All filmmakers from any country, who are over 18 years of age, may send in a short film, from one to three minutes long. The films can be shot using any production method: a film camera, a photo camera or a mobile phone; they can also be animated. Depending on their types, films should be entered in one of the three categories: feature, documentary or animated films.
The contest, organised jointly by the Lech Wałęsa Institute and the Gdynia Film School, and with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Culture.pl portal, encourages filmmakers to take a deep look at the relations between people and cultures that take place today.
Winners will receive air tickets to Poland, money for the costs of stay, and tickets to the 39th Gdynia Film Festival, one of Poland’s largest, which this year is held between 15 and 20 September. Laureates will also have a chance to meet Lech Wałęsa—the famous Solidarity leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and to visit Gdansk, the birthplace of the social movement that changed Poland and led to a change of the system. You can watch award-winning productions of the contest’s first edition on Culture.pl as part of the Google Cultural Institute project.
Films for the second edition of the contest can be submitted through the Solidarity Shorts official website, where you can also watch the films that have already been entered and vote for your favourites.
Source: Solidarity Shorts, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland