Author Archives: Anna Balkiewicz
New competition at Gdańsk DocFilm Festival!
Gdańsk DocFilm is extending its formula and it is introducing another competition at its 16th edition. From this year onwards, the documentary festival will also present and award Polish short fiction films. The new competition will add variety to the festival programme and familiarize Gdańsk DocFilm Festival’s audience with the work of short fiction film makers.
Submissions for 16th edition of Gdańsk DocFilm Festival are now open
The 16th edition of Gdańsk DocFilm Festival will be held from 6th to 10th June 2018 at the European Solidarity Centre. During the Festival’s five days we will watch the world’s most interesting documentaries produced from 2016 to 2018. They will compete for the Gate of Freedom.
The competition for Polish short fiction films will be a new element introduced at the Festival’s next edition.
Producers are welcome to enter films for both competitions of Gdańsk DocFilm Festival 2018.
Films can be submitted from 15th November 2017 until 10th February 2018. The selection committee will chose the most interesting works which we will screen during the 16th GDFF.
The winners of the 15th Gdańsk DocFilm Festival
The Awarding Ceremony of the 15th GDFF was held on Saturday, 3rd June at 7.00 PM in the European Solidarity Centre. The jury composed of: its head Maciej Pieprzyca as well as Michał Oleszczyk and Martina Parenti granted the festival’s main award – the Gate of Freedom and financial award of PLN 20,000 which was funded by the Mayor of Gdańsk to a Polish documentary “Communion” (2016) by Anna Zamecka for the extraordinary directorial skill and delicacy of approach, as well as a deeply sympathetic portrait of human dignity within a family and society at large. The editor, Agnieszka Glińska collected the award on her behalf.
The jury has also awarded three competition films special mentions:
“Sand Men” (dir. Tal Amiran | Great Britain | 2016)
Jury’s justification for the verdict: For simplicity of form and the power of the message, as well as for the portrait of people who find their dignity and endurance in creating fleeting, extraordinary artworks.
“Shepherd” (dir. Joost van der Wiel | 2016 | 22 min.
Jury’s justification for the verdict: For an inspiring portrayal of a man whose spirit, endurance and working ethics should be exemplary for all humans around the world.
“First Pole on Mars” (dir. Agnieszka Elbanowska | …
Q&A with Przemysław Kamiński
After the screening of “The Gift” Q&A session with the director Przemyslaw Kaminski will be held.
Masterclass
3rd of June at noon Michał Oleszczyk will give an open Masterclass lecture entitled “From zero to one hundred: the first minutes of the film as an introduction to the story” which will be held in the ESC’s Temporary Exhibition Hall.
Dodatkowa projekcja dokumentu „Liga egzotycznych tancerek”
Pokaz filmu „Liga egzotycznych tancerek” (reż. Rama Rau), ze względu na problemy techniczne, które wystąpiły podczas czwartkowej projekcji, zostanie powtórzony. Zapraszamy jutro (03.06) o godzinie 12:00 do Europejskiego Centrum Solidarności na niebiletowany seans dokumentu konkursowego 15.GDFF.
I’m a Killer (2016) joins our programme!
I’m a Killer directed by Maciej Pieprzyca has been added to the programme of the 15th Gdańsk Doc Film Festival. On the grounds of public displays injunction of a documentary film I’m a Killer… from 1998 we cannot present it during the festival. At the director’s request we will show a feature film from 2016. The showing will take place in the historical BHP Hall of the Gdansk shipyard during Maciej Pieprzyca’s Retrospective which begins at 2 p.m. Having shown two documentaries and the feature film we will hold a meeting with the author with whom, among other things, we will discuss the reasons of judicial embargo on the documentary from 1998. Admission to the displays in the BHP Hall is free.
Awarded with Silver Lions at the Gdynia Film Festival I’m a Killer is a thriller inspired by the true story of Zdzisław Marchwicki sentenced in the circumstantial trial in the renowned case of the “Vampire of Zagłębie”. The roles played with bravura by Arkadiusz Jakubik and Agata Kulesza were awarded with Eagles, the Awards of the Polish Film Academy.
Teleconference with Tal Amiran
After the screening of “Sand Men” teleconference with the director Tal Amiran will be held.
Q&A with Agnieszka Elbanowska
After the screening of “First Pole on Mars” Q&A session with the director Agnieszka Elbanowska will be held.
