Programme includes five completed films, six works-in-progress, nine development.
The programme for the 2021 edition of Polish Days industry event includes Lipstick On The Glass, the latest film from Polish director Kuba Czekaj.
Czekaj’s film, which is currently in post-production, is participating as one of six works-in-progress, alongside nine titles in development and five completed films.
The film follows a woman who is induced to abandon her gangster husband to join a feminist sect.
It is produced by Paweł Kosuń and Agnieszka Janowska for Poland’s Centrala Film, and Arek Gielnik for Germany’s Indi Film.
The film will be...
The programme for the 2021 edition of Polish Days industry event includes Lipstick On The Glass, the latest film from Polish director Kuba Czekaj.
Czekaj’s film, which is currently in post-production, is participating as one of six works-in-progress, alongside nine titles in development and five completed films.
The film follows a woman who is induced to abandon her gangster husband to join a feminist sect.
It is produced by Paweł Kosuń and Agnieszka Janowska for Poland’s Centrala Film, and Arek Gielnik for Germany’s Indi Film.
The film will be...
- 7/28/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Projects from directors Bodo Kox and Adrian Panek are also being introduced.
Projects by Agnieszka Holland [pictured], Bodo Kox and Adrian Panek are among the films being presented at this week’s Polish Days during the T Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival in Wroclaw (July 21-31).
Holland’s dark comedy-thriller Game Count, which she bills as “No Country For Old Women¨, is one of nine titles in the Works in Progress showcase.
The $3.9m (€3.5m) co-production between Krzysztof Zanussi’s Tor Film Studio and Germany’s Heimatfilm will be distributed internationally by Beta Cinema.
Polish Days’ international audience of sales agents, distributors and festival programmers were also treated to the first footage from Kasia Adamik’s thriller Amok and Dorota Kobiela’s animated drama Loving Vincent as well as from two films which will be featured in Locarno’s First Look works in progress sidebar next week: Maciej Pieprzyca’s psychological thriller I’m A Killer (which...
Projects by Agnieszka Holland [pictured], Bodo Kox and Adrian Panek are among the films being presented at this week’s Polish Days during the T Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival in Wroclaw (July 21-31).
Holland’s dark comedy-thriller Game Count, which she bills as “No Country For Old Women¨, is one of nine titles in the Works in Progress showcase.
The $3.9m (€3.5m) co-production between Krzysztof Zanussi’s Tor Film Studio and Germany’s Heimatfilm will be distributed internationally by Beta Cinema.
Polish Days’ international audience of sales agents, distributors and festival programmers were also treated to the first footage from Kasia Adamik’s thriller Amok and Dorota Kobiela’s animated drama Loving Vincent as well as from two films which will be featured in Locarno’s First Look works in progress sidebar next week: Maciej Pieprzyca’s psychological thriller I’m A Killer (which...
- 7/29/2016
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Ida producer Opus Film and distributors Against Gravity and Next Film were among the winners at the 8th Polish Film Institute Awards.
The awards were presented at a gala ceremony last night during the Gdynia Film Festival (Sept 14-29).
Lodz-based Opus Film and the Acme PR agency won the prize for ¨International Promotion of Polish Cinema¨ for its Oscar campaign for Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, which won Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards.
Next Film was recognised for its distribution of Jan Komasa’s Warsaw Uprising and Lukasz Palkowski’s Gods, the big winner at last year’s Gdynia Film Festival with admissions topping 2.2 million in Polish cinemas.
Against Gravity received the award for ¨Distribution of a Non-Commercial Foreign Film in Poland¨ for its release of Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Oscar-nominated Leviathan.
In addition, the 41st Film Summer in Insk beat off competition from the 5th American Film Festival in Wroclaw and the 21st Nationwide...
The awards were presented at a gala ceremony last night during the Gdynia Film Festival (Sept 14-29).
Lodz-based Opus Film and the Acme PR agency won the prize for ¨International Promotion of Polish Cinema¨ for its Oscar campaign for Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, which won Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards.
Next Film was recognised for its distribution of Jan Komasa’s Warsaw Uprising and Lukasz Palkowski’s Gods, the big winner at last year’s Gdynia Film Festival with admissions topping 2.2 million in Polish cinemas.
Against Gravity received the award for ¨Distribution of a Non-Commercial Foreign Film in Poland¨ for its release of Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Oscar-nominated Leviathan.
