Report from the II International Tourfilm Festival in Płock

Historical Płock with picturesque view onto Tumskie Hill and the Vistula River (unveiling its true beauty near the capital of the Mazowsze region) has traditionally captured the visitors to the International Tourfilm festival with its beauty and hospitality. The organizers of the event: Europe 2004 Foundation, Business Integration Group and City Council of the town of Płock provided the guests with an extensive and interesting program, whose individual character is becoming a landmark among other festivals promoted by CIFFT (Comite International des Festivals du Film Touristique) in Vienna and by ITCO (International Tourfilmfestivals Committee) in Rome.

The II International Tourfilm Festival took place on June 15-19th, 2007 under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Minister of Economic Affairs, Marshall of Mazowiecki Province, and Polish Tourism Organization. President of the town of Płock, Mirosław Milewski, was appointed the president of the festival, while Ewa Kotus, the initiator of the event in Poland, became general director. Mr. Antonio Conte, the maker of the international tourfilm festivals who also laid a foundation for the festival in Płock, was an honorary guest. The jury of the II International Tourfilm Festival was chaired by Jacek Wan, a journalist, traveler, film producer, President of the Association for Foreign Correspondents in Poland, a man highly regarded among the citizens of Płock, who invited him to a meeting during the preparation for the festival so that he could get a feel of the atmosphere of the event and he could learn all the secretes behind the scene.

ORLEN S.A. was the main sponsor of the festival. The company is the largest manufacturer and distributor of fuels in Poland as well as the largest oil company in Central and Eastern Europe. Orlen has been a patron of many cultural events in Poland and abroad.

The festival hosted many celebrities from the film and tourism industries, many famous travelers, members of international associations, representatives of diplomatic agencies, government offices, as well as various organizations, and journalists. In particular, I would like to emphasize the presence of visitors from abroad who assisted us during the event: Febe Potgieter-Gqubule - ambassador of the Republic of South Africa, Zoran Skenderija - ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jongho Choi - the first Secretary of the Korean Republic Embassy, Willy van der Westhuizen - Consul General of the Republic of South Africa, Amil Farug - Advisor for Cultural Affairs and Information at the Embassy of Turkey, Faruk Hadzibegic - Advisor for the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Antonio Conte - President of ITCO and European Federation Tourist Press in Rome, Gavrilo Azinovic - Director of MEFEST in Serbia, Jasna Krivosic-Prpic - Vice-director for Promoting Foreign Investment Agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Park Byoung Jik - Director of the Korean Tourism Organization in Moscow, Lim Jong Woo - Vice-director of the Korean Tourism Organization in Moscow, Minna Laukkanen - journalist and editor from Finland, Anitra Gerica - Vice-director of the Tourist Information and Coordination in the town of Riga, Ilze Pole - Representative of the Karl Fonds Foundation in Latvia, Olga Ożarenkowa - Director of the Lithuanian Tourist Information in Warsaw, many foreign journalists from Argentina, Byelorussia, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland accredited in Poland.

Among the journalists I would have to enumerate the participants of the STUDY TOUR of the Mazowiecka Tourist Organization including Walentyna Rakiel-Czarnecka - director, who took part in all productive meetings.

"(...) This year's edition of the festival (besides Polish productions) will feature films from many European countries, e.g. Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, Denmark, Great Britain, Russia as well as non-European films from countries such as Korea, Malaysia, Lebanon, Republic of South Africa, Turkey, and Japan. Over 100 films have been entered into the event, undergoing a pre-selection process upon which only the successful candidates will be assessed by the jury (...)", said Wojciech Jaworek - spokesman for the festival. The festival is a presentation of the most interesting films whose total show time is equal to almost 20 hours. From June 14th to 16th the assembly hall of the City Hall in Płock functioned as a cinema, whereas during the night show on June 15th the audience could watch the films in the scenery of the Old Town.

The film shows were interlaced with meetings, conferences, and discussions, which allowed the participants to get acquainted with the festival's films, and to meet with famous travelers, exchanging experiences as well as discovering the beauty of the Mazowiecki region.


Korean flavours for a start

Ewa Kotus, general director of the festival, welcomed all the guests at the assembly hall of the City Hall in Płock. Tomasz Kolczyński, vice-president of the town of Płock, gave a warm speech, in which he emphasized the importance of the event in promoting the town as well as total openness of the authorities toward the event. In his address, Mr. Antonio Conte stated that the International Tourfilm Festival in Płock is gathering momentum, starting to make its own history and traditions. This Italian guest reminisced with sentiment the birth of the festival and his first encounter with this enchanting city.

The festival was inaugurated with a Korean production. Jongho Choi - the first Secretary of the Korean Republic Embassy and Byoung Jik - Director of the Korean Tourism Organization in Moscow invited all the gathered guests to visit this remote and exotic country. "Korean Cuisine" introduced the guests to the world of Korean flavors, which fortunately were not present only in the film, but also in real life. The visitors could taste various treats, including the famous kimczi.


Meeting with Beata Pawlikowska, the famous traveler, journalist and writer

This slim delicate blonde-haired lady, full of persistency and high spirits, has made a number of fascinating journeys, which for many will remain only in a dream world. Just to name a few, a voyage to the Amazon jungle, or safaris in many parts of Africa. She spoke about difficulties connected with the journeys, warning all the future travelers of the immense responsibilities of which they will have to be aware. She also talked about a necessary knowledge base that one should have before setting a foot in a foreign land. The lady spoke with zest, capturing the attention and the heart of the audience. In an exceptionable way she can convey all supreme values so that everyone can identify with them, developing respect for differentness in a natural and matter-of-fact way. Many a person would like to be at her side during one of the journeys, but would they find enough courage in them to really do so? When she was asked who is mentally stronger, a man or a woman during such voyages, she replied 'women' without hesitation. Beata Pawlikowska believes that a true smile is the best passport to all the regions in the world, event those inhabited by the smallest and the least civilized tribes. Ms. Pawlikowska received a special award bestowed upon her by the management of the festival.


