Festival of Polish films begins in Moscow

Twelve films are competing in the main competition, with the jury composed of Russian film critics and writers.

Works in contest include Łukasz Palkowski's 'Gods', which was both the biggest hit at the Polish box office in 2014, and the winner of the top award at Poland's key annual film event, the Gdynia Film Festival.

The film follows the struggles of surgeon Zbigniew Religa, who oversaw Poland's first successful heart transplant during the 1980s.

Also in competition is Wojciech Smarżowski's 'The Mighty Angel', which explores the plight of an alcoholic writer, Krzysztof Skonieczny's thriller 'Hardcore Disco', and Malgorzata's 'Body', which won the Silver Lion at this year's Berlin Film Festival.

In July 2014, Poland dropped plans for the combined Polish Year in Russia and Russian Year in Poland, which was set to run this year. The decision came shortly after the shooting down of a Malaysian jet-liner in Ukraine, over territory held at the time by pro-Russian separatists.

However, the film festival is going ahead in spite of the diplomatic stand-off. The Moscow leg of the festival ends on 28 May, but screenings will also be held in other cities. (nh)