In addition, the 41st Film Summer in Insk beat off competition from the 5th American Film Festival in Wroclaw and the 21st Nationwide...
- 9/17/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Cultural manager and producer Magdalena Sroka will replace Agnieszka Odorowicz as the new Head of the Polish Film Institute starting October 3, 2015. Agnieszka Odorowicz is stepping down after 10 years as head of Pisf which is the longest period a director can serve under the statutes of the organization.
Magdalena Sroka was unanimously recommended to the Minister of Culture and National Heritage by a special committee created by Małgorzata Omilanowska and consisting of film professionals including: Agnieszka Holland, Borys Lankosz, Juliusz Machulski, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Fidyk, Olgierd Łukaszewicz, Roman Gutek, Katarzyna Janowska, Jakub Szurmiej and Robert Kijak.
"One of the key elements in my presentation was to showcase the role and significance of the regional film funds and local film commissions and how cooperation with the Polish Film Institute could help them develop. I also presented my ideas on how to introduce legislative reforms that will facilitate the activities of regional funds and film funds and how we should implement the new European directives on public commissions that will take effect in 2016", Sroka said during the recruitment process.
A Jagiellonian University graduate in 2003, Magdalena Sroka was a part of the Krakow Festival Office 2000. She was responsible for several cultural projects organized when Krakow was the European Capital of Culture in 2000, including the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, the Opera Film Festival and Crossroads Festival Krakow. In 2008-2010 she was the Director of theKrakow Festival Office. She is also one of the creators of Krakow Film Commission, the Krakow Regional Film Fund and the Polish Culture Congress. She is currently the Deputy President of Krakow for Culture and Promotion.
Magdalena Sroka was unanimously recommended to the Minister of Culture and National Heritage by a special committee created by Małgorzata Omilanowska and consisting of film professionals including: Agnieszka Holland, Borys Lankosz, Juliusz Machulski, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Fidyk, Olgierd Łukaszewicz, Roman Gutek, Katarzyna Janowska, Jakub Szurmiej and Robert Kijak.
"One of the key elements in my presentation was to showcase the role and significance of the regional film funds and local film commissions and how cooperation with the Polish Film Institute could help them develop. I also presented my ideas on how to introduce legislative reforms that will facilitate the activities of regional funds and film funds and how we should implement the new European directives on public commissions that will take effect in 2016", Sroka said during the recruitment process.
A Jagiellonian University graduate in 2003, Magdalena Sroka was a part of the Krakow Festival Office 2000. She was responsible for several cultural projects organized when Krakow was the European Capital of Culture in 2000, including the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, the Opera Film Festival and Crossroads Festival Krakow. In 2008-2010 she was the Director of theKrakow Festival Office. She is also one of the creators of Krakow Film Commission, the Krakow Regional Film Fund and the Polish Culture Congress. She is currently the Deputy President of Krakow for Culture and Promotion.
- 8/12/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Polish Days constitutes the most important industry event at the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival. There, more than 250 movers and shakers of the Polish and international film industry, from producers and film funds to buyers and festival programmers from Berlin, Semaine de la Critique, Rotterdam, Venice, Tribeca and New Directors/New Films, met to watch the latest Polish films at closed screenings. This year, the event took place from July 29 to 31 in the city of Wrocław, Poland.
The 2015 edition focused on funding and German producers. Polish and German film producers met at a conference organized by the Polish Film Institute, the Film Commission of Poland, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (Mdm), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, German regional funds and the Cottbus Film Festival.
A total of 26 films and projects by both first-time directors and well-established filmmakers were selected for the industry event.
In fact, among the works shown in full at closed screenings were Karlovy Vary competition titles "The Red Spider" by Marcin Koszalkaand "Chemo" by Bartosz Prokopowicz as well as the debut features by Wojciech Kasperski "The High Frontier," "Berlin Diaries" by Przemysław Wojcieszek, "My Sister" by Kinga Dębska and Krzysztof Łukaszewicz’s "Karbala."
