Film
Jacob Mendez
Jacob Mendez

Gdynia Children: Instead of going to school, go to the cinema! “I will issue an excuse to everyone”

It was a great start! The enthusiasm of hundreds of children, the noise, joy and excitement were overwhelming, and their screams “carried” the room! Many a creator would dream of such reactions from viewers during the screenings of their films.

On September 23rd, at exactly 9:00 a.m., the section started Gdynia for Children, part of the jubilee 20th edition of the Polish Cinema for Young Viewersorganized by the Polish Filmmakers Association. The section opened with a pre-premiere screening of the animated film “Diplodocus Dragon” directed by Wojciech Wawszczyk.

The gathered guests were welcomed by, among others: artistic director of the festival Joanna Łapińska and Grzegorz Łoszewski, president of the Polish Filmmakers Association.

“When I was as old as you, I also liked going to the cinema as part of my lessons. I invite you to the cinema every day. You don’t have to go to school this week. If necessary, I will issue an excuse to anyone,” declared Grzegorz Łoszewski, president of the Polish Filmmakers Association, and hundreds of children responded to his words with applause and shouts that momentarily drowned out the president’s speech.

“We are opening this year’s edition of Gdynia for Children! I wish you pleasant experiences, smiles, and excitement. Look at this world that was created for you, only and exclusively with you in mind. Good days and good hours at the screenings,” he added.

A large group of people from the film “Diplodocus the Dragon” also appeared on stage.

“We are going to show you a film that we have been making for 12 years! And who of you is already 12 years old or older? Adults somehow do not raise their hands – I do not know what is happening? I guess they still feel like children” – the animation director spoke from the stage Wojciech Wawszczyk.

“We made a very funny, hilarious adventure film for you. This adventure has this thing about it that sometimes there are sad and scary moments in it so that our heroes can overcome their sadness and fear. I can see that we have a seasoned festival audience here and I can see that you are not afraid of anything. We wish you all great fun,” added the creator.

“Diplodocus Dragon” is a film inspired by comics by Tadeusz Baranowski. Its characters speak with the voices of: Mikołaj Wachowski, Borys Szyc, Małgorzata Kożuchowska and Arkadiusz Jakubik. The film will also feature Piotr Polak and Helena Englert. The premiere is on October 4th.

“Scenario Diplodocus Dragon combines motifs and characters from Baranowski’s creative legacy, but is not a faithful adaptation of any of the albums, but rather a variation on them. Wojtek Wawszczyk and company (a total of a dozen people worked on subsequent versions of the script) made the journey of the title character the main motif of the film. Diplodocus is an unruly, curious young dinosaur who dreams of experiencing incredible adventures. When a mysterious cataclysm strikes his home, he sets off on a journey to solve the mystery of his parents’ disappearance. Along the way, he discovers new worlds, where he meets, among others, the wizard Hocus Pocus, Professor Nerwosolka and Butterfly Entomology. We are watching at the same time the story of the cartoonist Tadekwho was given the task by the publisher to create a “sweet” hero for the pages of a new children’s magazine within 24 hours – he wrote in his review Rafal Pawlowski.

“The two-track story of “Diplodocus the Dragon” is a funny, enjoyable and inspiring film for young viewers, which encourages them to use their imagination and do what they believe in. And even if it sounds a bit naive when confronted with adult reality, if thanks to this film even one child draws their own dragon and starts inventing its adventures, the creators will be able to consider it a success,” added the reviewer.