group of filmmakers from Poland was invited. What does this mean for them?
The Polish Docs PRO delegation will be joined by both directors and producers of documentary films. The latter were invited, among others at Producers Meet Producers – co-production meetings with partners from the Nordic region. Participants will present their previous achievements and new projects, and then they will get the opportunity to establish contacts with Scandinavian representatives of film funds, TV stations, film institutes and distribution companies.
27.08.2021
Two awards for the film „Matecznik” at KVIFF Eastern Promises
The project of the film „Matecznik”, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, received two awards: First Cut + and Subti Award under the KVIFF Eastern Promises. This is Grzegorz Mołda’s full-length feature debut. The industry event – accompanying the 55th edition of the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary – was held online from July 28 to August 12.
The presentation of the Polish project during the Works in Progress session was preceded by three-day consultations related to promotion, marketing and sales strategy, in which participated representatives of the film industry.
27.08.2021
Polish Days 2021 awards granted
The film „Woman on the Roof” directed by Anna Jadowska, Marta Szarzyńska (Kinhouse Studio) and the project „Broys” by Marcin Filipowicz are among the winners of Polish Days 2021. This most important industry event of the New Horizons International Film Festival, co-organized by the Polish Film Institute, took place in Wrocław on August 15-17.
During closed screenings, over 150 film industry representatives from around the world watched finished films and film fragments in the post-production phase and participated in presentations of work in progress. As every year, the best projects were awarded by the partners and co-authors of Polish Days.
27.08.2021
„Balcony film” with the Grand Prix in Locarno
Paweł Łoziński’s „Balcony Film”, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, received the Grand Prix in the Semaine de la critique section of the International Film Festival in Locarno. It won with six other titles, including two from Poland: „Walk with Angels” by Tomasz Wysokiński and „Bukolika” by Karol Pałka. The 74th edition of the festival was held on 4-14 August.
In the description of the film we read: I decided to stop and wait for the world to come to me. I stood on the balcony with the camera for 2 years and caught anyone who passed under it. These meetings resulted in a film about people and what they wanted to say about themselves. And about the director who was curious about them. I was amazed at how little I know about people. Almost no one is what he appears to be. People carry riddles and secrets. They are not easily pigeonholed. Life is unimaginable.
27.08.2021
We know the titles of Polish Days 2021
The latest films by Łukasz Grzegorzek, Aleksandra Terpińska, Anna Jadowska and Jan Holoubek will be presented at the most important industry event of the New Horizons International Film Festival – Polish Days, co-organized by the Polish Film Institute.
During the Polish Days, five completed films will be presented, six as part of the „Works in Progress” presentation and nine projects in the development phase.
27.08.2021
Polish animations in the competition section of the Ottawa festival
Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, the animations „Not so scary crocodile” by Grzegorz Koncewicz and „Impossible Figures and Other Stories II” by Marta Pajek are included in the main competition of the International Animation Festival in Ottawa.
This is one of the largest animated film festivals which will be held on September 22 – October 3. Among 2,528 submissions from 104 different countries, 107 short films were selected, including an animated series and 7 feature films.
27.08.2021
Polish films at Toronto International Film Festival 2021
Four productions co-financed by the Polish Film Institute will be presented at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival. The Platform competition section includes Aga Woszczyńska’s film „Silent Land”, while the official selection also includes the Turkish-German-Danish-Polish co-production of „Anatolian Leopard” by Emre Kayis (Discovery) and the Irish-Polish film „Wolf” by Nathalie Biancheri (Special Presentations). As part of the market shows, the film „Leave no traces” by Jan P. Matuszyński will be screened. Festival will be held on September 9-18.
„Silent Land”
27.08.2021
„Leave no traces” in the main competition of the Venice IFF
Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Jan P. Matuszyński’s film „Leave no traces” will compete for prizes in the main competition of the International Film Festival in Venice. Event will be held on September 1-11.
„Leave no traces”, based on the reportage of Cezary Łazarewicz, is the story of the murdered Grzegorz Przemyk, whose case in the 1980s was known throughout Poland. The main roles in the film are played by Tomasz Ziętek, Sandra Korzeniak, and Mateusz Górski as Grzegorz Przemyk. They are partnered by Jacek Braciak, Agnieszka Grochowska, Robert Więckiewicz, Aleksandra Konieczna, Adam Bobik and Tomasz Kot.
25.08.2021
„The Cracks” project at the 55th IFF in Karlovy Vary
„The Cracks” by Magdalena Gajewska, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, is among the titles selected for the 7th edition of Future Frames as part of the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary.
The European Film Promotion program aims to draw the attention of film industry specialists and journalists to young European filmmakers. During Industry Days at the IFF in Karlovy Vary, ten promising directors will present their achievements to date in film schools, as well as take part in the most interesting industry events and master classes prepared especially for them.
24.08.2021
„Lamb” awarded in Cannes
The Icelandic director Valdimar Jóhannsson’s feature debut, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, received an award for originality at Cannes.
The jury chaired by the director Andrea Arnold awarded prizes in the Un Certain Regard section. The Original Award went to Valdimar Jóhannsson’s feature debut „The Lamb”.
23.08.2021
The world premiere of the movie „Everyone Has a Summer”
The film „Everyone Has a Summer” by Tomasz Jurkiewicz, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, will take part in the GENERATOR +16 competition section of the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy. It will be its official world premiere. The event will be held on July 21-31.