As far as the work-in-progress section is concerned, it presented 10 films. These were "Baby Bump" by Kuba Czekaj, "Journals" by Wiktoria Szymańska, "Waves" by Grzegorz Zariczny, "Into the Spirale" by Konrad Aksinowicz, "All These Sleepless Nights" by Michał Marczak and two projects pitched at the festival last year - "Wild Roses" by Anna Jadowska and "Volhynia" by Wojtek Smarzowski. Two documentaries were also presented here: "21 x New York" by Piotr Stasik and "When You Return" by Anna Zamęcka.
Pitchings presented Polish films at an earlier stage of development and production included new works by Marcin Wrona ("Lili"), Dorota Kędzierzawska ("Speedway") and Marcin Dudziak ("Presence"), as well as the following debut features: "The Last Family" by Jan P. Matuszyński, "Tower" by Jagoda Szelc, "Forest" by Joanna Zastróżna and the Cinemart project "Hurrah, we're still alive!" by Agnieszka Polska. Moreover, three projects by foreign directors but developed in Poland were also pitched: "AA" by Jack Faber, "Marie Curie" by Marie Noelle and "People I'm Not" by Francesco Rizzi. Post-production awards from Toya Studios (sound) and Chimney Poland (image) went to "People I'm Not" by Francesco Rizzi, "Tower" by Jagoda Szelc and "Speedway" by Dorota Kędzierzawska.
In the case of "The Last Family," David Ogrodnik, one of the stars of the critically acclaimed hit "Ida," has been cast in the film as Tomek, the son of Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski, played by Andrzej Seweryn, a veteran film and theater actor.
According to Joanna Łapińska, the head of Polish Days and the artistic director of the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, the program “contains, in equal measure, expressive, original works, along with interesting genre films, moving features, and courageous documentaries.” As far as Agnieszka Odorowicz, the general director of the Polish Film Institute, is concerned, Polish Days has become “one of the most interesting events dedicated to promoting Polish cinema and showcasing film projects in early stages of production. The importance of Polish Days for the international promotion of Polish cinema cannot be overstated. ” Łapińska was adamant on “making it clear” that “Poland is a place for interesting coproductions.”
Polish Days is co-organized with the Polish Film Institute. The event’s partners include the Film Commission of Poland, the Mazovia-Warsaw and Wrocław Film Commissions, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the National Audiovisual Institute and post-production studios Toya Studios and Chimney Poland.
The 2015 edition focused on funding and German producers. Polish and German film producers met at a conference organized by the Polish Film Institute, the Film Commission of Poland, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (Mdm), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, German regional funds and the Cottbus Film Festival.
A total of 26 films and projects by both first-time directors and well-established filmmakers were selected for the industry event.
In fact, among the works shown in full at closed screenings were Karlovy Vary competition titles "The Red Spider" by Marcin Koszalkaand "Chemo" by Bartosz Prokopowicz as well as the debut features by Wojciech Kasperski "The High Frontier," "Berlin Diaries" by Przemysław Wojcieszek, "My Sister" by Kinga Dębska and Krzysztof Łukaszewicz’s "Karbala."
As far as the work-in-progress section is concerned, it presented 10 films. These were "Baby Bump" by Kuba Czekaj, "Journals" by Wiktoria Szymańska, "Waves" by Grzegorz Zariczny, "Into the Spirale" by Konrad Aksinowicz, "All These Sleepless Nights" by Michał Marczak and two projects pitched at the festival last year - "Wild Roses" by Anna Jadowska and "Volhynia" by Wojtek Smarzowski. Two documentaries were also presented here: "21 x New York" by Piotr Stasik and "When You Return" by Anna Zamęcka.
Pitchings presented Polish films at an earlier stage of development and production included new works by Marcin Wrona ("Lili"), Dorota Kędzierzawska ("Speedway") and Marcin Dudziak ("Presence"), as well as the following debut features: "The Last Family" by Jan P. Matuszyński, "Tower" by Jagoda Szelc, "Forest" by Joanna Zastróżna and the Cinemart project "Hurrah, we're still alive!" by Agnieszka Polska. Moreover, three projects by foreign directors but developed in Poland were also pitched: "AA" by Jack Faber, "Marie Curie" by Marie Noelle and "People I'm Not" by Francesco Rizzi. Post-production awards from Toya Studios (sound) and Chimney Poland (image) went to "People I'm Not" by Francesco Rizzi, "Tower" by Jagoda Szelc and "Speedway" by Dorota Kędzierzawska.
