Cultural bulletin 27 (524)

News in brief

• Jozef Szajna, a Polish renowned stage designer, stage director, playwright, theoretician of the theatre, painter and graphic artist, died at the age of 86, TVN24 TV station reported on Tuesday.  Szajna was born on March 13, 1922 in Rzeszów, south-east Poland. During the Second World War and German Nazi occupation of Poland he was a prisoner of the German concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
• Actor Marian Glinka died in Warsaw on June 23 at the age of 65, Aleksandra Malcher of Warsaw’s Ateneum theatre told PAP. Glinka was the theatre and film actor with unforgettable parts in Krzysztof Zanussi’s "Behind the Wall" (Za ścianą - 1971) and "Camouflage " (Barwy ochronne -1976), popular TV series entitled "Home" (Dom), Stanisław Bareja’s comedy "A Jungle Book of Rgulations" (Nie ma róży bez ognia - 1974) and another series "Doctor Murek" (1979). In recent years he was a star in Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s "Quo Vadis" (2001) and TV series "The Ranch" (Ranczo) or "Clan" (Klan - 2008) and in Stanislaw Tym’s "Ryś (2007).
• A benefit night for Krzysztof Zanussi that marked the 50th anniversary of his artistic career and was held on June 22, ended Cinemagic.pl., the 3rd international festival of film professions that opened in Plock, central Poland in June 20. In a message for young film-makers Zanussi said they should always be guided by truth.
• The Police, the British legendary rock band reactivated in 2007 after a long-time break gave its first and only concert in Poland at Sląski stadium in Chorzów on June 26 with support of the Counting Crows band from California, that launched such hits as „Mr. Jones” and „Accidentally in love” known from the „Shrek 2” soundtrack. During the band’s break Sting, the band’s charismatic singer and bass guitar player had given several concerts in Poland.

Reports

Pacek’s "Wednesday, Thursday Morning " wins Great Amber

Grzegorz Pacek’s "Wednesday, Thursday Morning" won the Great Amber 2008 (Wielki Jantar 2008) award for the best Polish feature movie made by a debutant at the 27th “Young and the Film,” film debuts festival that ended in Koszalin, north-west Poland, on June 21. The festival opened on June 17. The festival jury chaired by movie director Wojciech Marczewski included writer Paweł Huelle, actress Kinga Preis, cartoon director Marek Skrobecki and last year’s winner, movie director, set designer and actor Xawery Żuławski, who received the Great Amber 2007 award for his movie entitled "Chaos."

Small Ambers 2008 for Polish short films went to director-debutants. Jarosław Sztandera received the Small Amber for the best plot in his "Luxury" (Luksus) movie, Jacob Dammas got the award for the best documentary presented in "Kredens" (Cupboard) and Jakub Wroński for the best animation in his film "American Dream".

Jurors, chaired by director Dariusz Gajewski had on board other director like Andrzej Titkow and Bartek Konopka, painter and graphic artist Piotr Młodożeniec and film critic Tadeusz Sobolewski.

Polish cartoons for children at film festival in Iran

Highly valued Polish cartoons, including selected episodes from Reksio, an animated movie about the adventures of a small but smart dog were shown at the 22nd International Festival of Films for Children and Youth in Teheran that lasted from June 21 to 25.

The Polish Film Institute (PISF) said cartoons were shown as part of the review of the Polish cartoon that featured 20 best Polish animated movies made by the TVP pubic television  including the newest ones "Baśnie i bajki polskie" (Polish Fairytales and Tales) made at the TVP animated Film Studio in Poznań.

Bydgoszcz: Polish-Swedish theatre project

The Polski Theatre in cooperation with Travers Theatre from Edinburgh works on a drama about the life of Polish émigrés in Scotland. The premiere is scheduled for the annual autumn festival in the Scottish capital.

"After a long search people from Travers Theatre finally selected Bydgoszcz, probably because it is most emigration-hit city with a number of people leaving it in recent years which has left a mark on social awareness of remaining residents, Paweł Łysak, dyrector of the Polski Theatre has told PAP.

