News
Polish representatives at the Toronto Festival
The film „Quo vadis, Aida?”, produced by Ewa Puszczyńska and the Indian film „The Disciple” with cinematography by Michał Sobociński, were among the 50 productions in the official program of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival. The event will be held on September 10-19 in a changed formula.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, traditional screenings (only during the first five days of the event) with a limited number of viewers will be held alongside drive-in screenings, digital screenings, virtual red carpets and remote conferences.
10.08.2020
New film by Piotr Domalewski at the festival in San Sebastian
„I never cry”, the newest and second feature-length film by Piotr Domalewski, will take part in this year’s 68th San Sebastian International Film Festival. It will be shown in the Kutxabank-New Directors Award section. The film received a grant from the Polish Film Institute.
The Spanish festival will be held on September 18-26. „I never cry” is included in section which presents debuts and second feature-length films by distinguished artists. Its premiere is scheduled for September 25. Previously, it was shown as part of the Marche du Film in Cannes, as well as in the Works in Progress program in Karlovy Vary.
07.08.2020
Changes to the 45th PFF: new date, new competition
The next Polish Film Festival in Gdynia will take place in December 2020 and will present the latest Polish films in three competition sections – decided the Organizing Committee of the Polish Film Festival.
The 45th Polish Film Festival will be held in Gdynia on December 8-12, 2020. This was the decision of the Organizing Committee at the meeting held on August 5, 2020, adopting the new regulations of the Polish Film Festival.
07.08.2020
„Kill it and leave this town” at the Ottawa and Melbourne festivals
The animated film „Kill it and leave this town” by Mariusz Wilczyński was included in the competition of the International Animation Festival in Ottawa and the International Film Festival in Melbourne. The picture is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Mariusz Wilczyński’s full-length directorial debut is an autobiographical impression, a reminiscence of childhood images, in which the memories of his deceased parents and his hometown of Łódź come alive. Voices in the animation are given, among others, by Krystyna Janda, Andrzej Chyra, Maja Ostaszewska and Małgorzata Kożuchowska.
31.07.2020
Polish film in the International Competition at the Venice Festival
The film by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert „Never gonna snow again” was included in the International Competition of the Venice Film Festival. This year’s edition of the event will feature a record number of productions (9) with the participation of Poles. Most of them were co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
„Never gonna snow again” is the first Polish film in five years in the Main Competition of the Venice festival. The image by the Szumowska-Englert duo was based on their shared script. The cast includes: Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza, Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura, Andrzej Chyra, Łukasz Simlat and Krzysztof Czeczot.
31.07.2020
We know the Polish Days 2020 program
Six completed films, eight as part of the „Works in Progress” presentation and 10 projects in the development stage appear in the Polish Days 2020 program. This is one of the most important industry events in Poland. This year’s edition of the event, co-organized by the Polish Film Institute, will take place online from July 27-29.
Although the New Horizons festival, which organizes Polish Days, has been moved to November 2020, the July edition, thanks to the online platform, will be attended by about 100 guests from abroad, including selectors of many international festivals, sales agents, distributors and film producers.
27.07.2020
The 45th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia will be held in November
Meeting the expectations of the film community, on July 15, 2020 the Organizational Committee of the Polish Film Festival unanimously decided to organize the 45th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia this year. The hybrid event will take place on November 9-14, 2020.
At the same time, the Organizational Committee asked the Director of the Polish Film Festival to present the regulations containing a substitute formula for the Polish Film Festival by August 3, 2020.
22.07.2020
Polish document appreciated in New Zealand
The film „Long Day Tomorrow” by Paweł Wysoczański received a special jury award at the Doc Edge International Documentary Film Festival in New Zealand. He was awarded for „beautiful composition and exceptional personal commitment”. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
„Paweł Wysoczański’s film deserves a special mention. Talking about Dr. Helena Pyz and her 30 years of work at the leprosy treatment center and their children, the film is distinguished by a beautiful composition and exceptional personal commitment. Wysoczański gives an example of the art of documentary cinema, a clear narrative and a humanitarian message,” it was written in the justification of the award in the category for international directors.
15.07.2020
„Kill It and Leave This Town” honored in Annecy
The film „Kill It and Leave This Town” received a jury award in the main competition of the 44th International Animation Film Festival in Annecy. The film directed by Mariusz Wilczyński is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The French online event took part between 15 till 30 of June.
