The 3rd edition of the Sokolowsko Hommage à Kieslowski Film Festival took place on 6-8.09.2013.
During the three days there were more than 40 screenings and more than a dozen accompanying events. This year the festival expanded its formula – the program included not only documentaries by Krzysztof Kieslowski, but also Polish and foreign films that enter into a dialogue with the works of the Polish director.
Between film screenings there were lectures and panel discussions with filmmakers, experts and special guests. Friends and former collaborators of the director, experts on his works, film scholars and critics, as well as filmmakers such as: Maria Kieślowska, Marin Karmitz, Agnieszka Holland, Krystyna Janda, Jerzy Stuhr, Marcin Latałło, Greg Zgliński, Bogusław Linda, Artur Barciś, Cezary Pazura, Paweł Łoziński, Jacek Bławut, Marzena Trybała, Jacek Petrycki, Gabriela Muskała, Mariusz Grzegorzek, Paweł Borowski, Marcin Bortkiewicz, Bogdan Koca, Stanisław Zawiśliński.
Marin Karmitz, French producer of “Three Colors” and friend of the Polish director, was a special guest at the festival.
After Kieslowski’s death, I felt orphaned. Staying in Sokolowsk was my first visit to Poland since then. I immediately fell in love with the place and the festival. I like the fact that there are no red carpets and flashing lights, but there is a great atmosphere. I, too, grew up in a similar place in Romania, and getting to know Kieslowski’s childhood place and participating in a festival so filled with his spirit makes me feel like I’ve met Krzysztof again. – Marin Karmitz said.
The film “White,” the second part of Kieslowski’s famous trilogy, was the axis of this year’s festival. It was around it that the festival discussions took place, and love, freedom, loneliness, was the motto of the festival repertoire. Films screened included: “A Lonely Woman” by Agnieszka Holland, “Fear of Heights” byBartek Konopka, “Loners “ by David Ondříček, “ Queen of Angels” by Mariusz Grzegorzek, “Virtual War” by Jacek Blawut, “Zero” by Pawel Borowski, “All Winter Without Fire” by Greg Zglinski, “One Hundred Years at the Cinema” by Pawel Lozinski and “My Street “ by Marcin Latallo. The festival ended with a screening of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 1974 documentary “First Love,”with cinematography by Jacek Petrycki, made with the cooperation of Krzysztof Wierzbicki.
The Hommage à Kieslowski festival was attended by Maria Kieslowska and Marta Hryniak, wife and daughter of Krzysztof Kieslowski, as well as many of his friends and colleagues, including: Artur Barciś, Marcin Latalło, Krystyna Janda, Krzysztof Wierzbicki, Marcin Bortkiewicz, Bogdan Koca, Mariusz Grzegorzek, Gabriela Muskała, Violetta Buhl, Mikołaj Jazdon, Piotr Jaxa, Stanisław Zawiśliński, Łukasz Maciejewski, Magdalena Łazarkiewicz, Marcin Adamczak, Radka Franczak, Aneta Kopacz, as well as Magdalena Szymków and Alain Martin, the French author of books about the Polish director.
On Saturday evening, a gala was held, during which, the invited guests talked about their meetings with Krzysztof Kieslowski and how they influenced their lives. An extremely moving moment was the screening of fragments of the making of filmed by Piotr Sobociński during the making of the ninth part of “The Decalogue.” Students of the PWST in Wroclaw, in the form of open rehearsals with guest directors, interpreted several famous scenes from the film “White”. The gala was hosted by Artur Barciś.
During the first day of the festival, the best films from the Wroclaw EUREKA festival were presented, to which budding young filmmakers, including students and pupils of Polish and Czech post-secondary and higher education institutions, were invited. Their task was to make films inspired by the work of Krzysztof Kieslowski and relating to the theme – “love, freedom, loneliness.”
The festival was accompanied by the opening of an exhibition of exhibits of the Archive of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s work in Sokolowsk, which was supported by various institutions, including: Museum of Cinematography in Lodz, WFD, TOR, PWSFTViT, which help the Foundation to collect valuable memorabilia and documents related to the life and work of Krzysztof Kieslowski.
A special event on the last day of the Hommage à Kieslowski festival was Krystyna Janda’s monodrama “Ear, Throat, Knife,” which took place at the packed Health Cinema Theater. A beautiful sunny weekend, attracted an unusually large number of viewers to Sokolovsk
During the Hommage à Kieslowski gala, Artur Barciś, on behalf of himself and the other artists hosted at the festival, made an appeal, on behalf of the authorities and relevant institutions, to help finance the restoration of this unique monument and restore it to its rightful place on the map of Europe.