In the case of "The Last Family," David Ogrodnik, one of the stars of the critically acclaimed hit "Ida," has been cast in the film as Tomek, the son of Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski, played by Andrzej Seweryn, a veteran film and theater actor.
According to Joanna Łapińska, the head of Polish Days and the artistic director of the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, the program “contains, in equal measure, expressive, original works, along with interesting genre films, moving features, and courageous documentaries.” As far as Agnieszka Odorowicz, the general director of the Polish Film Institute, is concerned, Polish Days has become “one of the most interesting events dedicated to promoting Polish cinema and showcasing film projects in early stages of production. The importance of Polish Days for the international promotion of Polish cinema cannot be overstated. ” Łapińska was adamant on “making it clear” that “Poland is a place for interesting coproductions.”
Polish Days is co-organized with the Polish Film Institute. The event’s partners include the Film Commission of Poland, the Mazovia-Warsaw and Wrocław Film Commissions, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the National Audiovisual Institute and post-production studios Toya Studios and Chimney Poland.
- 8/12/2015
- by Tara Karajica
- Sydney's Buzz
Feature about gender reassignment wins international documentary competition.
Karolina Bielawska’s Call Me Marianna was the big winner at this year’s Krakow Film Festival (May 31 - June 7) with four awards, including the International Documentary Competition’s main prize, the Golden Horn, and the Audience Award
Bielwaska’s film about a man’s decision to undergo gender reassignment also picked up the Maciej Szumowski Award for remarkable social awareness, funded by the National Broadcasting Council; and Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce’s Award for the Best Short and Documentary Films Producer in Poland to producer Zbigniew Domagalski of Studio Filmowe Kalejdoskop.
The International Documentary Competition jury, headed by Wieland Speck of the Berlinale’s Panorama, remarked on the “sensitive, intense and complex portrayal of a brave approach to life”.
The jury also noted that “the journey through life from man to woman in a dualistically dominated culture, the transformation from being a family man to the...
Karolina Bielawska’s Call Me Marianna was the big winner at this year’s Krakow Film Festival (May 31 - June 7) with four awards, including the International Documentary Competition’s main prize, the Golden Horn, and the Audience Award
Bielwaska’s film about a man’s decision to undergo gender reassignment also picked up the Maciej Szumowski Award for remarkable social awareness, funded by the National Broadcasting Council; and Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce’s Award for the Best Short and Documentary Films Producer in Poland to producer Zbigniew Domagalski of Studio Filmowe Kalejdoskop.
The International Documentary Competition jury, headed by Wieland Speck of the Berlinale’s Panorama, remarked on the “sensitive, intense and complex portrayal of a brave approach to life”.
The jury also noted that “the journey through life from man to woman in a dualistically dominated culture, the transformation from being a family man to the...
- 6/8/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Humility, humour and thanking mothers
Speeches from the winners at the 87th Academy Awards.
Best Film
Sean Penn announced that the top award went to Birdman.
Speaking backstage later in the press room, director Alejandro G Iñárritu said of being Mexican: “Well, look at this room. I don’t know how many nationalities are in this room, but I don’t feel different to anybody of you here.
“You know, it can be from any continent, from any language. I don’t care. I as an artist, as a human, as a filmmaker, I cannot have these stupid borders, flags, and passports. Those are a concept that were invented by a human society.
“But, honestly, naked, in tighty whities we will be the same. And I have never felt that different. So for me to make films in the United States, or in Africa, or in Spain, or in Mexico, I’m talking...
Speeches from the winners at the 87th Academy Awards.
Best Film
Sean Penn announced that the top award went to Birdman.
Speaking backstage later in the press room, director Alejandro G Iñárritu said of being Mexican: “Well, look at this room. I don’t know how many nationalities are in this room, but I don’t feel different to anybody of you here.
“You know, it can be from any continent, from any language. I don’t care. I as an artist, as a human, as a filmmaker, I cannot have these stupid borders, flags, and passports. Those are a concept that were invented by a human society.
“But, honestly, naked, in tighty whities we will be the same. And I have never felt that different. So for me to make films in the United States, or in Africa, or in Spain, or in Mexico, I’m talking...
- 2/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Humility, humour and thanking mothers
The latest reactions from the winners as they take to the stage at the 87th annual Academy Awards. This will update throughout the night.
