03-11-2010

Mazovia Supports Regional Film Production in Poland

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    WARSAW: The Mazovian Film Fund is providing 1 million PLN to filmmakers interested in creating productions that will develop and promote the region.

    The call for projects is taking place for the first time and is a part of the Regional Film Funds system that was launched in Poland in 2007. To apply, the film projects must be tied with the Mazovian Province by either production in the region, the topic of the script or the participation of local film professionals and companies . The Mazovian Film Fund ( www.mff.mazovia.pl) was created in February 2010, as part of the Mazovia Region Center of Culture and Arts (www.mckis.waw.pl). The Center will act as a coproducer with financial input toward the winning productions. The support coming from the Center cannot surpass 50% of the planned total budget and a minimum of 10% of the budget must come from the producer. The full amount of the financial support must be spent in Mazovia (or Poland in case of international co-productions ).

    "First the projects will be evaluated formally, then they will be approved by independent experts. The applications that receive 60% of all possible points will go on to the third stage of debate and a final decision made by the competition committee, which will be created soon," explained Ludwik Rakowski, the main figure behind the creation of the Regional Film Fund in Mazovia.

    The Regional Film Funds are, apart from the Polish Film Institute (PFI, www.pisf.pl), one of the most important sources of public funding for film production in Poland. In 2007, a Regional Audiovisual Initiative program was launched by PFI in co-operation with the Polish Filmmakers Association (ww.sfp.org.pl), the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce (www.international.kipa.pl) and European regional funds. So far, nine regional film funds have been created in Poland with a joint budget of 12 million PLN (3 million EUR).

    The deadline for the applications to the Mazovian Film Fund competition is 3 December 2010.