Polish Films at the European Parliament
The Polish Film Festival at the European Parliament. Photo by Wiktor Dąbkowski
Today brings the end of the Polish Film Festival in Brussels, which launched on September 19. Screenings of Polish films at the European Parliament were organized to celebrate Poland’s presidency in the Council of the European Union. The festival is aimed at bringing Polish culture closer to international audiences by presenting a selection of films made in recent years.
Polish Film: a Trademark
“Every country has its trademark, something that distinguishes it from others. Poland’s trademark is our cinema; one that has always received wide acclaim […] and never gave up in the times of communism,” said EMP Bogusław Sonik at the festival’s inauguration. As he states, Polish cinema after 1989 managed to find a new language, new subjects, and new sources of financing.
Agnieszka Odorowicz, head of the Polish Film Institute, said that Polish cinema found itself in a new reality after Poland joined the European Union. “I am glad we can present a new cinema; one born in a free country – one that is the future of Polish and European cinema,” said Odorowicz. The General Director of the Polish Film Institute also called for more support for film production in the EU budget.
Filmmakers at the European Parliament
Filmmakers whose films are screening at the festival also attended the opening. Among them were directors Agnieszka Holland, Lech Majewski, Paweł Borowski and Jan Komasa, as well as the lead actor in Holland’s W ciemności (In Darkness) Robert Więckiewicz, and the producer of Czarny czwartek – Janek Wiśniewski padł (Black Thursday) Kazimierz Beer.
The Polish Film Institute as Co-Organizer
The Polish Film Festival is one of the key cultural events in Brussels celebrating the Polish EU presidency. The festival is organized with patronage from the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, and is organized by European MPs Bogusław Sonik and Piotr Borys, by the Polish Film Institute, and by the Heritage Institute. The festival also receives support from the Polish Embsassy in Belgium and the Polish representation at the EU.
Films screening at the festival included W ciemności (In Darkness) by Agnieszka Holland, Rewers (The Reverse) by Borys Lankosz, Zero by Paweł Borowski, Sala samobójców (Suicide Room) by Jan Komasa, Galerianki (Mall Girls) by Katarzyna Rosłaniec, Czarny czwartek – Janek Wiśniewski padł (Black Thursday) by Antoni Krauze, Młyn i Krzyż (The Mill and the Cross) by Lech Majewski, and Prawdziwy koniec zimnej wojny by Jerzy Śladowski.
Translated by Karolina Kołtun