FILM AS A WAY FOR A DEBATE ABOUT
CONTEMPORARY WORLD CRISIS
"Film as a way for the debate about contemporary world crisis " is one of the program sections of this year's IFF ZOOM - ZBLIŻENIA. Xenophobia, migration crisis, terrorism, religious wars are one of the most important problems faced by many countries in the modern world. Cinema is not indifferent to these problems. It is also a great pretext for talking and confronting attitudes towards the issues that affect us. As part of the festival program section, we have programmed four films that can be a great pretext to a discussion. We believe that thanks to art, discussion ceases to be a tiring, dry, theoretical debate. Through empathy for the characters, the viewer can look at these issues through the prism of a specific situation and a particular individual. It will also be possible to talk about the films with their authors. Also independent cinema, represented during the festival by the competition's short films, does not remain indifferent to this subject. Thanks to the funding of the International Visegrad Fund, the jury members will be able to appreciate the authors who, in the most moving, apt and most interesting way, show the viewers the world's and our problems, and grant them Special Prizes. We will also try, in a special debate, entitled: "Us among strangers. Strangers among us" to raise the problem of the migration crisis. How to talk about this problem rationally? What solutions can you take? What is the problem in each of the Visegrad countries? Speakers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary will take part in the discussion.
US AMONG STRANGERS. STRANGERS AMONG US
23.02.2018, FRIDAY time 11:00
HOTEL MERCURE, Jelenia Góra
An international debate about the migration crisis in Europe. The phenomenon is of great interest to the mass media, EU institutions and authorities of individual countries, as well as researchers from many scientific disciplines. It evokes enormous emotions, becoming the subject of political and social discourse.
Are the societies of the EU countries mentally prepared for accepting refugees? What are the reasons and consequences of migration? How to talk about this problem rationally? What solutions can you take? Is cultural assimilation of refugees possible? What are the threats and challenges of a multicultural society?
We will take interest in the position of the Visegrad countries regarding these issues - the position of the authorities and citizens of these countries. We invited the representatives of each of V4 countries to discuss this topic. The participants of the debate will be:
Magdalena Środa
polish ethicist, philosopher, journalist, feminist, PhD, associate professor at the University of Warsaw. She deals with the history of ethical ideas, applied ethics, political and feminist philosophy and women's issues.
Anna Grażyna Suchocka
Social and Cultural Association ETHNOS, implementing activities for building a civil society, open to cultural and religious differences in protection of interests and rights of national, religious and ethnic minorities
Alexander Tomský
Czech political scientist, educator, writer, commentator, journalist and translator
Péter Tálas
Hungarian historian, he holds doctor's degree in political science, expert on security policy in Central Europe and new challenges in this field, Polish philologist
moderator: Artur Zaborski - journalist, film critic. He was an editor at Onet.pl and the editor-in-chief of Stopklatka.pl. Collaborator of numerous film events, lecturer at the Warsaw Film School
IN THE FADE
Germany / France; 2017; 106 min.; feature;
In a second, Katja's life explodes and breaks up irretrievably when her husband and her several-year-old son are killed in a bomb attack. Friends and family try to keep the woman happy and ensure that justice will be done to the perpetrators. However, after some time, when the police are beginning to suspect two young neo-Nazis in the assassination, there is a growing need in Katja for personal revenge on people who took away from her the ones she loved.
Film critics emphasize the precision with which the film story was made. They are also in agreement that the thriller's emotional tension and credibility is due to the creation of the main role. The acting of Diane Kruger arouses admiration. The director's artistry, excellent acting and a high level of performance (photos, editing) made the film engaging and extremely moving.