Alejandro G Iñárritu, best film, Birdman (backstage in press room) –
Asked about being Mexican and making films for the world: “Well, look at this room. I don’t know how many nationalities are in this room, but I don’t feel different to anybody of you here. You know, it can be from any continent, from any language. I don’t care. I feel very relate to any of you. So I as an artist, as a human, as a filmmaker, I cannot have these stupid borders, flags, and passports. Those are a concept that were invented by a human society. But, honestly, naked, in tighty‑whities we will be the same. And I have never felt that different. So for me to make films in United States...
The latest reactions from the winners as they take to the stage at the 87th annual Academy Awards. This will update throughout the night.
Alejandro G Iñárritu, best film, Birdman (backstage in press room) –
Asked about being Mexican and making films for the world: “Well, look at this room. I don’t know how many nationalities are in this room, but I don’t feel different to anybody of you here. You know, it can be from any continent, from any language. I don’t care. I feel very relate to any of you. So I as an artist, as a human, as a filmmaker, I cannot have these stupid borders, flags, and passports. Those are a concept that were invented by a human society. But, honestly, naked, in tighty‑whities we will be the same. And I have never felt that different. So for me to make films in United States...
- 2/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Update: Pawlikowski is only third Polish director to win Efa’s top prize; Steve McQueen pays tribute to Jean Vigo; Ukrainian diector Oleg Sentsov gets an empty seat at the awards in Riga.
Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida was the big winner at this year’s European Film Awards in Riga, picking up five awards, including the top honour of European Film 2014 as well as the People’s Choice Award
“It’s been a fantastic night for us and a great night for Poland,” Pawlikowski said as he went up onto the stage of Latvia’s National Opera House for the fourth time on Saturday evening (December 13).
Earlier, when receiving the European Director 2014 trophy, the UK-based director explained that two of the film-makers competing for this honour — Turkey’s Nure Bilge Ceylan and Russia’s Andrey Zvyagintsev — are his favourite directors working today. “Thank you for being losers — this time,” he quipped...
Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida was the big winner at this year’s European Film Awards in Riga, picking up five awards, including the top honour of European Film 2014 as well as the People’s Choice Award
“It’s been a fantastic night for us and a great night for Poland,” Pawlikowski said as he went up onto the stage of Latvia’s National Opera House for the fourth time on Saturday evening (December 13).
Earlier, when receiving the European Director 2014 trophy, the UK-based director explained that two of the film-makers competing for this honour — Turkey’s Nure Bilge Ceylan and Russia’s Andrey Zvyagintsev — are his favourite directors working today. “Thank you for being losers — this time,” he quipped...
- 12/14/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Pawel Pawlikowski’s well-received drama unanimously selected for Foreign Language Oscar.
Paweł Pawlikowski’s drama Ida has been unanimously selected as Poland’s candidate for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award.
Committee members included Filip Bajon (chairman), Katarzyna Adamik, Jacek Bławut, Michał Komar, Agnieszka Odorowicz, Anda Rottenberg, Janusz Zaorski, and Marek Żydowicz.
“We had no doubt that Paweł Pawlikowski’s Ida is the film that has the biggest chance in this very competitive category,” said Odorowicz, general director of the Polish Film Institute.
The well-received drama about a young nun in 1960s Poland who discovers a dark secret in her family’s past has already won awards at festivals across Europe and taken more than $3.5m for Music Box Films in the Us.
Pawlikowski’s film is widely considered to be a live contender for the award even at this early stage.
Paweł Pawlikowski’s drama Ida has been unanimously selected as Poland’s candidate for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award.
Committee members included Filip Bajon (chairman), Katarzyna Adamik, Jacek Bławut, Michał Komar, Agnieszka Odorowicz, Anda Rottenberg, Janusz Zaorski, and Marek Żydowicz.
“We had no doubt that Paweł Pawlikowski’s Ida is the film that has the biggest chance in this very competitive category,” said Odorowicz, general director of the Polish Film Institute.
The well-received drama about a young nun in 1960s Poland who discovers a dark secret in her family’s past has already won awards at festivals across Europe and taken more than $3.5m for Music Box Films in the Us.
Pawlikowski’s film is widely considered to be a live contender for the award even at this early stage.
- 8/19/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
SydneysBuzz takes pride in introducing a new contributor.