Night show with Marek Kamiński

Marek Kamiński is a famous traveler, who conquered two polar caps (in a single year), foundation president, and organizer of a wonderful voyage with disabled Janek Mela. He says that he has always been attracted to participating in unusual, difficult, and solitary expeditions. He set out for the first journey when he was in his teens. His courage is frightening at times since he is not afraid of areas inaccessible to people. In Płock he showed a variety of pictures from different journeys, he talked about numerous difficulties and emotions connected with overcoming his own weaknesess, he was also answering a number of questions from the audience. Mr. Kamiński is rather matter-of-fact, precise in his speech, though expressing his thoughts economically. When he was asked if he had ever been in a no-way-out situation, he pondered for a while and told a story that happened during one of his journeys. Once, during an extremely difficult expedition, he felt that he was not alone in the icy vastness. His spirit was uplifted by the fact that SOMEONE imaginary was looking at him from a crevasse of a glazer. There is something extraordinary in his stories and in the man himself, in his superhuman resistance to loneliness, or in his persistence and courage. This unshakeable man is also full of warmth and openness, which makes people want to have a personal contact with him. Mr. Kamiński has received award for outstanding achievements in the area of tourism.


Grand Prix for Bosnia and Herzegovina!

Similarly to the last year's event, the management of the II International Tourfilm Festival in Płock has conferred a special "Tourist" statue, which went to Andrzej Wajda, who was honored for the totality of his work and the enormous contribution in building a positive image of Poland in the world.

The jury of the II International Tourfilm Festival in Płock was composed of
Jacek Wan, chairman - film director, producer, Japanese TV correspondent of maker of a number of TV series about Japanese culture and Near East, as well as many programs about health.
Gavrilo Azinovic - film director, screenwriter, director of MEFEST in Serbia,
Maciej Cuske - film director, documentary film maker,
Robin Lautenbach - ARD journalist - I program of the German TV, Barbara Tekieli - journalist, spokeswoman for the Polish Chamber of Tourism.

GRAND PRIX - "2007 TOURIST" Statue went to "ENJOY LIFE", a film promoting Bosnia and Herzegovina. The film was produced by Refresh Production for the Bosnia & Herzegovina Tourist Board.

The jury awarded films in the following categories:

BEST SPOT PROMOTING A COUNTRY, REGION, OR CITY:
"VIENNA COLLECTION"-Curt Faudon, (Faudon Movies N.Y.)

BEST COMMERCIAL SPOT:
"ISTANBUL" - Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey

BEST TOURFILM (film OR DOCUMENTARY ABOUT TOURISM):
Four parts of the series entitled "BAREFOOTED THROUGH THE WORLD", entered into the festival by TVP2
1) "Road to Jungle" - W.Cejrowski, Rewolta,
2) "Jungle" - W.Cejrowski, Rewolta,
3) "Village in a Jungle" - W.Cejrowski, Rewolta,
4) " Monkey Soup" - W.Cejrowski, Rewolta,

AWARD FOR PROMOTING ECOLOGICAL VALUES:
"YEAR IN PRIMEVAL FOREST" - Tomasz Ogrodowczyk/ORW LP)

BEST PICTURE
"KOREAN CUISINE" (Wonderful World of Korean Food, KU Pro)

BEST SCREENPLAY:
"THE ROSSLYN ENIGMA" (TIM Maguire/Tern Television

BEST POLISH FILM:
"BIESZCZADZKI NATIONAL PARK" - Jacek Sołtysiak/Dydakta

JURY'S SPECIAL AWARD:
"LIWOWIE - MAŁE JEST WIELKIE" - M.Kubera/TVP Gdańsk

SPECIAL AWARDS:

AWARD OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE TOWN OF PŁOCK "BIESZCZADZKI NATIONAL PARK" - Jacek Sołtysiak/Dydakta

AWARD OF THE ONET.PL USERS:
"Unique Dubrovnik" - Dubrovnik Tourism Board

The II International Tourfilm Festival in Płock has also awarded the tourism celebrities such as:
Romuald Bykowski - director of the Riga Tourist Information Center in Warsaw
Marek Kamiński - famous traveler from Poland, who conquered two polar caps,
Beata Pawlikowska - famous Polish traveler.

A special award was also conferred to Jan Królak for his exhibition called "South Africa - Rainbow Country". At the end of the ceremony Ms. Ewa Kotus, general director of the festival, received a medal for the contribution to the popularization of tourfilm festivals in Poland from Antonio Conte, president of the ITCO (International Tourfilmfestivals Committee).


Traditional Polish banquet

Hospitality characteristic of the Mazowsze region will remain in the minds of the visitors for a long time since the event has traditionally ended with a banquet. Marshall of the Mazowieckie Province as well as the organizers of the event didn't spare any efforts to make that hospitality memorable for the guests from all over the world. Since the Polish people are open to foreign cuisines, the organizers also served a famous Bosnian dessert -sweet with refined unique taste.

The splendor was added by the presence of Krzysztof Skiba, a special guest distinguished for his sense of humor and openness to international partnerships.

In the end, the guests had an opportunity to visit Warsaw (at the beginning and the end of the festival). They could admire the Old Town, Wilanow, Łazienkowski Park, and the Royal Tract, analyzing the Polish history juxtaposed with the current development of a modern Eurpean capital open to the world.