Teleconference with Pawel Ziemilski
After the screening of “K2 and the Invisible Footmen” teleconference with director Pawel Ziemilski will be held.
Review of Maciej Pieprzyca’s Film
Maciej Pieprzyca’s movies will be presented 2nd of June at 2 p.m. in the historic Sala BHP of the Gdańsk Shipyard. After the screening of “By Knockout” (1995), “A Legend Will Remain” (1998), and a feature film from 2016 “I’m a Killer”, there will be z meeting with the director, during which we will talk about his documentary and feature work.
Teleconference with Tal Amiran
Due to unexpected circumstances Tal Amiran, the director of “Sand Men” won’t be able to get to 15. Gdańsk DocFilm Festival. Today’s conference will be held remotely.
Teleconference with Barak Heymann
After the screening of “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?” teleconference with directors Barak Heymann
Teleconference with Marco Speroni
After the screening of “2 Girls” teleconference with director Marco Speroni
Q&A with Anna Zamecka
After the screening of “Communion” Q&A session with the director Anna Zamecka will be held.
Irena Kamieńska In memoriam
The historic Gdańsk Shipyard’s Sala BHP in ul. Popiełuszki 6 will be the location of special screenings. 1st of June at 2 p.m. there will be In memoriam screenings of the films by the eminent Polish documentary maker, Irena Kamieńska, who died on 3rd April 2016. After the directors documentaries: “Workers” (1980), “Day After Day” (1988) and “Voices From Far Away” (1992) there will be a meeting with a film historian and theoretician, Prof. Mirosław Przylipiak, a university professor and an author of many publications on documentary cinema.
Teleconference with Mary Zournazi
After the screening of “>Dogs of Democracy” teleconference with director Mary Zournazi
Screening of „Mr. Gaga” at opening of the 15th edition of Gdańsk DocFilm Festival
The opening of the 15th edition of Gdańsk DocFilm Festival will take place on Wednesday, May 31 at 19:00.
After the opening gala a documentary film about Ohad Naharin Mr. Gaga, will be shown.
Teleconference with Jasna Krajinovic
After the screening of “My Daughter Nora” teleconference with director Jasna Krajinovic
Przemysław Kamiński
Saturday | 3rd June 2017 | ECS
4:15 PM – The Gift | Poland | dir. Przemysław Kamiński | 2016 | 58 min.
Q&A with the director Przemysław Kamiński after the film.
Przemysław Kamiński – A cameraman who was born on 19th March 1970 in Wrocław. A graduate of cinematography and photography studies at the Faculty of Radio and Television at the Silesian University in Katowice. The director of photography for Marek Lechki’s films “My city” and “Erratum” or Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s – “Aria Diva”. He also cooperated with Marcin Koszałka on his films. “The Gift” is his directorial debut.
Tal Amiran
Friday | 2nd June 2017 | ECS
9:40 PM – Sand Men | United Kingdom | dir. Tal Amiran | 2016 | 14 min.
Q&A with the director Tal Amiran after the screening
Tal Amiran is an award winning filmmaker based in London, UK. His work includes documentaries and moving image art work. Tal’s debut short documentary film Seven Days a Week, has been selected for over 25 film festivals internationally, winning Best Short Film at London Short Film Festival 2016, Best Documentary at PAMA, Paris, Best Documentary at Kurz Film Festival, Germany, and Winner of Shooting People’s Film of the Month. Seven Days a Week has also been acquired by the BFI National Archive. Tal graduated with a First Class Degree in Fine Art (New Media) from Chelsea College of Art in London, and is also a lecturer in Film and Moving Image Production BA course at Norwich University of the Arts, UK.
Agnieszka Elbanowska
Friday | 2nd June 2017 | ECS
6:30 PM – First Pole on Mars | Poland | dir. Agnieszka Elbanowska | 2016 | 37 min.
Q&A with the director Agnieszka Elbanowska after the film
Agnieszka Elbanowska – director, editor and photographer. She graduated from the University of Warsaw’s Italian Department, from the History, Theory and Criticism of Cinema and Audiovisual Department of the Roma Tre University, from the Academy of Film and Television in Warsaw, and from the Wajda School. She has collaborated with Polish Television, and has co-created documentary films for TVP Polonia (“Liberta”, “Prelude”). Her latest film, “The Love Equation of Henry Fast” was awarded on national and international festivals.
