POLAND TERRITORY FOCUS
says Rafal Orlicki, Film Commission Poland’s representative. “The institution is also an intermediary that supports fi nding locations, studios, directors of photography, etc. The commission maintains a Polish site and database of companies and has access to the data- bases of film professionals. The Film Commission Poland also organises ‘vir- tual scouting’. “The Polish fi lm market has got to the
Leszek Dawid’s You Are God will screen in Polish Days Producers from Poland and Germany
can also apply for up to $37,000 in fund- ing for the development of fi lm projects from the Polish-German Co-Develop- ment Fund. The fund is in partnership with Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung.
Challenging times In spite of the positive effects of this kind of funding, critics say it is more dif- ficult to get small independent films made, especially for fi lm-makers with no track record. “There is always a limit beyond
which local productions just stop being profi table and some of the projects can- not fi nd funding, especially those with a higher budget,” says Robert Balinski, international co-productions project manager at the Polish Film Institute. “International co-productions allow creators to share the fi nancial risk and to step into the real [heart of] European cinema with their movies and benefit from everything good the European market has to offer, including festivals and distribution.” He continues: “The Polish Film Insti-
tute is not as generous as it was, but we will not give up in our efforts to fi nance and support the Polish co-production sector. We are waiting for a moment of change, when Polish films will be in competition at the most important fi lm festivals.” New Horizons’ Lapinska adds: “I
wouldn’t say Polish fi lm is fashionable in the same way that Romanian or Argentinian fi lm is. Still, there are more and more interesting productions com- ing from Poland — we had a film in Rotterdam competition this year [It Looks Pretty From A Distance] and in the Berlinale Forum [Secret]. Poland is also a strong co-production partner, as seen
www.screendaily.com
by the recent success of In Darkness, Crulic: The Path To Beyond [which won the best feature award at the recent Annecy International Animated Film Festival] or Ari Folman’s upcoming The Congress.” Recent co-productions also include
‘The number of films being made in Poland has been going up every year since the creation of the Polish Film
Institute in 2005’ Joanna Lapinska, T-Mobile New Horizons
Malgoska Szumowska’s Elles starring Juliette Binoche (with France and Ger- many), Jerzy Skolimowski’s Venice award-winning drama Essential Killing starring Vincent Gallo (with Norway, Ireland and Hungary), Piotr Mularuk’s thriller Yuma (with the Czech Republic) and Andrzej Jakimowski’s English-lan- guage Blind Watching, starring Edward Hogg and Alexandra Maria Lara (with France and Portugal).
Foreign affairs Meanwhile the Film Commission Poland, with offi ces in Krakow, Lodz and Silesia, supports fi lm-makers and repre- sents Poland at foreign fi lm markets. “The Film Commission Poland offers
professionally prepared and easily accessible information about the Polish fi lm market designed for foreign artists,”
SPOTLIGHT ON NEW HORIZONS
The 12th T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival in Wroclaw will present around 440 fi lms. Some 14 new titles (including The Double Steps by Isaki Lacuesta, and Dominga Sotomayor’s Chilean road movie Thursday Through Sunday) will compete for the Grand Prix, while feature-length documentaries will go head to head in the Films on Art International Competition. There will also be retrospectives of works by Dusan Makavejev,
The festival’s giant screen in Wroclaw’s Market Square
Ulrich Seidl, Carlos Reygadas, Peter Tscherkassky and Witold Giersz. Polish Days (July 21-23) is a new event which will present the latest
Polish fi lms to the international industry. “We wanted to capitalise on the great industry presence we’ve been enjoying in Wroclaw in previous years and offer the Polish industry a place to showcase their works at closed screenings,” says artistic director Joanna Lapinska. Screenings include You Are God
by Leszek Dawid and Oblawa by Marcin Krzysztalowicz. Pitches will include Andrzej Zulawski’s Dark Matters and Bartek Konopka’s The Mute.
point where producers have a great range of possibilities. Still, it would be great if Poland could offer more tax dis- counts for film-makers and develop- ment opportunities.” Poland does not currently have any tax credit/rebate for film-making, as seen in most other European countries. Poland already offers top-quality
facilities at all stages of production. One of the best known is Alvernia Studios near Krakow, which is involved in inter- national co-productions such as Amy Heckerling’s Vamps and Nicholas Jarecki’s fi nancial drama Arbitrage, star- ring Richard Gere, Tim Roth and Susan Sarandon. “We are one of the most modern fi lm
laboratories in the world, with expanded DI, VFX and sound studios,” says Alver- nia spokesperson Anna Dziedzic. “Moreover, we are trying to be up to date with the latest technologies. In the near future, we will provide motion- capture services with an option of remote management.” Opus Film in Lodz is known for its
talented crew and co-ordination abili- ties. Post-production companies in Poland also include The Chimney Pot and Platige Image, founded by the great Polish animator Tomasz Baginski.
s
June-July 2012 Screen International 15 ■
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