Polish documentary cinema is one of the special guests of this year’s International Documentary FF FIPADOC which will be held in Biarritz, France. Polish films will be screened in the competitions and in the special programme and Polish documentary filmmakers, producers and experts will take part in the FIPADOC Industry Days.

Polish delegation at FIPADOC is organised by the Krakow Film Foundation and Polish Docs with the support of the Polish Film Institute and it is a part of Focus Visegrad, promoting documentary cinematography from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

Polish films will be screened in the different competitions: „An Ordinary Country” by Tomasz Wolski will be presented in the International Competition, „A Little Bit of Paradise” by Andrzej Cichocki and „We Have One Heart” by Katarzyna Warzecha in the Short Documentary Competition, „A Tale of Two Sisters” by Jakub Prysak and „Hide and Seak in Peaceful Valley” by Maciej Białoruski – both represented Polish National Film School in Łódź – in New Talent student films Competition. In the Visegrad Focus section the audience will see two feature length documentaries: „Festival” by Tomasz Wolski and „The Whale from Lorino” by Maciej Cuske.

There will be also more Polish accents during FIPA DOC INDUSTRY DAYS. At the International Pitching Forum two Polish projects in development will be presented to the international experts and decision makers – „Harley Unknown Mission” by Andrzej Miękus (prod. Filmicon) and „Candidates of Death” by Maciej Cuske (prod. Fundacja Budgoska Kronika Filmowa). Anna Gawlita (Kijora Film) and Agnieszka Rostropowicz-Rutkowska (Pinot Films) will take part in Producers Meet Producers – the individual meetings which aim is to network and initiate the co-operation between France and Visegrad countries.

Filmmakers Jaśmina Wójcik and Tomasz Wolski will be the guests of panel sessions on hybrid forms and innovation in the documentary filmmaking and using the archival footage and dealing with past and history using their films – „Symphony of the Ursus Factory” and „An Ordinary Country” – as the examples.

The representatives of Polish film Industry will take part in the thematic round tables on the panorama of festivals and markets in Central Europe (Katarzyna Wilk from Polish Docs and KFF Industry), how to co-produced with the Visegrad Group countries (Maciej Kubicki, producer from Telemark) and broadcasters in the Visegrad countries (representatives of TVP and Canal + Poland).

The booklet with all the information about Polish presence and Polish Docs Pro Delegation you can download from here.

FIPADOC Industry Days will be held online from 18 till 22 of January. The festival’s screening due to Covid 19 are postponed – the organisers will inform about the new dates soon.

Polish part of Focus Visagrad at FIPADOC is organised by the Krakow Film Foundation and Polish Docs with the support of the Polish Film Institute. Polish delegation is a part of Polish Docs Pro project.

Polish Docs PRO is an initiative launched by the Krakow Film Foundation, the aim of which is to continue and to develop the activities initiated within the frames of the project Polish Docs in 2006. The project Polish Docs PRO focuses primarily on a wide promotion of Polish documentary film industry at international events addressed to film professionals. It supports film-makers and producers in developing their projects by facilitating access to the markets abroad, co-coordinating the trips of delegations to the pitching forums and co-production markets, organising the presentations of projects, production models and co-production opportunities with Poland, organising networking meetings, participation in lectures, panel discussions, workshops and training sessions. The aim of the Polish Docs PRO is to establish the brand of Polish documentary film in the international film environment and to develop international co-operation.

JANUARY 2021