Dear colleagues,

I would like to inform you about the non-competitive section "DoCma: Animated Reality" at the 6th International Film Festival Cinematik in Piestany, Slovakia, which presents the films that interconnect documentary and animation. I would be very glad if the topic attracted your interest and if you could inform your dear readers about this section or about the festival in general.



IFF Cinematik is young and perspective festival. Its main competition Meeting Point Europe presents the best European films made in 2010 and 2011, chosen by a panel of 17 young European critics. This year's retrospective is dedicated to French script-writer and director Jacques Audiard.


For more information you are welcome to visit our website http://www.cinematik.sk/en/ or if you have any question, please, do not hesitate to ask.



All the best,

Tomas Hudak
PR assistant, IFF Cinematik

„Rose” by Wojciech Smarzowski (director of “Dark House”) will screen in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival marking the film’s world premiere. It is a 6^th film supported by the Polish Film Institute that joined the line-up of Toronto as well as the other 5 which are international co-productions:

“In Darkness” by Agnieszka Holland

“Elles” by Małgośka Szumowska

“The Flying Machine” by Geoff Lindsey, Martin Clapp and Marek Skrobecki

“The Woman in the Fifth” by Paweł Pawlikowski

and “Land of Oblivion” by Michale Boganim.

Agata Kulesza

Copryright: WFDiF

“Rose” synopsis: In the years following the Second World War, the indigenous inhabitants of the Mazurian lakes region became second class citizens to the new authorities. Through the eyes of a Polish Army office, we follow the struggle of a nation doomed to annihilation by two conflicting nationalisms. It would seem that these hard times leave no room for love. But love comes and brings hope.

“Rose” was screened in the main competition of the 36^th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and Marcin Dorociński won an award for the Best Actor In a Leading Role. The Journalist’s Award went also to the “Rose”.

The film also stars: Agata Kulesza (“Suicide room”), Jacek Braciak (“Edi”), Malwina Buss, Kinga Preis (“Dark House”), Marian Dziędziel (“The Mole”, “Dark House”). Piotr Sobociński was the film’s director of photography while Mikołak Trzaska composed the score.

The film was produced by WFDiF and co-produced by Lightcraft Warsaw, Oko Film Studio, Perspektywa Film Studio and Tor Film Studio. The distribution of Wojciech Smarzowski’s film in Poland is handled by Monolith Films.

Best regards,

Olga Domżała

Olga Domżała

Film Sales Support & PR Manager

Polish Film Institute

Krakowskie Przedmieście 21/23

00-071 Warsaw PL

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mobile: +48 695 363 335

Plus Camerimage, an international film festival dedicated to the art of cinematography, takes place November 26 - December 3, 2011 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The festival is accepting submissions for its documentary film competition until September 30, 2011.

Application deadline: September 1, 2011
Please find the application here: http://www.dokweb.net/en/east-european-forum/entry-form/
Organized by: Institute of Documentary Film

East European Forum 2011
October 24 - 30, 2011 / Jihlava, Czech Republic

• approx. 50 international commissioning editors, buyers, sales agents, distributors, film fund and festival representatives
• public project presentations
• Feedback Round Tables - discussions with CE's and funders
• Oportunity to take part in all the industry events that are organized by IDF in Jihlava (East Silver market, Doc Launch presentation, Project Market, industry screenings, co-production breakfasts, networking dinners etc.)

This year, the Institute of Documentary Film opens the 11th edition of East European Forum. EEF is the region's largest meeting place for East European documentary filmmakers and European commissioning editors, distributors, buyers and film funds representatives in Eastern Europe. Filmmakers and independent producers attend the event to offer their projects for co-production, pre-sales and other forms of financial support. Over 80 documentary films have been completed with the direct support of the East European Forum (here...) Over the years, the East European Forum has become a prestigious platform that has since 2001 hosted more than 550 East European filmmakers and producers, over 200 commissioning editors, buyers and festival programmers. The workshop, industry programme and public presentations of East European Forum will host more than 250 documentary professionals.

EAST EUROPEAN FORUM / DATES
Application deadline: September 1, 2011
EEF workshop: October 24 - 28, 2011
Public presentations and Feedback round tables: October 29 - 30, 2011
Networking events during the industry programme: October 27 - 30, 2011

WHO IS IT FOR?
East European Forum welcomes directors and producers with their own creative documentary projects. The filmmaker teams (director and producer) must attend both the East European workshop and the pitching sessions. At least one member of the team must be proficient in English. East European Forum focuses mainly on Central and East European creative projects, with the director or producer or both from the East and Central European region.

