“These will not always be simple films, but we wanted them to go straight to the heart. These will be our stories, your stories and the stories of those who really live all over the world,” he said during the press conference Michał Zalewski, spokesman and head of communication of the festival.
The press conference was attended by: Szymon Miszczak – festival director, Magdalena Sroka – creative director of the festival, Grzegorz Stępniak – artistic director of the festival, Karolina Młynek – marketing manager of Mastercard, the title sponsor of the event, and, of course, Michał Zalewski as the host.
“We have a lot of films, workshops, panels, meetings, a podcast. This year there will be 187 festival screenings, 280 special events, we will show 93 films from around the world and all this during 10 unforgettable festival days. For me, this year it is important to actively enter the urban space and immerse myself in Krakow, as in previous years. What is important is that we are moving the festival town from Szczepański Square to Jan Nowak Jeziorański Square in front of Galeria Krakowska. There will be meetings with stars, there will be an outdoor cinema, workshops,” he said about the festival event director, Szymon Miszczak.
The director hopes that crowds will visit the festival town. “It will pass through our town about 35,000 people a day – this is the traffic of this place. This will bring even more people into contact with the festival and independent cinema, and perhaps it will change someone's life. There will be a lot going on.”
For the festival organizers, apart from competitions and films, special events are important. She talked about what has been prepared for viewers this year Magdalena Sroka, creative director of the festival.
“This year we have three unique special shows. We decided that all three will take place in the Kijów cinema – this is the largest cinema hall in Krakow. We start today – the opening film is “Treasure” directed by Julia von Heinz – this will be the European premiere of this film. The main roles are played by Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry, whom we will host at the opening gala – an unforgettable, fantastic actor. (…) This is a road movie in which the main characters follow in the Polish footsteps of their Jewish origins. I think this is an important film for us, especially in the context of searching for our own identity. We will also host Julia at the opening gala. The film was almost entirely made in Poland, and Polish actors also play there – Zbigniew Zamachowski, Tomasz Włosok and Sandra Drzymalska. The music is also composed by Polish artists: Antoni Komasa Łazarkiewicz and Mary Komasa,” Sroka said.
The next important special events are Saturday screening of the film “Pułapka” with the participation of Patrick Wilson, who will receive the “Against the Tide” award in Krakow. As the creative director of the festival emphasized, it deserves special attention screening of Andrzej Wajda's outstanding film, “The Conductor”, in which Andrzej Seweryn played the main role – guest and juror of this year's Mastercard OFF CAMERA.
“We believe that Andrzej Wajda's film legacy is something that should be constantly reminded and something that builds our position in world cinema. Special screening ‘Conductor’ will take place on Friday, May 3. This is an important event for us, because we will host Andrzej Seweryn, and Grażyna Torbicka will talk to him before the film. This is one of his most important and outstanding roles. I think it's worth remembering this film,” said Sroka.
Several awards will be presented during the festival. The winner will be selected for the 17th time International Main Competition “Making the Path” for the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award. IN Polish Feature Film Competition Mastercard OFF CAMERA 10 Polish features are competing for the Dominika Kulczyk & dFlights Award. The jury also selects winners in competitions for Best Actress, Best Actor and Mastercard Rising Star, i.e. the best acting debut in a feature-length film. On the other hand Female Voice Award for Women in Film at the Mastercard OFF CAMERA festival, it is awarded to exceptionally talented women who actively work in the Polish film industry on a daily basis.
What does independent cinema mean to the management of the International Festival of Independent Cinema Mastercard OFF CAMERA? We asked about it after the conference – what they told us about it Magdalena Sroka, Szymon Miszczak and Grzegorz Stępniak?
– For me, independent cinema is primarily a search for identity. This is courage, this is talking about things that no one wants to talk about. This is saying something that torments us from the inside, something unsaid, something that has not yet been told in cinema. What we think is important and becomes so the moment we say it. This can be seen in the Krakow audience, where mainly young people go to see our films and these are people who are constantly searching, do not have a ready plan for the world or themselves, they just want to learn something about this world and themselves, she said. Magdalena Sroka in an interview with Anna Kempys.
What did the event director have to say about it? Szymon Miszczak? – It's not such an easy question. This is cinema that is searching, that constantly asks questions and seeks answers. In fact, it is the creator's artistic signature, for me it is independent cinema.
– Independent cinema is a state of mind of creators on the one hand, and on the other it touches on courage, both thematically and formally and aesthetically understood – he said Grzegorz Stępniak, artistic director of the festival. – It's not necessarily cinema that has a limited budget, although it does, but cinema that grows from the belief that cinema has something important to say to viewers, is not afraid to tell it and often does it in an experimental way.
The 17th edition of the International Festival of Independent Cinema Mastercard OFF CAMERA starts on April 26 and will last until May 5. All information about the event can be found on the official website and in our special report. Interia is the media patron of the event.