Anna Zamecka
Thursdat | 1st JUNE | ECS
4:00 PM – Communion | Poland | dir. Anna Zamecka | 2016 | 72 min.
Q&A with the director, Anna Zamecka after the film
Anna Zamecka – Polish director. She lives and works in Warsaw. She studied Journalism, Anthropology and Photography in Warsaw and Copenhagen. Her full-length debut „Communion” received Grand Prix of Semaine de la Critique at 69th Locarno Film Festival and the Polish Academy Award Eagle 2016 for Best Documentary.
Official spot 15. Gdańsk DocFilm Festival
Maciej Pieprzyca the Chairperson of the Jury of 15th GDFF
Maciej Pieprzyca – the Chairperson of the Jury
Photo by Szymon Nawrat
A scriptwriter and director, born on 5th May 1964 in Katowice. He graduated from journalist studies at the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Silesia in Katowice. Graduate of Film and Television Directing at the Faculty of Radio and Television at the University of Silesia in Katowice.
For his picture Splinters, he received an Award for Directing Debut at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. His two subsequent feature films: Life Feels Good (2013) and I’m a Killer (2016) were awarded Silver Lions at the same festival. His films have received many awards, not only at Polish but also at international film festivals in Houston, New York, Chicago, Montreal or Moscow, etc.
He made the She is Different, By Knockout, A Legend Will Remain, I Am a Murderer documentaries which have been appreciated at multiple documentary festivals. Apart from that, he is the author of the following TV theatre productions: Hairdresser, Down, Family Show and Who Do You Believe.
Michał Oleszczyk
Photo by Krzysztof Harańczyk, The Kosciuszko Foundation
Born in 1982 in Tarnowskie Góry. Graduate of the Jagiellonian University’s Institute of Audiovisual Arts. Film critic …
24 films in the competition of this year’s Gdansk DocFilm Festival
15th Gdansk DocFilm Festival’s selection committee qualified 24 films out of 260 entries for the competition. Life, Animated, an Oscar best documentary feature nominee is one of them. We will see the following titles competing for the main award:
1. Urban Cowboys | Poland | dir. Paweł Ziemilski | 2016 | 30 min.
2. Whatever the Weather | Switzerland | dir. Remo Scherer | 2015 | 11 min.
3. Always Ready to Travel | Poland | dir. Anna Wiśniewska | 2017 | 53 min.
4. Kis | Russia | dir. Svetlana Bolycheva | 2015 | 21 min.
5. The Sea You Have to Love | Austria, Croatia | dir. Patrick Wally | 2016 | 28 min.
6. The Shepherd | Netherlands | dir. Joost van der Wiel | 2016 | 22 min.
7. The Sound of Winter | Belgium, Switzerland | dir. Tizian Büchi | 2016 | 27 min.
8. Little Bucharest | Belgium | dir. Sam Geyskens | 2016 | 21 min.
9. League of Exotique Dancers | Canada | dir. Rama Rau | 2016 | 91 min.
10. Methane Ghosts | USA | dir. William Randall | 2016 | 10 min.
11. Two Worlds | Poland | dir. Maciej Adamek | 2016 | 50 min.
12. Mirrored Mountains. Altay | …
Short fiction films
At the 15th Gdańsk DocFilm Festival we will introduce screenings of short fiction films. This part of the festival will become permanent and next year there will be a special competition for such forms. From Wednesday 31st May till Saturday 3rd June we will present short films between the competition screenings. Among them, you will be able to see productions by the Gdynia Film School students, like the famous „Grandma’s Day” by Miłosz Sakowski, „Mother” by Łukasz Ostalski, „In the Corner” by Maciej Bartosz Kruk and Sławomir Witek’s „Real Honey”.
Competition entries from 48 countries
We were receiving films for the 15th Gdańsk DocFilm Festival’s competition for 3 months. Ultimately, 260 films from all around the world were submitted. The USA, Australia, Canada, Senegal, Brazil, Argentina Mexico, Colombia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, China, Sri Lanka, India, Afghanistan, Russia, Switzerland, Portugal, Croatia are only some of the countries from which documentaries were sent. We received the largest numbers of entries from European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. The pre-selection committee has began work and the films they chose will compete for the Gate of Freedom award.