PARTICIPATION FEE
EUR 100 / selected project + EUR 250 fee for accommodation per project

For more information and the application please go to: http://www.dokweb.net/en/east-european-forum/entry-form/

IDF welcomed the following commissioning editors in previous editions of EEF:
Sabine Bubeck-Paaz (ZDF/ARTE, Germany), Madeleine Avramoussis (ARTE THEMA Strasbourg, France), Hans Robert Eisenhauer (ARTE G.E.I.E. Germany/France), Leena Pasanen (YLE Teema, Finland), Iikka Vehkalahti (YLE, Finland), Philippe Van Meerbeck (VRT, Belgium), Wim Van Rompaey (Lichtpunt, Belgium), Cees Van Ede (NPS, Netherlands), Franz Grabner (ORF, Austria), Martin Stoll (Czech TV, Czech Republic), Björn Arvas (SVT, Sweden), Caroline Mutz (ARTE THEMA, France), Marijke Rawie (AVRO, Netherlands), Kathrin Brinkmann (ARTE/ZDF, Germany), Bert Janssens (Humanist Broadcasting Foundations, Netherlands), Philippe Muller (ARTE G.E.I.E., France), Heino Deckert (MAJA.DE Film, Germany), Esther Van Messel (First Hand Films, Switzerland), Nick Fraser (BBC 4, UK), Mette Hoffmann Meyer (TV2, Denmark), Flemming Grenz (DR TV, Denmark), Jordi Ambros (TV3 CAT), Caroline Behar (France 5, France), Marijke Huijbregts (AVRO, Netherlands), Rasa Miskinyte (LRT, Lithuania), Dr. Claudia Schreiner (MDR/ARD, Germany), Andrzej Titkow (PTV, Poland), Christian Popp ( RBB/ARTE, Německo), Sari Volanen (YLE, Finland), Jenny Westergaard (YLE, Finland), Elisabeth Hulten (ARTE France, France), Rada Šešič (Jan Vrijman Fund, Netherlands), Charlotte Gry Madsen (DR TV, Denmark), Christiane Hinz (VRD, Germany), Katarzyna Malinowska (TVP Kultura, Poland), Claudia Nedelescu (TVR, Romania), Marek Šebeš (Czech TV, Czech Republic), Andras Monory Mesz (MTV, Hungary), Joke Goovaerts (Lichtpunt, Belgium), Heribert Schneiders (MDR, Germany), Jessica Raspe (AVRO, Netherlands), Jane Jankovic (TVO, Canada), Viola Salu (ETV, Estonia), Vera Bonnier (SVT, Sweden), Klara Toth (Duna TV, Hungary), Flora Gregory (Al Jazeera English, UK), Margje de Koning (IKON, Netherlands), Lejla Babovic (BHRT, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Claudia Bucher (ARTE, France), Rudy Buttignol (Knowledge, Canada), Cynthia Kane (ITVS International, USA), Wilbur Leguebe (RTBF, Belgium), Cynthia López (PBS, USA), Jenny Ross (Al Jazeera English, UK), Milka Pavlicevic (ZDF/ARTE, Germany), Alex Szalat (ARTE France, France), Rahdi Taylor (Sundance Documentary Fund, USA), Lois Vossen (ITVS, USA), Sandra Whipham (producer, consultant, UK), Katja Wildermuth (MDR, Germany), Adam Gee (Channel 4, UK), Tom Casciato (WNET.ORG/THIRTEEN, USA), Andrew Catauro (American Documentary / POV, USA), Caroline Coutts (Knowledge Network, Canada), Carl Otto Dethlefsen (DR, Denmark), Silke Heinz (MDR, Germany), Dušan Jurčík (CT, Czech Republic), Marje Jurtshenko (ERR, Estonia), Hanka Kastelicova (RTV Slovenija, Slovenia), Tomasz Kolankiewicz (TVP, Poland), Vanja Kranjac (TV B92, Serbia), Jutta Krug (WDR, Germany), Milan Kruml (TV Nova, Czech Republic), Daniela Kuzmanova (BNT, Bulgaria), Mirka Lammi (YLE TV2, Finland), Cyntia Lopez (American Documentary, USA), Monika Mikušová (Slovenská televízia, Slovak Republic), Alena Müllerová (CT, Czech Republic), Rialda Ocuz (BHRT, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Hjalmar Palmgren (SVT, Sweden), Martin Pieper (ZDF, Germany), Igor Pozgaj (RTRS, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Outi Saarikoski-Schimberg (YLE co-productions, Finland), Charles Schuerhoff (PBS International, USA), Martina Šantavá (HBO, Czech Republic), Jana Škopková (CT, Czech Republic), Gena Teodosievska (MRT, Macedonia), Barbara Wiessing (IKON, The Netherlands), Kamila Zlatušková (CT, Czech Republic).