The world premiere of „Kill It and Leave This Town” took place in the Encounters competition at the 70th International Film Festival in Berlin. The film is the full-length directorial debut of Mariusz Wilczyński. Voices in the animation are given by, among others Krystyna Janda, Andrzej Chyra, Maja Ostaszewska and Małgorzata Kożuchowska.
15.07.2020
Polish animation in the Cinéfondation Cannes section
The organizers of the Cannes festival announced a list of films that qualified for the Cinéfondation 2020 section. Among 17 productions there was the Polish animation entitled „My fat arse and I” directed by Yelyzaveta Pysmak from the Film School in Łódź.
The Cinéfondation section has been presenting short films from film schools around the world since 1998. This year, the selection committee selected 17 films (13 stories and 4 animations) from 1952 entries. They come from countries such as Israel, Great Britain, Argentina, Hungary, Romania, India, Switzerland, the United States, South Korea, France, Poland, Portugal, Germany and Slovenia. Film screenings in the competition and the jury review will be held this autumn in Cannes.
15.07.2020
New Rector of the Film School in Łódź
Dr hab. Milenia Fiedler was elected the new Rector of The Leon Schiller National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź for the term 2020-2024. She will replace prof. Mariusz Grzegorzek and take up her function on 1 September.
Announcement from the University Electoral Commission of July 6, 2020.
15.07.2020
„Lesson of love” in the New Zealand festival program
The film „Lesson of love” directed by Małgorzata Goliszewska and Kasia Mateja was included in the New Zealand International Film Festival program in the Becoming section. This year’s event will take place from July 24 to August 2. The picture is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
79 full-length and seven short films from 41 countries were included in the New Zealand International Film Festival program. All films will be presented online, and 27 of them additionally at screenings in cinema halls in eight cities, including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. The festival in New Zealand also for the first time started cooperation with European Film Promotion’s Europe!: Voices Of Women In Film initiative, whose partner has been Sydney Film Festival for the last four years.
15.07.2020
Polish presence at Marché du Film
Screenings, discussion panels and the PFI virtual stand - this is the Polish presence at the Marché du Film in Cannes, which will last online until June 26.
22.06.2020
Five Polish films in The Goes to Cannes
New Horizons' Polish Days Goes to Cannes 2020 program has announced their selection. Among the Polish films at various stages of production (works-in-progress) selected for this year's edition, five titles will be presented. They are: „Horse Tail”, „The Last Mission”, „Everyone Has a Summer”, „Moths” and „WIKA!” - all co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
16.06.2020
Cinemas can operate from June 6
Cinemas can operate from June 6, after meeting the appropriate conditions - announced the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and National Heritage prof. Piotr Gliński. Earlier, from May 18, outdoor and drive in cinemas have been already allowed to operate.
01.06.2020
An appeal to support the „We are coming back to the cinema” campaign
The return of viewers to cinemas after their opening and improvement of the image of this place - these are the main objectives of the promotional campaign being prepared. The director of the Polish Film Institute Radosław Śmigulski appealed in a letter to television broadcasters for media support.
25.05.2020
MOJEeKINO.PL arthouse cinema platform is starting
A platform connecting dozens of arthouse cinemas - MOJEeKINO.PL will be launched on May 21. Cinemas which activities have been suspended due to the coronavirus epidemic will present their repertoires. The project of the Arthouse Cinema Association was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
21.05.2020
Film sets and outdoor cinemas can operate from 18 May
Resumption of work on film sets, taking into account the sanitary requirements and enabling the operation of outdoor cinemas, including drive-in ones – these activities, inter alia, were in the third stage of lifting the restrictions associated with the coronavirus epidemic. The decision was made at a meeting of the Governmental Crisis Management Team.
As emphasized by the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and National Heritage prof. Piotr Gliński, the current lifting of some restrictions is to enable the maximum safe return to partial activity of people of culture, which should also have a positive impact on their economic situation.
21.05.2020
45. Polish Film Festival in Gdynia postponed to the next year
Due to the prevailing epidemiological situation in the country and government recommendations regarding the organization of mass events, the 45th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia will not take place in 2020. Such a decision was unanimously taken by the Organizing Committee of the Polish Film Festival on May 20 this year.
21.05.2020
New safety rules on the film set
There are new safety rules on the film set, which were published in connection with the possibility of resuming work from May 18. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage provided detailed guidelines.
20.05.2020
We know the jury of the Krakow Film Festival
Jan Komasa, Leszek Możdżer, Łukasz Żal, Magdalena Łazarkiewicz - are on the jury of competitions of the 60th Krakow Film Festival. The festival, which will last from May 31 to June 7 and in full will be held online began selling tickets.
08.05.2020