Grand Prix FilmAT 2012

Held under the auspices of the Ministry of Cultural and National Heritage, Ministry of Sport and Tourism, Polish Tourism Organization, Masovian Voivodeship Marshall, Masovian Regional Tourism Organization and Polish Film Institute, the Seventh FilmAT – Film, Art & Tourism Festival, which took place on May 17-18 in Warsaw, ended in achieving an international success.

Being a member of CIFFT in Vienna together with 13 festival-members scattered all over the world, the Film, Art & Tourism Festival had the honor of presenting many filmmakers from different countries as well as the CIFFT director, Alexander Kammel, and the representatives of other festivals associated by the CIFFT organization. The VII Film, Art & Tourism was hosted by its director, Ewa Kotus.

There were 182 entrants from around the world, from which the jury presided over by filmmaking master Zbigniew Żmudzki, awarded 16 best productions. The Management of the Festival awarded 8 special awards. A new challenge for the organizers was TOURIST OWL, a statuette for educational qualities evaluated by the jury.

An award ceremony was held at Sofitel Victoria Hotel in Warsaw. The gala resounded with Marlena Dietrich’s songs on the twentieth anniversary of her death, which is celebrated this year. The songs were performed both in Polish and German by Marlena Uziębło of Siedlec.

Grand Prix Tourism was won by a short spot made for the Polish Tourism Organization. While promoting Poland the spot called Poland. Feel Invited was a very light, elegant artistic invitation to see the country.

It was the first year the jury decided to award Grand Prix Ecology to two productions. Caring for the Lagoon by Oliver Dickinson, a melancholic story of the paradise island Mayotte, which is so heartedly and rationally fostered by its inhabitants. A moving statement by one of them saying ‘I care for the island because this is all I have in this life’. The second Grand Prix Ecolog winner was a Canadian production How to Boil a Frog by Jon Cooksey. Over two hours long, it’s an amazing approach to ecology, ridiculing things that we do to our planet. The viewers can laugh ...with tears in their eyes. The full list of awards will be posted separately.

TOURIST OWL

The awarding of TOURIST OWL statuettes was the task assigned to the scientists of the Institute of Cultural Ethnology and Anthropology of Gdansk University as well as the Institute of City and Tourism Geography of Łódź University. The panel was presided over by Andrzej Danowski, director of the Natural Photography Center PTTK. The first, historic TOURIST OWL statuette went to FAMADIHANA - the Meeting of Life and Death by Tomasz Rudomino. The production tells a story of an old Malagasy tradition where the living meet with the dead. It is known as the turning of the bones, performed in carefully planned ritual and in accordance with official procedures. Famadihana can take place every seven years, bringing a lot of happiness and joy to the participating families.

The film shows a great respect to traditions and is regarded as an educational documentary, which can serve as a learning and teaching aid.

TOURIST 2012 for Marek Żydowicz

Marek Żydowicz - artist, creator, conductor, the beating heart of the biggest international film festival devoted to the creation of a film image by the cinematographers PLUS CAMERIMAGE - received the TOURIST 2012 award from the Jury and FilmAT Management, who bestow this annual prize upon the individuals and institutions that promote Poland abroad.

In previous years the recipients of the award included Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański, The Leon Schiller National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź, Se-Ma-For Studios, and the State Folk Group of Song and Dance Mazowsze.

The prize coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the birth of Plus Camerimage - the festival that has proved to the world how important the role of a cinematographer is. The Golden, Silver and Bronze Frog or Tadpole are symbols of the greatest professionalism in the field recognized around the globe.

We, the creators, organizers and jury members of the FilmAT – Film, Art & Tourism Festival, which together with 14 other tourfilm festivals are CIFFT members (International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals www.cifft.com in Vienna), bow before Marek Żydowicz for his talent and knowledge and wish him and his Plus CAMERIMAGE Festival further success on the international scene.

TOURIST 2012

The Board of the Polish Tourfilm Academy decided to award a Tourist statuette for the second time in its history. Last year the winner was a Lech Majewski film The Mill and the Cross for its exceptionality and recognition around the world.