The film „Everyone Has Their Summer” is the feature debut of Tomasz Jurkiewicz. The picture premiered at the 45th Polish Feature Film Festival, where it was shown in the Microbudget Film Competition. Its action takes place in a small town near Krakow. The local community plunged into stagnation is unexpectedly awakened by the arrival of a young, rebellious girl who destroys the emotional peace of a three-generation family. 17-year-old Mirek, the son of a local organist, falls in love with Agata, who cooks at the parish, and his grandfather, who suffers from dementia, sees the girl as a lover from his youth. Mirek decides to take advantage of his grandfather’s illness to get closer to Agata. Discovering mutual feelings unexpectedly reveals a family secret closely guarded by Mirek’s mother.
13.08.2021
Two Polish films in the Odense Film Festival
The animated film „Co-ognition” by Przemysław Świda and the fiction „The Last Whistle” by Karol Lindholm are in the program of the Odense Film Festival. Both films are co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The festival will be held on August 30-September 5.
In the description of the film „Co-ognition” we read: A suit, a hat, a briefcase – the main character of the animation looks like a representative of the yuppie generation or a corporate employee. This time, however, there are no documents in his briefcase, but subsequent versions of himself, and instead of going on a business trip, he goes on a crazy run on his own consciousness. Is the man running away from himself or is he trying to catch up with himself? What happens when the protagonist’s „I” finally meet? This film is an abstract vision of shaping your own personality in the style of a press comic book. Visual games with black lines and pictures allow for free penetration of successive frames, and the ptotagonist’s identity is built from geometric figures, irregularly shaped spots and characteristic objects.
13.08.2021
Polish project with an award at the festival in Annecy
The project of the film „The Birds of Paradise” by Tomek Ducki, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, won the NEF Animation Prize at the International Animated Film Festival in Annecy. Awarded for the best pitching among short films, it will allow the director to take part in international workshops in France, during which the film project will be developed.
In the description of the plot of the film we read: in the endless nothingness, in the middle of an empty space, a small flock of birds lives, creating their territory by defecating. One day, on an island made of their excrements, they find a mysterious rubber boot with magical powers. Thanks to it, it is possible to excrete more and the expansion of the land becomes faster and easier. However, this leads to a division in the group, which causes bigger problems and even bigger… droppings.
09.08.2021
Polish productions at the festival in Karlovy Vary
Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, the film „Dear Ones” directed by Grzegorz Jaroszuk was included in the East of the West Competition section of the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary. Its 55th edition will be held on August 20-28. Earlier, three productions will be presented as part of the KVIFF Eastern Promises.
„Dear Ones” is a captivating and melancholic story about everymen and their serious problems, and at the same time a mix of genres: crime fiction, comedy and drama. This is the second full-length film by Grzegorz Jaroszuk, a director of the young generation, who has managed to become famous as an artist who uses such risky means as absurdity, grotesque or slapstick.
16.07.2021
Three Polish films at the festival in Locarno
Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute films „Walk with Angels” by Tomasz Wysokiński, „Bukolika” by Karol Pałka and „The Balcony Movie” by Paweł Łoziński are included in the program of the International Film Festival in Locarno. Among seven titles in the Semaine de la critique section, three are from Poland. The 74th edition of the festival will be held from August, 4 to 14.
The feature-length documentary „Walk with Angels” by Tomasz Wysokiński will have its international premiere at the Film Critics Week in Locarno. The picture has already received the Golden Hobby-Horse award at the 61st Krakow Film Festival, as well as two awards at the Industry Gala – Jury Mention for music for Paweł Mykietyn and the Best Documentary Producer Award for Mañana – Piotr Kobus / Agnieszka Wood. On June 11, it was released in theaters in Poland. The film was shot in Johannesburg and the surrounding townships over the course of four years, during which the director went with a camera into places never visited by filmmakers. Like a shadow, he accompanied the character of the film, Jerry, on a journey into hell, a mysterious and fascinating figure like the continent he comes from.
15.07.2021
Polish presence in Cannes
Co-production „Lamb” in the Un Certain Regard section, animation „Beasts among us” in the Cannes Cinéfondation, film „The Double Life of Veronique” at Cannes Classics, as well as Polish producers at Producers Network and Producers on the Move – this is how Polish presence in Cannes looks like. The Polish Film Institute also invites to its stand at the Marché du Film. The 74th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival takes place in July, 6-17.
The Polish Cinema Pavilion stand organized by the Polish Film Institute and SFP will be open throughout the festival. It is a common space dedicated to all Polish artists present in Cannes. The address of the stand is Village International Riviera # 117 – we invite you without booking a table.
12.07.2021
The „Cent’anni” project in the Cannes Docs section
The project „Cent’anni”, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, is in the Cannes Docs section at a special Docs in Progress workshop – Showcase Circle Women. This is a Slovenian-Italian-Polish production directed by Maja Prelog.
The film is a story about Blaž: a filmmaker and cycling enthusiast who once aspired to take part in the great Italian cycling race, which was prevented by his illness. After a bone marrow transplant, he has a new plan: live at least a hundred years. The film is Blaž’s bicycle journey through the stages of Giro d’Italia, during which he reflects on his „past reality” – the fight against leukemia, which he won. The days go by, the roads get steeper and Blaž is increasingly exhausted. Will he meet his expectations of reaching the finish line – Mount Etna?
12.07.2021
Polish animation in the Cannes Cinéfondation
The animation „Beasts among us” by Natalia Durszewicz, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, has been selected for the Cannes Cinéfondation. It will be presented among 17 short films (13 live-action and 4 animated) from film schools all over the world.
Cinéfondation is the competition section of the Festival de Cannes since 1998, which will take place on July, 6-17. The jury will hand over the prizes at a ceremony preceding the screening of the awarded films on Thursday, July 15th, in the Buñuel Theatre. For its 24th edition, 1,835 films were submitted, among which only 17 were selected (13 live-action and 4 animated shorts). The full list of selected productions is available here: https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/infos-communiques/communique/articles/the-jury-and-the-selection-for-short-films-and-the- cinefondation-2021
12.07.2021