Czarny czwartek. Janek Wiśniewski padł (Black Thursday), the latest film from Antoni Krauze, will screen in Main Competition at the 35^th Montreal International Film Festival. Black Thursday will compete for the festival's grand prize against Kret (The Mole) by Rafael Lewandowski. The Montreal screenings will also mark both films' world premiere.

The Montreal International Film Festival lineup also includes Lęk wysokości (Fear of Falling) by Bartek Konopka (nominated for an Academy Award in the Documentary Short Subject category in 2010 for Rabbit a la Berlin), screening in the First Films World Competition (also a world premiere), and Księstwo (Heritage) by Andrzej Barański, screening in the Focus on the World section of the festival.

Black Thursday is the story of workers' strikes in December 1970 that were met with a brutal reaction from the communist authorities. The film is based around a Gdynia shipyard worker named Brunon Drzywa, who died during the riots after having been shot in the back at a local train station. Black Thursday received support from Agnieszka Odorowicz, General Director of the Polish Film Institute, and from Wojciech Szczurek, mayor of Gdynia.

The film features a leading cast of local actors from the Gdansk area: Marta Honzatko, Marta Kalmus-Jankowska, Michał Kowalski, with Wojciech Pszoniak, Piotr Fronczewski and Witold Dębicki in supporting roles.

Since the film's premiere in February 2011, Black Thursday has received wide acclaim from audiences, with over 672,000 admissions to date. This places the film fourth on the list of the most watched Polish films of the year.

As director of Black Thursday, Antoni Krauze received Special Recognition of the international jury at this year's Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.

Black Thursday was produced by the Gdynia-based production company Nordfilm. Jacek Petrycki was the film's director of photography, while Michał Lorenc composed the score.

Photo by: Marysia Gasecka

Fear of Falling previously won awards at the 36^th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia (Award for Best Film by a First-time or Second-Time Director), and at the 38^th Ińsko Film Summer (Best Polish Film). The screenplay written by Piotr Borkowski and Bartosz Konopka received an award in the Hartley-Merrill screenwriting competition in 2009. Fear of Falling is the first full-length feature film produced by Munk Studio of the Polish Filmmakers Association. The film's artistic supervisor was Agnieszka Holland.

International sales of Fear of Falling will be handled by Wide Management (the Eye on Films Label, established in January 2011). The film's production was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Bartosz Konopka, a graduate of the Jagiellonian University, also a graduate of film directing at the Radio and Television Department of the University of Silesia and of two courses at the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing, is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the young generation. His film Królik po berlińsku (Rabbit a la Berlin) received awards at multiple film events, including Hot Docs in Toronto, and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Documentary Short Subject category in 2010.

Krzysztof Stroiński and Marcin Dorociński.

Photo by Mateusz Skalski

The Mole is a feature debut of Rafael Lewandowski and the cinematographer credit goes to Piotr Rosołowski. “The Mole” was produced by Metro Films and co-produced by KUIV Productions, Silesia-Film, Non Stop Film Service, Le Frensoy – studio national des arts contemporains, Vertigo, Trafik. The film received the financial support from the Polish Film Institute and City of Bielsko-Biała.

It tells the story of Paweł (played by Borys Szyc) who is the son of a 'Solidarity' activist. His wife is Ewa, the daughter of a miner who had been killed during mine strike riots under communism. One day a photo of Paweł's father (Marian Dziędziel) is published in a paper. He is accused of having collaborated with the communist secret police in the 1980s (with "The Mole" as his code name), and of having informed on his collegues during the strike.

The film was screened in the main competition of the 36^th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and Marian Dziędziel won an award for the Best Actor In Supporting Actor. The film also stars: Wojciech Pszoniak, Magdalena Czerwińska, Sławomir Orzechowski and Bartłomiej Topa.

Copyrights: Kino świat

Heritage by Andrzej Barański was recently shown at the 36^th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and Karlovy Vary Main Competition, marking the film's international premiere. The film was supported by the Polish Film Institute. It tells a story of Zbyszek who is a promising football player, until a knee injury sidelines his career. He decides to become a poet, but takes a job at a liquor warehouse in the meantime. Dividing his time between work and writing, he falls behind on his law studies. When his knee heals, he is offered a position on a good football team. Unfortunately he will not make it to the tryouts – the local farmers just happened to form a road blocade…

The film stars: Rafał Zawierucha, Michał Anioł, Aldona Jankowska, Henryk Gołębiewski, Jan Wojtyński.