A Tourist 2012 was given to Adam Struzik, Marshall of the Masovian Voivodeship, for his efforts in promoting Masovia in film (Masovia in Film Program). There are many interesting and exceptionally beautiful places in Poland featured both in domestic and foreign films, but the greatest number of productions is made in Masovia, including those best known around the world. It is the place where the Crème de la crème of the filmmaking world has worked, including Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Kieslowski and Andrzej Wajda. The Marshall’s Masovia in Film Program has inspired us to organize in collaboration with the Masovian Regional Tourism Organization an international conference Theater Glamor Within the Reach of Every Tourist.

„Theater Glamor Within the Reach of Every Tourist” The 5th Conference of the Polish Tourfilm Academy

The subject of this year’s conference called Theater Glamor Within the Reach of Every Tourist was the settings in tourism promotion. The fame surrounding movie stars is transferred onto the places they go to or where they shot their movies. They are a magnet for tourists from around the world. The conference was attended by the representatives of France, Croatia, Austria, Greece, and Poland, talking about many famous places and their importance in development of tourism.

The conference was opened by Alexander Kammel, honorary president of the Polish Tourfilm Academy, director of CIFFT in Vienna. It was hosted by Ewa Kotus, director of Polish Tourfilm Academy and the Film, Art & Tourism Festival.

List of Speakers

1. Andreas Murray – director of Tourism in Traunsee Region (Austria) Films and TV series as a tourism promoting tool. Example pf Schlosshotel Orth Gmunden (A hotel in Castle Orth in Gmunden)

2. Zbigniew Żmudzki – president of Se-Ma-For Studios in Łódź. The Se-Ma-For Studios is a true perl. Two Oscars: a 1983 Oscar for Tango by Zbigniew Rybczynski and a 2008 Oscar for Peter and the Wolf. The Se-Ma-For Film Festival has a firm position in the world of animation. Se-Ma-For Museum brings to Łódź movie lovers from around the world...

3. Anna Somorowska – director of the Masovian Tourism Organization. Masovia in Film - majority of Polish productions were made in Masovia, including Krzysztof Kieslowski’s films or Roman Polanski’s The Pianist.

4. Wojciech Heliński – actor, promoter of cultural events, president of Fundus.Glacensis Association. The mysterious Table Mountains in the world-famous Chronicles of Narnia and other films.

5. Alison Womack – YPERIA Cultural Meeting – Amorgos (Greece) The Big Blue by Luc Besson and the fame of Jean Reno as the promotional force of the beautiful Island of Amargos. Presentation of underwater picture by expert Libor Spacek.

6. Joanna Szewczykowska – promotional director of the Museum of the Masovian Countryside in Sierpc. The Museum in Sierpc as a popular setting for a number of movie productions.

7. Ewa Kotus – journalist, director of PTA Hotel Sofitel VICTORIA - situated in the center of Warsaw, the host of the conference, featured in many film productions.

8. Spomenka Saraga – filmmaker, director of Zagreb Tourfilm Festival and Valentin Nikolić - journalist Winnetou and other movies made in the scenic settings of Croatia.

9. Agnieszka Warchulińska – journalist, author of the book Piotrków in Film. Historic Piotrków Trybunalski as a setting in many productions.

10. Georges Pessis – film director, director of Deauville Green Awards. Bracia Brothers – the film pioneers – as a magnet for Lyon.

11. Dariusz Socha - representative of the City of Sandomierz Sandomierz and “Ojciec Mateusz” – promotional success in the popular TV series.

12. Tomasz and Michał Ogrodowczyk – holders of multiple awards, filmmakers of the National Forest Film Center at Bedon, experts at the Polish Tourfilm Academy. Beautiful Polish forests in film productions.

Unforgettable concert

On Thursday, May 17 at the Great Chamber of the Royal Castle in Warsaw we attended an unforgettable concert, which was part of the XXVI Warsaw Music Encounters, called Early Music - New Music. The royal interiors were a good background for the elegant concert performed by National Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, featuring solist, saxophonist Alina Mleczko, conducted by Krzysztof Słowiński. We had an opportunity to listen to the works of the contemporary composers, such as Feliks Łabuński, Grzegorz Duchnowski, Edward Sielicki, Zbigniew Penherski, Grażyna Pstrokońska-Nawratil and Krzesimir Dębski. I looked at the guests, especially those from abroad. They took delight in every single piece, enjoying their diversity, though some of the works were often hard for listeners with no musical background.