Awards: Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film; Golden Palm for Best Actress - Diane Kruger (Cannes 2017); Critics Choice - Award of American Journalists for Best Foreign Film (2018); Silver Camera - Rainer Klausmann (Manaki Brothers - International Festival of Film Operators 2018)
BEYOND WORDS
After the film we invite you for a meeting with Andrzej Chyra
Poland, Germany, 81 min.; feature film;
28-year-old Michael's real name is Michał, but it's hard to guess. At first glance, the boy looks like a purebred German. Blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin do not make him stand out from the crowd. When he stands next to Frantz's friend, with whom they work in a law firm, it's hard to even suspect that they share their origin and the country of growing up. Here is the man who has succeeded. Michael's immigrant's past does not bother him at all. The boy has assimilated perfectly. There is no longing for the country or connections between him and his homeland. Except for one - his 55-year-old father, who unexpectedly appears in the boy's life. Michael becomes Michałek again, which will force him to ask questions about his identity and affiliation. Is it closer to Frantz, or to Africans, who only reveal that they are immigrants by their skin color? The most personal film by Urszula Antoniak, who has lived in the Netherlands for 25 years, tackles one of the most pressing problems of the present, exploring its humanistic aspect, without ideology, without political declarations and without stereotypes.
Awards: photo award - Lennert Hillege, sound award - Mirosław Makowski, Jan Scherman and Maciej Pawłowski; Golden Kangaroo - an award for Jakub Gierszała (Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, 2017); the award of the ecumenical jury (Warsaw Film Festival, 2017); Angela Award for the best cooperation between the operator and director (Kilkenny Subtitle Festival, 2017)
THURSDAY 22.02.2018
time 17:00
BIRDS ARE SINGING IN KIGALI
After the film we invite you for a meeting with a film director Joanna Kos - Krauze
Poland, 2017, 113 min.; feature;
It is 1994. After the plane of President of Rwanda has been shot down in Kigali, riots between the tribes of Tutsi and Hutus continue. During the 100 days of purges, about one million people are killed by extremists. A native of the Tutsi tribe, Claudine Mugambira is the daughter of a renowned Rwandan ornithologist. After the massacre, in which Claudine's father is killed, the Polish ornithologist Anna Keller, who has been researching vultures in Africa for years, helps her escape to Poland. Anna worked closely with Father Claudine, she witnessed his brutal death and directly experienced the naked, ruthless violence that now, after her return to the country, comes alive again and again in the lost flashes of memory. The terror she experienced makes Anna find it difficult to accept a peaceful, slow way of life in Poland, indifferent to the events in Africa. At the same time, however, she feels the need to radically turn away, escape from African experiences, yet Claudine's presence makes it impossible. Both women, deeply in pain, undergo a slow and moving process of gradual recovery and reconstruction of everyday life.
Awards: FIRST LOOK award for the Polish film in the post-production phase (International Film Festival in Locarno 2016); prizes for the best female roles for Jowita Budnik and Eliane Umuhire (52. Karlove Vary 2017 Film Festival and 42nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia 2017); the Silver Lions award for the best film (42. PFFF in Gdynia 2017).
time 20:00
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE
Finland / Germany; Toivon tuolla puolen; 2017; 100 min.; feature;
A black comedy directed by the cult Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki ("Leningrad Cowboys", "The Man Without a Past"). A masterful film in which contemporary Europe can see itself (and laugh at itself). After the success of the "Man of Le Havre" realized in France, full of references to the cinema of the 1930s and 1940s, the Finnish master decided to return to his homeland. The film tells the story of a Helsinki citizen, who decides to change his life and open a restaurant. One day, Wikstrom accidentally comes across a refugee from Syria - Khaled. Although the familiarity between men begins in an unfortunate way, the characters quickly establish a deep bond that will be exposed to many difficult problems. Was it only in the fairy tale that their unexpected meeting would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship? In the latest film Kaurismäki does not remain deaf to the echoes of the rising wave of xenophobia and nationalism around the world (in one of the scenes, Khaled talks about how he was beaten by skinhead in Gdansk on his way to Finland). However, the Finnish director is able to break through the layer of sadness in order to offer viewers a portion of uneasy optimism and a contagious sense of humor.
Awards: Silver Bear for Best Director (Berlinale 2017)
The section "Film as a way for a debate about contemporary world crisis" is co-financed by International Visegrad Fund