Gdynia unveils its new look

by Dorota Hartwich

07/05/2012 - The 37th edition of Poland’s most important film event, the Gdynia Film Festival, kicks off today on the shores of the Baltic Sea. With its new name, the event has opted for modernisation, and for five days it will offer a broader, more varied film programme than in previous years, both in terms of themes and style.

Among the 13 titles vying for the event’s Golden Lion awards, well-known filmmakers stand out, including some of the event’s former winners such as Agnieszka Holland (In Darkness), Marek Koterski (Man, Chicks Are Just Different - photo), and Waldemar Krzystek (80 million). But there will also be new faces in the competition such as Filip Marczewski (Shameless), Maria Sadowska (Woman’s Day), and Tomasz Wasilewski (In the Bedroom). This last film and Secret [trailer] by Przemyslaw Wojcieszek are proof that low-budget productions can compete with much bigger-budget features, including co-productions such as Elles [trailer, film focus] by Malgorzata Szumowska.

This year, the festival will also be notable for the great diversity of genres in its programme. There will be drama (In Darkness), comedy (Man, Chicks Are Just Different), animation (Crulic - The Path to Beyond [trailer, film focus] by Anca Damian), a feminist western (Women’s Day by Maria Sadowska), a war film (Manhunt by Marcin Krzyształowicz), an action film (80 million), and even a thriller (Supermarket by Maciej Zak). An international jury headed by film director Dorota Kędzierzawska (Tomorrow Will Be Better) will choose the winners among all these titles.

The festival will also include a section for Polish films for youth and one for independent films, as well as the Polonica programme for international productions in which Poland has participated. Finally, this year, Gdynia will give tribute to Romanian cinema, thanks to its cooperation with the Wroclaw New Horizons film festival, with, among others, films by Cristian Mungiu, Corneliu Porumboiu, and Adrian Sitaru.

(Translated from French)