WARSAW NEXT - WORKSHOPS FOR YOUNG FILMMAKERS OPENS ITS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The call for applications for the 14th edition of the Warsaw Next workshop is now open until September 15. The event will take place October 16-19, 2024, as part of the 40th Warsaw Film Festival.

Warsaw Next is a workshop for young filmmakers (directors, screenwriters and producers) from Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, as well film and art school students, who are currently working on their first feature film. The workshop features a series of masterclasses, lectures and panel discussions with filmmakers and industry representatives. This year participants will also have the opportunity to work on their projects with renowned script consultants. Participation in the workshops is a great opportunity to network, exchange ideas and experiences, and above all, gain practical knowledge about the film market.

Given that some of the activities will be conducted in English, good knowledge of the English language is required to participate in the workshop.

To participate, please fill out the application form available HERE. The deadline for submitting applications is September 15, 2024. The cost of the workshop is PLN 250 and includes the Festival accreditation, entitling you to attend film screenings, valid for the entire period of the Festival. Costs of travel and accommodation are not covered. 

The organizers will select participants from the pool of applicants. The selection of participants is at the sole discretion of the organizers who are not compelled to disclose the reasons for their choices.

Application Form

Contact: Eliza Subotowicz, warsaw.next@wff.pl

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FIPRESCI CRITICS PROJECT - APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE 19TH EDITION OF THE FESTIVAL'S FILM CRITICISM WORKSHOP

The Warsaw Film Festival is proud to launch the 19th edition of the FIPRESCI Warsaw Critics Project, which will take place during the 40th edition of the festival, October 11-20, 2024. The FIPRESCI Warsaw Critics Project is a programme for young critics and journalists from Central and Eastern Europe who are starting their professional career. The project is coordinated by the Warsaw Film Foundation and FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. The group of selected participants will be invited to join one of the most prestigious film events in this part of Europe. They will meet filmmakers and industry representatives from all over the world and will take part in the deliberations of the FIPRESCI jury, which will choose the best Eastern European debut at WFF. They will also form a Young FIPRESCI Jury and award a prize to the film of their choice.

The workshop programme provides a practical approach to the work of a journalist at a film festival. Participants will be writing under the guidance of professionals, learning to face time pressures and improve their writing while meeting numerous representatives of the industry. They will also learn how to work in a competitive market, shape their work depending on the outlet and how to develop new ways of writing about cinema. Selected works will be published by websites related to cinema, including FIPRESCI.

The participants of previous editions of the workshop have cooperated with publications such as: Screen International, Indiewire, The Hollywood Reporter, Cineuropa, Ioncinema, Film New Europe and Eye For Film. The Warsaw Critics Project is co-created and coordinated by film journalists Amber Wilkinson and Tommaso Tocci.

The workshop is designed for critics aged 30 or under, fluent in English – both speaking and writing. All participants will be provided with accommodation for the duration of the festival, and their travel expenses will be covered. Those willing to take part in the workshop are encouraged to send their applications as soon as possible, including a resume/CV, a cover letter and two English-language samples of published work of between 400 and 1200 words in length - at least one of these should be a film review. In addition, candidates should submit a new short review (250 words) written in English specifically for the workshop, which we’ll use as a starting point of our work together in Warsaw. For the subject of this review, candidates may choose one of these recent films: Anatomy of a Fall, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest.

Please send your application to fipresci@wff.pl. Submission deadline: September 8. 

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40th Warsaw International Film Festival opens for submissions - deadline - July 31

The 40th edition of Warsaw International Film Festival (WFF) is planned October11-20, this year. WFF is accredited by FIAPF as a non-specialised competitive film festival.

We are open for submissions of:
- fiction features
- documentary features
- shorts (of 40 min or less): live action, animation, documentaries.

Regular deadline: July 15
Late deadline: July 31

WFF has six competitive sections with international juries and cash awards, including a 100,000 PLN (over 20,000 euro) Warsaw Grand Prix, funded by the Mayor of Warsaw.

We are looking for brand new films, completed in 2024, preferably world, international, and European premieres. Before submitting, please kindly check if your film meets the eligibility criteria at https://wff.pl/en/filmmakers/submitting-a-film-40

We accept submissions via www.wff.pl, www.filmfreeway.com, and www.festhome.com.

Contact: films@wff.pl

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Winners of the Audience Award at the 39th Warsaw Film Festival

Here are the films, which were liked the most by the audience of the 39th Warsaw International Film Festival, which came to an end yesterday.

A. Fiction features:

1. Anxiety, dir. Sławomir Fabicki, Poland/Switzerland/Germany
2. Goodbye Julia, dir. Mohamed Kordofani, Sudan/Egypt/France/Germany/Saudi Arabia/Sweden
3. The Clowns, dir. Gabriela Muskała, Poland
4. Diagnosis: Dissent, dir. Denys Tarasov, Ukraine
5. Riddle of Fire, reż./dir. Weston Razooli, USA

B. Documentary features:

1. Ani Choying Drolma: Mission Impossible, dir. F. Jennifer Lin, Shan Bai, Hong Kong SAR
2. The One I Love, dir. Paweł Hejbudzki, Poland/Mexico/Netherlands
3. The Crossing: Consequences of the Truth, dir. Andrew Didway, USA/Ukraine
4. Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story, dir. Nate Pommer, Eric Weinrib, USA
5. Danger Zone, dir. Vita Maria Drygas, Poland/UK/Belgium

C. Shorts:

1. Basia Three Short Stories / Trzy opowiadania o Basi, dir. Mateusz Pietrak, Poland
2. Don't Mess with Gienek / Nie z Gienkiem te numery, dir. Grzegorz Szczepaniak, Poland
3. On The Search For Love / Starsza pani szuka, dir. Maria Wider, Poland
4. Be Somebody / Być Kimś, dir. Michał Toczek, Poland
5. Echo / Echo, dir. Emi Buchwald, Poland

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