Interview with Agnieszka Odorowicz
2015 will mark the 10th anniversary of establishing the Polish Film Institute. Agnieszka Odorowicz, who’s been at the head of PFI since the beginning, spoke to Film New Europe about some of the major achievements of the Polish Film Institute.
A system that favours first-time filmmakers
In FNE interview Agnieszka Odorowicz sums up the most important changes that have been interposed to the Polish film industry during past few years. The General Director of PFI mentions the position of young directors: “We created a system that favours first-time filmmakers. We have always prioritised film debuts, these include higher financing quotas of up to 70% and a special annual fund dedicated exclusively to film debuts”.
Successful modernisation of cinemas
Agnieszka Odorowicz presents not only the development that has effected Polish filmmakers but also the programmes that improved the whole film infrastructure: “One of the great accomplishments of recent years is the successful modernisation of many cinemas in small cities, which cost a total of 5.599 million euros. This funding was spent on renovating movie theatres, refurbishing screening rooms, and installing comfortable new seats. None of this would be possible without the Polish Film Institute”.
Box-office results
The General Director of PFI recalls the Polish films’ cinemas admission in 2005 and compares it to the newest results: “Not too long ago, in 2005, Polish films had an annual total of only 700,000 admissions in cinemas. By 2013, this number had increased tenfold to 7.2 million. The record-breaking year of 2011 marked a total of 11.6 million admissions for Polish films – a market share of over 30%. The first quarter of 2014 marked almost one million more admissions to Polish films than the first quarter of 2013. Almost 4.16 million admissions is a fantastic result, and gives a good forecast for this year.”
Things to do
Asked about the direction for development of the Polish Film Institute, Agnieszka Odorowicz took notice of the major lack in the film industry financing system: “Our country is one of the few places in Europe that has no incentives or tax credits for film producers from other countries! Although we have many excellent and talented filmmakers, exceptional specialists in various film professions, and many unique film locations, we still lack a system of tax incentives. Success in this area will be a success for thousands of people in the audiovisual industry and an opportunity to create hundreds of jobs.”
The whole interview is available at www.filmneweurope.com.