Play Poland’s focus is on promoting Polish cinematic culture through screenings of feature films, short films and documentaries. This year, Play Poland continues to showcase the best releases from the previous year, which include: Krzysztof Skonieczny’s “Hardkor Disko”, followed by a Q&A with the director; important for LGBTQ communities film by Tomasz Wasilewski “Floating Skyscrapers”; Andrzej Bart’s “Apnea”, featuring a cast of Poland’s most prominent actors; Maciej Pieprzyca’s award-winning “Life Feels Good”; the UK premiere of “Parasite” by the acclaimed artists Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal; Tadeusz Krol’s latest psychological thriller “The Last Floor”and Grzegorz Jaroszuk’s debut feature “Kebab & Horoscope”. „Floating Skyscrapers” in association with OUT at Clapham will also introduce an exciting new project curated and organised by PLAY FULL – PLAY OUT, promoting LGBT culture and deepening discussions on the subject of queer communities. A screening of Katka Reszke and Slawomir Grunberg’s documentary “Coming Out Polish Style” will open our discussion with academics, activists, artists and filmmakers at SSEES University College London, in association with eMigrating Landscapes and Women Online Writing.
The Hackney Attic, Clapham Picturehouse and Café 1001 will also host screenings of the best shorts and animation produced by the most renowned film schools and production studios in Poland. The programme of “All you need to know about Polish shorts 2013” will reveal an exquisite selection of shorts that have been awarded and selected for film festivals around the world.
This year’s Play Poland London will also feature the first ever UK performance by up and coming audio-visual artists Jakub Lech and Boguslaw Misala from IP Group, who will present their mind-and-sense blowing performance dIP, opening our festival with a mesmerizing performance in Brick Lane’s cult Cafe1001.
The Hackney Attic will then host a music video-clip party, featuring głębokiOFF’s productions. Its founder and director Krzysztof Skonieczny will introduce a selection of his world-renowned music videos (in association with OFF_press London who have kindly provided subtitles for the videos) after the screening of his award winning feature debut Hardkor Disko at Hackney Picturehouse.
Play Poland continues to support and present Polish artists living and working in the UK, this year featuring groups of talented local photographers through a series of exhibitions. Karina Będkowska will showcase her photography “Fleeting” in a unique show at Jam in a Jar. The event will be accompanied by live blues music by Ede Kay and South Estate.
Catering for younger audiences, this year we are also screening classic Polish animations for children – a real treat for kids and adults alike. Thanks to the generosity of Filmoteka Narodowa and Studio Miniatur Filmowych in Warsaw and Studio Filmów Rysunkowych in Bielsko-Biała, as part of a fruitful collaboration with Wandsworth Libraries’ Diversity Month and Audience, Community and Education Department of Picturehouses Cinemas, we will be able to once again see cult characters such as Reksio or Bolek and Lolek on the big screen.
The Festival will close with traditionally our PLAY FULL after-party, soundtracked by four decades of Polish disco sequenced by the DJ and VJ PF collective.
All feature films will be screened in Picturehouse Cinemas across London: Clapham, Hackney and Stratford.
Honorary patronage over Play Poland Film Festival is extended by the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh, Andrzej Pągowski – legendary Polish graphic; Professor Zbigniew Pelczynski, director of School For Leaders Association and Richard Demarco and Demarco European Art Foundation.
The festival is co-founded and supported by the Polish Film Institute, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh, Polish Community Association, Art & Business Scotland and University in Ottawa.
More information on: Play Poland Film Festival | FB |Twitter: @PPFF_London