Off Plus Camera Launched
The gala opening of the 3rd Off Plus Camera International Independent Film Festival was held on April 19 at Krakow’s Kijów cinema. The opening of the festival was preceded by a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the recent plane crash at Smolensk airport.
The festival was officially launched by the mayor of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski. “I still remember the gentleman who won the first edition of the festival and was rather surprised to receive 100 thousand dollars, as opposed to the 100 pounds he expected”, Majchrowski joked.
The event was hosted by journalists Marta Grzywacz of the RMF FM radio station and Jarosław Kuźniar of TVN24. The audience was also welcomed by the programming directors of Off Plus Camera – Anna Trzebiatowska and Szymon Miszczak.
“We are about to see 100 excellent films from around the world. Most of these will have their Polish premiere at our event here in Krakow […]. The festival programme was built over the course of the past year. The films we present are all films that moved us, touched us, and made a strong impression. We hope they will impress you too”, said Trzebiatowska and Miszczak as they thanked the festival’s media patrons, sponsors, and the volunteer staff that assisted them in organizing the event.
The gala ceremony included a presentation of fragments of twelve films from around the world; films competing for the Krakow Film Award. The jury, presided by Zbigniew Preisner, will award a cash prize in the amount of 100 thousand dollars. Other members of the jury are: director of the Sundance film festival John Cooper, directors Mike Figgis and Thomas Vinterberg, and actress Lili Taylor.
The Polish contender for the grand prize is Rewers (Reverse) by Borys Lankosz.
Another key award at the Off Plus Camera film festival is the Polish Film Noble (Polski Noble Filmowy), an award of accredited members of the press. As in previous years, there will also be an Audience Award.
Off Plus Camera will also bring a series of workshops and Q&A sessions. Sławomir Idziak will host a cinematography workshop, Mike Figgis will meet with those interested in screenwriting, while director Jane Campion and Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (among others) will hold master classes at the Jagiellonian University campus.
Apart from the Main Competition, screenings are divided into several sections, including “Discoveries: From the Gut”, “Discoveries: Latino”, “Don’t Knock the Rock”, and “New Indian Cinema”.
A special section at this year’s Off Plus Camera film festival is a panorama of Scandinavian cinema. The “Nordic Horizons” section will screen ten films from Iceland and Norway. The Good Heart by Icelandic director Dagur Kári was screened at the Off Plus Camera gala opening.
This year’s edition of the festival will run until April 25.
The event is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Further details available at www.offpluscamera.com.
Translated by Karolina Kołtun