Tara Karajica is a young journalist and film critic who contributes to SydneysBuzz from Europe with film business reports, festival reports, interviews and film reviews, interviews. She also contributes to Indiewire, Screen International, Festivalists and Altcine among many other media outlets including her own website, The Film Prospector. Tara is a member of Criticwire and the International Cinephile Society. She has taken part in the Locarno Critics Academy - Class of 2013, the "Nisimazine Venice" film journalism workshop organized by Nisi Masa during last year's Venice Film Festival and the Warsaw Fipresci Project at the 2013 Warsaw Film Festival.
Welcome aboard, Tara!
By Tara Karajica
Industry representatives from all over the world watch the latest Polish films at closed screenings, and film producers as well as financial backers look for Polish projects to get involved in at Polish Days, the most important industry event at the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival.
Almost thirty projects by Polish filmmakers were showcased. Seven were completed films shown at special screenings, eleven films were being pitched and ten were works in progress.
For Joanna Łapińska, the head of Polish Days and the artistic director of the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, “Polish Cinema has numerous faces. It is constantly changing, becoming bolder all the time and it is exactly this sort of cinema that we [wanted] to tell you about at Polish Days”.
2014 marked the third edition that took place from 30 July to 1 August and its special guests were a number of Turkish film professionals invited to Wrocław in cooperation with the Istanbul Film Festival to mark the 600th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Poland.
Thanks to the contacts made at the meetings, the ongoing cooperation with sales agents and festival programmers as a result of the previous two editions, the Polish Days initiative has secured an important position in the laborious process of film production and international promotion. Indeed, according to Agnieszka Odorowicz, the general director of the Polish Film Institute, Polish Days is the “top industry event of the 14th T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival” that has “grown to be a brand of great significance for the international promotion of Polish Cinema.”
Read More: Polish Days Titles Announced!
The outcome was the following: Wide Management has initiated pre-sales on the Polish-German co-production "Summer Solstice” directed by Michal Rogalski while according to the producer Maria Golos of Prasa Film, the German theatrical distribution for this film will be handled by Farbfilm.
Poland,1943. Summer days put together four young people - a Polish boy; a young German soldier, a girl from the Polish village and a Jewish girl who has escaped from a train on its way to a death camp. During the war they will experience love, but can love save them?
Jacek Lusinski’s second feature “Carte Blanche,” produced by Leszek Budzak of Aurum Film, will be released early next year by Kino Swiat in Poland.
This year’s works in progress included the Czech-Polish-Slovak co-production “I, Olga Hepnarova” by Tomás Weinreb and Petr Kazda, which was presented in the Polish Days pitching forum last year as well as Magnus von Horn’s Polish-Swedish-French co-production “The Here After”, being repped by Craig Kastel of William Morris Endeavor, was seeking a sales company to work on a festival strategy and international distribution.
Two prizes were awarded for the first time this year to the best pitches made at the Polish Days by the post-production houses Chimney and Toya Studios. Chimney will offer a 50% reduction on the costs for the visual post-production to “Our Baker’s Daughter” and “Volhynia”, while Toya Studios will offer a 50% reduction on the sound post-production of “Volhynia”.
Polish Days was co-organized by the Polish Film Institute, Odra Film, and the Wrocław Film Commission. Event partners included the National Audiovisual Institute, the Film Commission Poland, the Łódź Film Commission, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, the Poznań Film Commission, the Krakow Film Commission and the Silesia Film Commission.
Tara Karajica is a young journalist and film critic who contributes to SydneysBuzz from Europe with film business reports, festival reports, interviews and film reviews, interviews. She also contributes to Indiewire, Screen International, Festivalists and Altcine among many other media outlets including her own website, The Film Prospector. Tara is a member of Criticwire and the International Cinephile Society. She has taken part in the Locarno Critics Academy - Class of 2013, the "Nisimazine Venice" film journalism workshop organized by Nisi Masa during last year's Venice Film Festival and the Warsaw Fipresci Project at the 2013 Warsaw Film Festival.
Welcome aboard, Tara!
By Tara Karajica
Industry representatives from all over the world watch the latest Polish films at closed screenings, and film producers as well as financial backers look for Polish projects to get involved in at Polish Days, the most important industry event at the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival.
Almost thirty projects by Polish filmmakers were showcased. Seven were completed films shown at special screenings, eleven films were being pitched and ten were works in progress.
