PICTURE POLAND: POLISH FILMS ON BOARD OF LUFTHANSA AIRPLANES

Lufthansa has joined the Picture Poland project, aimed at promoting Polish films among airline passengers.

Polish films on-board of all Lufthansa intercontinental flights

“Working with Lufthansa on Picture Poland marks another milestone for us. For the past ten years, the Polish Film Institute has not only been supporting film production, but also promoting Polish films in Poland and abroad,” said Katarzyna Mazurkiewicz, head of the International Department of the Polish Film Institute at the press conference.

Polish films on-board of over 100 Lufthansa planes

“The Picture Poland project is a chance for us to reach a wide audience. Having Polish films on board of over 100 Lufthansa airplanes is an excellent opportunity for passengers from around the world to engage with Polish cinema,” said Katarzyna Mazurkiewicz. “Our cooperation with Lufthansa covers five films. All will be available in Polish and English.”

Promoting Polish films around the world

“We are very happy to have been invited by the Polish Film Institute to participate in this project. We are glad that from June 1 to the end of September we will be screening select Polish films on-board our airplanes. It is an opportunity for Polish films to reach over 100 million passengers who fly with us every year,” said Frank Wagner, Country Manager Lufthansa Group in Poland, emphasising that this year marks 45 years since Lufthansa launched its first flights to Poland.

326 flights per week from Polish airports to five main transit hubs in the world

“Poland is one of our key markets. Introducing Polish films into our in-flight entertainment system will no doubt increase our variety. I am glad that my colleagues responsible for our in-flight programming appreciate Polish films and have chosen to recommend them to our passengers,” said Frank Wagner. “For us as a European airline, it is important to have a range of films available to our passenger beyond the scope of Hollywood blockbusters, which are available in every other airline, focusing instead on European films. Promoting local films among passengers from around the world is what makes our airline unique.”

Films for Polish audiences around the world

“Our passengers include many Polish people who live abroad. This project is also for them, to help them feel at home on board of our flights and be able to watch films in their mother tongue,” said Frank Wagner.

Five Polish films and promoting Polish films in Lufthansa’s in-flight magazine

From June 1 until the end of September, Lufthansa passengers will have an opportunity to choose between five Polish films, including Ida by Paweł Pawlikowski, Piotruś i wilk (Peter & the Wolf) by Suzie Templeton, Imagine by Andrzej Jakimowski, 80 milionów (80 Million) by Waldemar Krzystek, and Deep Love by Jan P. Matuszyński. Picture Poland will also be promoted in the June edition of Lufthansa’s in-flight magazine.
“We hope Lufthansa will want to continue collaborating on this project with us, especially since Polish cinema is gaining increasing recognition at the world’s top film festivals,” said Katarzyna Mazurkiewicz. “We are happy about this collaboration and hope to work with more airlines willing to introduce the Picture Poland project in their in-flight entertainment systems.”

Picture Poland

Picture Poland is the world’s first project aimed at promoting the cinema of a single country using airlines’ in-flight entertainment systems. Participating airlines receive a collection of Polish films from the past decade. License fees are covered by the Polish Film Institute, which also initiated the project. Films within Picture Poland are available to passenger free of charge, in a separate folder of the in-flight entertainment system. The project is supervised by Wojciech Karubin’s Movie Mates agency.

Lufthansa is the third airline to join the project. Polish films have been screening on board of LOT Polish Airlines’ Dreamliners as of July 1, 2015. Turkish Airlines joined the project in February 2016.

Translated by Karolina Kołtun