UK hosts 11th Kinoteka Polish Film Festival

Kinoteka: press materials

As always, the festival presents the cream of recent Polish cinema, complemented by special showings of classic films and opportunities to meet luminaries from within the industry.

Organised by the Polish Cultural Institute, the festival begins today with a gala screening of the newly restored version of The Promised Land (Ziemia Obiecana), Andrzej Wajda's Oscar-nominated 1975 film about entrepreneurs in the industrial city of Lodz during the late 19th century.

In the New Polish Cinema section, film buffs can catch movies including WWII drama Manhunt (Oblawa), which won the prize for Best Film at this week's Polish Academy Awards (The Eagles).

Also in the programme is Katarzyna Roslaniec's Baby Blues, the follow-up to her acclaimed 2009 movie about misled teenagers, Mall Girls (Galerianki), as well as Jan Jakub Kolski's latest movie, To Kill a Beaver (Zabic Bobra).

Budding cinematographers will have the chance to take part in a workshop with one of Poland's most celebrated cameramen, Pawel Edelman, who has worked with such directors as Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda (Carnage, Katyn, The Pianist). The masterclass will be held at the London Southbank home of the British Film Institute.

Kinoteka will run from 7 – 17 March, with screenings taking place at venues including the Barbican, Riverside Studios, Tate Modern, Curzon Soho, The National Gallery, Queens Film Theatre Belfast, FACT Liverpool and Edinburgh Filmhouse.

More details can be found on the event's official web page. (nh)