For Joanna Łapińska, the head of Polish Days and the artistic director of the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, “Polish Cinema has numerous faces. It is constantly changing, becoming bolder all the time and it is exactly this sort of cinema that we [wanted] to tell you about at Polish Days”.
2014 marked the third edition that took place from 30 July to 1 August and its special guests were a number of Turkish film professionals invited to Wrocław in cooperation with the Istanbul Film Festival to mark the 600th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Poland.
Thanks to the contacts made at the meetings, the ongoing cooperation with sales agents and festival programmers as a result of the previous two editions, the Polish Days initiative has secured an important position in the laborious process of film production and international promotion. Indeed, according to Agnieszka Odorowicz, the general director of the Polish Film Institute, Polish Days is the “top industry event of the 14th T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival” that has “grown to be a brand of great significance for the international promotion of Polish Cinema.”
Read More: Polish Days Titles Announced!
The outcome was the following: Wide Management has initiated pre-sales on the Polish-German co-production "Summer Solstice” directed by Michal Rogalski while according to the producer Maria Golos of Prasa Film, the German theatrical distribution for this film will be handled by Farbfilm.
Poland,1943. Summer days put together four young people - a Polish boy; a young German soldier, a girl from the Polish village and a Jewish girl who has escaped from a train on its way to a death camp. During the war they will experience love, but can love save them?
Jacek Lusinski’s second feature “Carte Blanche,” produced by Leszek Budzak of Aurum Film, will be released early next year by Kino Swiat in Poland.
This year’s works in progress included the Czech-Polish-Slovak co-production “I, Olga Hepnarova” by Tomás Weinreb and Petr Kazda, which was presented in the Polish Days pitching forum last year as well as Magnus von Horn’s Polish-Swedish-French co-production “The Here After”, being repped by Craig Kastel of William Morris Endeavor, was seeking a sales company to work on a festival strategy and international distribution.
Two prizes were awarded for the first time this year to the best pitches made at the Polish Days by the post-production houses Chimney and Toya Studios. Chimney will offer a 50% reduction on the costs for the visual post-production to “Our Baker’s Daughter” and “Volhynia”, while Toya Studios will offer a 50% reduction on the sound post-production of “Volhynia”.
Polish Days was co-organized by the Polish Film Institute, Odra Film, and the Wrocław Film Commission. Event partners included the National Audiovisual Institute, the Film Commission Poland, the Łódź Film Commission, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, the Poznań Film Commission, the Krakow Film Commission and the Silesia Film Commission.
- 8/10/2014
- by Tara Karajica
- Sydney's Buzz
Polish biopic Walesa. Man of Hope has been submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Walesa. Man of Hope debuted at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month and went on to screen at Toronto. It will next be shown at film festivals in Rio, Chicago and London.
The film is a depiction of the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa, as events in the 1970s lead to a peaceful revolution.
The role of Wałęsa was played by Robert Więckiewicz. The film also stars Agnieszka Grochowska (Danuta Wałęsa), Maria Rosaria Omaggio (Oriana Fallaci) . Cinematography was handled by Paweł Edelman.
Review: Walesa. Man of Hope
Click here for the Best Foreign-Language Film Academy Award submissions 2013
The film was produced by Akson Studio, and co-produced by Telewizja Polska Sa – Film Agency, Telekomunikacja Polska, Canal+ Poland, Narodowe Centrum Kultury. The film received financial support from the Polish Film Institute...
Walesa. Man of Hope debuted at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month and went on to screen at Toronto. It will next be shown at film festivals in Rio, Chicago and London.
The film is a depiction of the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa, as events in the 1970s lead to a peaceful revolution.
The role of Wałęsa was played by Robert Więckiewicz. The film also stars Agnieszka Grochowska (Danuta Wałęsa), Maria Rosaria Omaggio (Oriana Fallaci) . Cinematography was handled by Paweł Edelman.
Review: Walesa. Man of Hope
Click here for the Best Foreign-Language Film Academy Award submissions 2013
The film was produced by Akson Studio, and co-produced by Telewizja Polska Sa – Film Agency, Telekomunikacja Polska, Canal+ Poland, Narodowe Centrum Kultury. The film received financial support from the Polish Film Institute...
- 9/18/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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