Poland is set to host its first British Film Festival, an annual celebration of British cinema and one of the few events of its kind in Europe.
The first edition of the festival will take place under the slogan ‘United Kingdom of Cinema” between 13 and 17 November at the historic Muza cinema in the western city of Poznań.
The event organizers announced that the festival programme will take into account the culture of individual countries that make up the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but will also present the diversity of regions and social classes as well as the context of colonial and post-colonial countries.
“Although this is only the first edition, we see great potential in this idea, resulting not only from the huge existing legacy of British film culture, but also from its very interesting development in recent years. We think of the festival as a flagship event in Poznań. In the coming years, it has great prospects for development with new contexts, a film competition and new partnerships,” said Dorota Reksińska from Muza.
The festival promises an immersive British cultural experience beyond just films. Attendees can look forward to traditional British activities such as drinking tea at 5 p.m., building a red telephone box in front of the cinema, and witnessing a classic double-decker bus arriving at Muza.
“It’s a festival where you read Jane Austen’s prose in your free time, sing songs known from Monty Python or those composed by the Beatles. There will also be famous characters: Paddington Bear, Harry Potter, Mr. Bean or James Bond,” Reksińska said.
The key points of the event will be two film retrospectives confronting the history and present of British cinema.
The first edition of the festival will be graced by a retrospective of Alfred Hitchcock’s films on the 125th anniversary of the director’s birth.This retrospective will feature digitally restored copies of Hitchcock’s early works created in Great Britain, with highlights including a live music-accompanied screening of the silent film “The Tenant.” The screening of the famous “The Birds” from 1963 will be made outside the cinema, “surrounded by candlelight and inscribed in the church architecture.”
The second retrospective will be devoted to award-winning Scottish director Lynne Ramsay. In addition to her most well-known films, such as “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “You Were Never Really Here”, short films and lesser-known feature films from the beginning of her directing career will also be shown.
Sections
The British Film Festival will feature several distinct sections, each offering a unique cinematic experience.
First Things First
The First Things First section will showcase high-profile, pre-premiere film screenings. These exclusive showings often occur outside of regular distribution channels, making them the first or only opportunity for Polish audiences to see these films.
Five O’Clock
Another highlight is the Five O’Clock section, which celebrates Britain's cinematic heritage. This section will focus on films that explore the landed, aristocratic, imperial, and colonial traditions of Great Britain.
“These costume dramas recreate the atmosphere and ambiance of the past with panache and nostalgia, allowing the audience to touch the old era,” the organizers emphasize.
A standout feature of this section is the screening of Hugh Hudson’s iconic “Chariots of Fire,” a film that won four Oscars and was nominated for seven. This screening marks the centenary of the historic events depicted in the film.
The name of the section, Five O’Clock, nods to the famous British tradition of tea time at 5:00 p.m. Appropriately, all film screenings in this section will start precisely at 5:00 p.m., inviting attendees to immerse themselves in a quintessentially British experience.
The High Season
This section will showcase the most notable British films set to be released in cinemas during the 2023/2024 season.
The Classics
The Classics section will spotlight iconic and classic British films, presented in digitally restored DCP prints as well as traditional 16mm and 35mm film formats.
Mind the Gap
This section will be dedicated to films that exemplify British social realism, a key aspect of British cinema. This section will explore the evolution of social realism from its roots in the New Wave tradition of the 1950s and 1960s, including Free Cinema and the Angry Young Men movement, through to the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. It will also feature contemporary examples that continue to represent this trend.
The full festival program will be announced at the end of October. Ticket sales for screenings and additional events will also start then.
Details of the event are available online.
The event organizers announced that the festival programme will take into account the culture of individual countries that make up the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but will also present the diversity of regions and social classes as well as the context of colonial and post-colonial countries.
“Although this is only the first edition, we see great potential in this idea, resulting not only from the huge existing legacy of British film culture, but also from its very interesting development in recent years. We think of the festival as a flagship event in Poznań. In the coming years, it has great prospects for development with new contexts, a film competition and new partnerships,” said Dorota Reksińska from Muza.
The festival promises an immersive British cultural experience beyond just films. Attendees can look forward to traditional British activities such as drinking tea at 5 p.m., building a red telephone box in front of the cinema, and witnessing a classic double-decker bus arriving at Muza.
“It’s a festival where you read Jane Austen’s prose in your free time, sing songs known from Monty Python or those composed by the Beatles. There will also be famous characters: Paddington Bear, Harry Potter, Mr. Bean or James Bond,” Reksińska said.
The key points of the event will be two film retrospectives confronting the history and present of British cinema.
The first edition of the festival will be graced by a retrospective of Alfred Hitchcock’s films on the 125th anniversary of the director’s birth.This retrospective will feature digitally restored copies of Hitchcock’s early works created in Great Britain, with highlights including a live music-accompanied screening of the silent film “The Tenant.” The screening of the famous “The Birds” from 1963 will be made outside the cinema, “surrounded by candlelight and inscribed in the church architecture.”
The second retrospective will be devoted to award-winning Scottish director Lynne Ramsay. In addition to her most well-known films, such as “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “You Were Never Really Here”, short films and lesser-known feature films from the beginning of her directing career will also be shown.
Sections
The British Film Festival will feature several distinct sections, each offering a unique cinematic experience.
First Things First
The First Things First section will showcase high-profile, pre-premiere film screenings. These exclusive showings often occur outside of regular distribution channels, making them the first or only opportunity for Polish audiences to see these films.
Five O’Clock
Another highlight is the Five O’Clock section, which celebrates Britain's cinematic heritage. This section will focus on films that explore the landed, aristocratic, imperial, and colonial traditions of Great Britain.
“These costume dramas recreate the atmosphere and ambiance of the past with panache and nostalgia, allowing the audience to touch the old era,” the organizers emphasize.
A standout feature of this section is the screening of Hugh Hudson’s iconic “Chariots of Fire,” a film that won four Oscars and was nominated for seven. This screening marks the centenary of the historic events depicted in the film.
The name of the section, Five O’Clock, nods to the famous British tradition of tea time at 5:00 p.m. Appropriately, all film screenings in this section will start precisely at 5:00 p.m., inviting attendees to immerse themselves in a quintessentially British experience.
The High Season
This section will showcase the most notable British films set to be released in cinemas during the 2023/2024 season.
The Classics
The Classics section will spotlight iconic and classic British films, presented in digitally restored DCP prints as well as traditional 16mm and 35mm film formats.
Mind the Gap
This section will be dedicated to films that exemplify British social realism, a key aspect of British cinema. This section will explore the evolution of social realism from its roots in the New Wave tradition of the 1950s and 1960s, including Free Cinema and the Angry Young Men movement, through to the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. It will also feature contemporary examples that continue to represent this trend.
The full festival program will be announced at the end of October. Ticket sales for screenings and additional events will also start then.
Details of the event are available online.
Source: PAP, TVP Poznań, kinomuza.pl
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