International festival of organ music in Gdańsk

The performance of Roman Perucki, the director of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Hall with the Philharmonic Hall Orchestra and The Gdansk Philharmonic Brass quartet inaugurated the 51^st international festival of organ music in the Cathedral in Oliwa, Gdansk’s district, on June 24. The orchestra played film music composed by Ennio Morricone and another of his compositions still not performed in Poland and entitled "Quatro Concerto."

The international festival of organ music in Oliwa’s Cathedral, Poland’s oldest and one of the world’s oldest concerts on the type attracted scores of artists from seven countries, namely Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Italy.

This year event, to be held until August 26 features 18 concerts with four Polish organ players, namely Błażej Musiałczyk of the Cathedral in Gdańsk-Oliwa, Arkadiusz Bialic of the Pauline Fathers basilica in Cracow, Julian Gembalski head of the Organ and harpsichord department of the Academy of Music in Katowice and Roman Perucki).

Culture ministry: no peril for Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The future of the Polish Museum in Rapperswil is not in peril, the Culture ministry’s press office has told PAP.

Founded in Rapperswil, Switzerland, in 1870 the Polish Museum is located in the 18th century castle at a peninsula on the Zurich Lake. It contains valuable collections. "Pro Schloss" private association has motioned for moving the museum to the Municipal Castle, a move tantamount to its eviction.

Filming of "Last Action " with Machulski and Janowska starts

The filming of Michała Rogalski’s "Last Action" (Ostatnia akcja) has started in Warsaw starring Jan Machulski, Marian Kociniak and Alina Janowska. The cast includes Wojciech Siemion, Piotr Fronczewski, Barbara Krafftówna, Lech Ordon, Witold Skaruch, Antoni Pawlicki and Artur Dziurman.

National Program of Movie Theatres’ Digitalisation

Work on the implementation of the National Program of Movie Theatres’ Digitalisation is underway. The implementation will start this fall, President of the Polish Film-Makers Association (SFP) Jacek Bromski has told PAP. He explained that the SFP work on the program in cooperation with the ministry of culture and national heritage, the Polish Film Institute and the Home Chamber of Audio-Visual Producers. Under the program some 300 small Polish movie theatres will be equipped with technology enabling shows of digital movies. The cost of the undertaking is estimated at some 10 mn zloty. Program prime movers plan to use EU funds for the purpose.

Cracow: Polish Culture Foundation grants awards

Halina Kwiatkowska, Elżbieta Stefańska and Franciszek Ziejka received honorary awards  of the Polish Culture Foundation for 2008 at a ceremony in Cracow on June 26.

The independent, non-governmental Polish Culture Foundation was set up by outstanding Polish artists and academics from Poland and abroad in 1987 with the goal to promote the Polish culture, artists and protect the cultural heritage.

Filming of new series for children starts

On June 26 Łódź-based Se-ma-for film studio started filming a pilot episode (a two-minute leading song) of the newest cartoon series for children entitled "Zajączek Parauszek" (The Double Ear Bunny). The bunny is to replace the popular "Miś Uszatek" (The Ear Bear).

The movie is based on Wojciech Próchniewicz’ fairytales. The series will be produced with the use of classic puppet animation technology with 3D tricks, like the Award winning “Peter and the Wolf.”  

PAP envisages

• „The Time of Honour” (Czas honoru), a movie about WW2 starring Jan Englert, Maciej Zakościelny, Jan Wieczorkowski, Antoni Pawlicki and Jakub Wesołowski will be on in the Channel Two of the Polish TV in September. The cast also includes Ewa Wencel, Maja Ostaszewska, Katarzyna Gniewkowska, Anna Romantowska, Krzysztof Globisz, Anna Cieślak, Krzysztof Stelmaszyk and Olgierd Łukaszewicz.
• Australian rock band Crowded House, known from such hits as "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Weather With You" will give its first ever concert in Poland in the Opera Leśna (Forest Opera) in Sopot on July 18, the Baltic Artistic Agency in Sopot, the event organizer has said
• Pictures of modern Polish buildings shot by Nicolas Grospierre and futuristic trick photographs of them by Kobas Laksy will be on display at the Polish pavilion at the 11^th International Architecture Biennial in Venice. The Polish pavilion will open on September 12 and the biennial will close on November 23.