Copyrights: Skorpion Arte

The Montreal International Film Festival runs from August 18 through August 28, 2011.

Best regards,

Olga Domżała

Olga Domżała

Film Sales Support & PR Manager

Polish Film Institute

Krakowskie Przedmieście 21/23

00-071 Warsaw PL

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mobile: +48 695 363 335

LOCARNO’S BEST DIRECTOR IN MISKOLC

Adrian Sitaru’s Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intentii (Best Intentions) won the best director’s award of Locarno International Film Festival. The Hungarian premiere of the Romanian-Hungarian co-production will be in September at CineFest competition. Sitaru’s previous work, Pescuit sportive (Hooked), started its journey in Miskolc, too, two years ago making a huge critic and festival hit. The leading actress, Maria Dinulescu was the guest of CineFest then - she is one of the greatest stars of the Romanian new wave, also to be familiar from California Dreamin’. Miskolc will welcome the filmmakers again: this time not only the director but also Emőke Vágási, the film’s Hungarian co-producer, Orsi Tóth, Orsolya Török-Illyés from the cast and Bogdan Dumitrache who has been awarded Best Actor in Locarno.

--
Peter Muszatics

JAMESON CINEFEST - MISKOLCI NEMZETKÖZI FILMFESZTIVÁL
JAMESON CINEFEST - MISKOLC INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

2011. szeptember 17-25./September 17-25, 2011

www.cinefest.hu

Telefon (+36) 30 9277726

Press release

17.08.20011

The viewers of the Toronto International Film Festival will get a chance to see five Polish movies. All of them were supported by the Polish Film Institute:

In Darkness by Agnieszka Holland will screen in Special Screenings section which makes a World Premiere of the movie. It was made in co-production between Poland, Germany, and Canada. It tells the story of Leopold Socha, a Polish man who went from smalltime crook to hero during the course of the Second World War. Risking his own life and the lives of his loved ones, he saves a dozen men, women, and children from certain extermination and helps them survive almost 14 months in hiding. The role of Socha was played by Robert Więckiewicz. The film also stars Agnieszka Grochowska, Kinga Preis, Julia Kijowska, Marcin Bosak, and the German actor Benno Fürmann. The cinematographer credit goes to Jolanta Dylewska. In Darkness is the Polish candidate for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

On the set of In Darkness. Photo by Marcin Kułakowski, Polish Film Institute

Elles by Małgorzata Szumowska which tells the story of Anna (Juliette Binoche), a journalist writing an article about prostitution among university students. While working on her piece, she meets two young women, Charlotte (Anaïs Demoustier) and Alicja (Joanna Kulig), who bring her into the world of love for sale. A kind of world that is appalling, yet at the same time - to Anna's own surprise - somewhat appealing. The script written by Małgorzata Szumowska and a Danish scriptwriter Tine Byrckel was noticed during Cannes festival in 2009.

Photo by: Marion Stalens

The Woman in the Fifth by Paweł Pawlikowski. It is a story adapted from a Douglas Kennedy's best-seller, starring Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas and Joanna Kulig. Rick's life has got out of control - after leaving his wife he heads for Paris to find his daughter and happiness among the French bohemia. Meeting wrong people pushes Rick towards a fall but he gets to know Magrit, a mysterious émigré, who seduces him and appears to offer the hedonistic and uncomplicated life he craves.

Znieważnona ziemia(La terre outragée/Land of Oblivion) by Michale Boganim. It's a French/German/Ukrainian/Polish co-production starring Andrzej Chyra in one of the leading roles and with Leszek Możdżer's music. The Polish co-producer on this project is Apple Film Production. The film retraces the irreversible consequences of the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power station in 1986. The organizers of the International Film Critic's Week in Venice where the film will also appear wrote that Land of Oblivion is "the highest quality debut".

Copyright: Apple Film Production

The Flying Machine is a Polish-Chinese co-production with the support of the Polish Film Institute. The main producer of the film is BreakThru Films (Poland). From Academy Award Winding producer Hugh Welchman (Peter And The Wolf), The Flying Machine is a spectacular 3D adventure for the whole family, combining live action and stop motion animation. Starring Heather Graham and super-star pianist Lang Lang who also performs the soundtrack, Chopin’s timeless unforgettable music provides the inspiration for a modern fairy tale. The Flying Machine will screen in Kids Film Competition. The director of the acting part is Geoff Lindsey and the animation part Martin Clapp and Marek Skrobecki. The cinematographer credit goes to Krzysztof Ptak.

