14-06-2011

Lodz Film Commission Announces 2011 Grants

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    The regional Polish film fund based in Lodz will support four new local productions, chosen from 24 submitted projects. The budget for the 5th edition of financing from the Lodz Film Commission (www.lodzfilmcommission.pl) was 560,000 PLN (EUR 142,000).

    Two feature films and two documentaries received funding grants:

    Feature films:

    - Chocolate Day, directed by Jacek Piotr Bławut and produced by Rhubarb Film Studio (www.studiofilmowerabarbar.com) based in Łódź. The film is an adaptation of a short story written by Anna Onichimowska, a fairly tale about how hard it is to be a child in the world of grown-ups. The film is destined for the younger audience that will be able to enter the world of talking animals where time can be moved at will.

    - You Will Never Walk Alone, directed by Grzegorz Pacek and produced by Centrala Film Studio (www.centralafilm.pl) based in Łódż. The film follows the friendship of two aggressive soccer fans who face a drastic change in their lives.

    Documentary films :

    - School, directed by Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz and Grażyna Kędzielawska, producer by Indeks Film Studio (www.studioindeks.pl) based in Łódź. The film is a portrayal of the famous Łódz Film School, presented through the eyes of long time professors, graduates and students.

    - The Heritage - Poznańscy in Łódź, directed by Jack Schmidt and produced by Educational Film Studio in Lódź (www.wfo.com.pl). The film presents a convention of the Poznański clan, a very old family of factory-owners. Their meeting is a pretext to create an original portrayal of the clan.

    No animation projects received enough points from the experts to win the financing. The projects were judges by a team of Polish film professionals: Jacek Gawryszczak, Mariusz Grzegorzek, Ryszard Lenczewski, Andrzej Bart, Michał Bukojemski, Andrzej Sapija, Joanna Jasińska-Koronkiewicz, Krzysztof Rynkiewicz i Henryk Ryszka. The exact amount of financing will be determined after individual negotiations with the producers.