The selection of films for the competitions for the 45th PFF has ended

By October 21, 2020, we will find out which films will be qualified for the competitions of the 45th Polish Film Festival. The Artistic Director, Tomasz Kolankiewicz, is responsible for the selection and appointed his advisers.

Pursuant to the regulations of the 45th Polish Feature Film Festival, the Artistic Director selects a maximum of 12 films for the Main Competition. Additionally, the Organizing Committee may include up to 4 films in the Competition. As part of the selection, the Artistic Director appointed the Selection Team as an advisory body. Tomasz Kolankiewicz will be given their opinion by:

Prof. Janusz Majewski

He graduated in architecture from the Cracow University of Technology and directing at the Film School in Łódź. In the years 1983-90, the president of the Main Board of the SFP, since 2006 the Honorary President of the Association. In 1987-91, he was a member of the Cinematography Committee. Since 2012, the rector of the Warsaw Film School. Author of the legendary film “Hotel Pacific” with the breakthrough role of Marek Kondrat, an outstanding creator of genre films: comedies, horror films, science-fiction films, costume films, court drama. In 2001 he was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, and in 2012 the Polish Film Award “Orzeł” (“the Eagle”) for achievements in life. In 2016, he received the Platinum Lions, the Polish Film Festival award for lifetime achievement.

Dr hab. Iwona Kurz

Historian of modern Polish culture, researcher of visual culture, film scholar, since 2016 director of the Institute of Polish Culture at the University of Warsaw. Deals with the history of modern Polish culture perceived through the prism of the image, and anthropology of visual culture. Laureate of the Bolesław Michałek Award for the best film studies book and a nomination for the NIKE Award for the book “Faces in the crowd; images of heroes of collective imagination in Polish culture of 1955-1969”. She publishes, among others in “Kwartalnik Filmowy” and “Dwutygodnik”.

Małgorzata Sadowska

Independent film critic and journalist, winner of the Polish Film Institute Award in the Film Critic category (2015). Selector and literary manager of the New Horizons International Festival in Wrocław. For many years she ran the film blog “Widzi mi się” (Through my eyes) on the Canal + website. The author of the book “ Gleaming Dark – Fred Kelemen” (New Horizons Association), co-author of “Polish Cinema Now! Focus on Contemporary Polish Cinema” (Adam Mickiewicz Institute / John Libbey Publishing Ltd.), “ Zanussi. Przewodnik Krytyki Politycznej” (Krytyka Polityczna), “Chełmska 21” (WFDiF). She conducted workshops for young critics organized by the Polish Institute in Berlin, taught postgraduate studies at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and worked with students of the Film.Factory school in Sarajevo, founded by Béla Tarr.

Krzysztof Kwiatkowski

Graduate of sociology at the University of Warsaw, film critic, deputy editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine “KINO”, permanent associate of “Gazeta Wyborcza” and “Wysokie Obcasy”. Since 2005, he has been reporting for the Polish press from international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, San Sebastian, and Gdynia. He was the head of the culture department of “Wprost” from January 2019 until the magazine closed in May 2020. Nominated for the Grand Press award in the interview category. Member of the board of the Polish section of the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI as well as the European Film Academy and the Polish Film Academy.

The selection of films for the Short Film Competition is also made by the Artistic Director. Tomasz Kolankiewicz will use the support of the recommendations made by the Qualification Team he has appointed, which includes:

Adriana Prodeus

Film critic associated with the monthly “KINO”. A lecturer at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, at Artes Liberales at the University of Warsaw, and at the University of Lower Silesia in Wrocław. Specializes in avant-garde and animated films. She is the author of the book “Themersons: Biographical Essay” and chapters in many publications of Zachęta National Gallery, Foksal Gallery, Kordegarda Gallery and others, curator of the review of adaptations of the International Storytelling Festival, review of Polish animation at Anthology Film Archive in New York, curator of exhibitions. She was the deputy director of the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art and the literary manager of the KADR Film Studio. She ran and edited cultural programs in the public media: TVP1, TVP2 and radio PR2.

Maciej Gil

Historian of cinema and film culture, organizer and program consultant of many film events in Poland and abroad, activist of the film club discussion movement, journalist and editor, educator and speaker. On a daily basis associated with the The Film Culture Support Foundation Cyrk Edison in Krakow, running the Agrafka and Kika arthouse cinemas and DKF Rozpięci discussion film club. In 2005-2015, the program director of the Film Review “Kino na Granicy”. In the years 2006-2012 chairman of the Council of the Polish Federation of DKF. Since 2015, route author, organizer and pilot of Kinobus. Selector of the Krakow Film Festival. He published, among others in “Ekran”, “Kino” and “Magazyn Film”. He has received the Awards of the Polish Film Institute three times.

This year’s third competition section, the Microbudget Films Competition, will feature films selected according to the rules of the PISF Film Production Operational Program.

Fiction films produced in Poland from September 1, 2019 to November 21, 2020 can be submitted to all competitions. The deadline for applications expired on September 15, 2020. Over 30 films were submitted to the Main Competition, and nearly 80 to the Short Films Competition.

The 45th Polish Film Festival will be held from 8 to 12 December 2020 in Gdynia.