Copyrights: BreakThru Films

Best regards,

Olga Domżała

Olga Domżała

Film Sales Support & PR Manager

Polish Film Institute

Krakowskie Przedmieście 21/23

00-071 Warsaw PL

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mobile: +48 695 363 335

The European Film Academy (EFA) and the Festival del film Locarno
congratulate the

Locarno Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards 2011
OPOWIESCI Z CHLODNI (FROZEN STORIES)
by Grzegorz Jaroszuk
Poland 2011, 26 min., fiction

In a grotesque way, the film shows the deep loneliness of two outsiders and their attempt to escape from their previous lives. As the jury stated: “Great tone, a strong scenario and an impressive performance of the main characters are the points of strength of this impressive short.”

The film is now nominated for the award European Film Academy Short Film 2011. It was selected by the festivals’s Pardi di domani jury consisting of jury president Indu Shrikent, festival director and film critic (India), Bakur Bakuradze, filmmaker (Georgia / Russia), Tom Shoval, filmmaker and critic (Israel), Luc Toutounghi, producer (Switzerland), and Rebecca Zlotowski, filmmaker (France).

The short film initiative is organised by the European Film Academy in co-operation with a series of film festivals throughout Europe. At each of these festivals, an independent jury presents one of the European short films in competition with a nomination in the short film category of the European Film Awards.

The next nomination will be presented in co-operation with the Venice International Film Festival.

When the annual cycle is completed in September, the nominees will be presented to the over 2,400 members of the European Film Academy and it is they who will elect the overall winner: the European Film Academy Short Film 2011 which will be presented at the 24th European Film Awards Ceremony on 3 December in Berlin.
Kind regards,

Pascal Edelmann

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY E.V.

Head of Press & PR

Kurfürstendamm 225

10719 Berlin

GERMANY

Tel. +49 30 887 16 70

Fax +49 30 887 16 777

visit us at www.europeanfilmawards.eu [2]

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY e.V. / Director: Marion Döring / registered at
Amtsgericht Charlottenburg 14236 Nz

"It gives me the creeps, and I have an impression that somebody is speaking through Kieslowski" , said Robert de Niro in 1989. Krzysztof Kieslowski’s films have had huge impacts all over the world, and right at the time of the Central European regime changes. Signs and Memories, the joint exhibition of CineClassics and the Polish Institute in Budapest, is going to be held in the House of Arts, Miskolc (Rákóczi u. 5.) and it is going to demonstrate the director’s life, career and films. The inaugural will be held by Krzysztof Wierzbicki, Kieslowski’s assistant director (who is going to be the member of CineFest’s international jury this year) and Péter Muszatics, the organizer of CineClassics. The exhibition will be opened at 5 p.m., 18^th September.

When starting his careeer, Kieslowski cut a dash first with his documentaries. Such films made him later famous as Camera Buff (Amator), No End (Bez konca) and Blind Chance (Przypadek) shot in 1981 but first showed only in 1987. He shot Ten Commandments (Dekalog) in 1988-89. Together with his fellow screenwriter, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, they aimed at giving an evidence of our era by interpreting the doctrines of the Bible in a modern way. Their venture had great successes and started the director’s international career. The two episodes, A Short Film About Love (Króki film o milosci; i.e. “Don’t commit adultery” episode) and A Short Film About Killing (Króki film o zabijanin; i.e. “Don’t murder“ episode) had particularly great echo: the later was awarded by the jury in Cannes and became the Best European Film of the year.

After that, Kieslowski shot La double vie de Véronique the cinematographer of which was Sławomir Idzak, who received the CineFest’s lifetime achievement award in 2009. Then came the Three Colors trilogy which was awarded Golden Lion in Venice, and which got not only Césars but also Oscar nominations, the awards of New York and Los Angeles film critics and the Silver Bear in Berlin. He died at the age of 54. His screenplays were brought to effect by such directors as Tom Tykwer and Danis Tanovic.

Free entry during the festival.

--

Why was the MMKA shut down? What does the future hold for Hungarian documentary filmmakers? Should they take more initiative and make more attractive films? In his in-depth article, journalist Miklós Horváth explores some of the issues troubling the current documentary scene in Hungary.