International festival brings a weekend of Polish film to Aberdeen
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A weekend of Polish cinema will take place in Aberdeen as part of the International Film Festival Tofifest.
Organised by the Polish Association Aberdeen and running from March 1 to March 3, it is the seventh strand of the 2024 Polish-Scottish Mini Festival 2024.
The Festival began in 2017 to support integration and Polish and Scottish cross-cultural exchange, to make an impact on the cultural life of the Polish community, and to create and strengthen the positive image of the Polish community.
Festival highlights include a session at the University of Aberdeen with outstanding Polish film director and screenwriter Jan Komasa.
Komasa is an award-winning Polish director whose credits include feature films, documentaries, commercials and music videos.
His film 'Corpus Christi' was the Polish candidate for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscars.
As part of the Festival three of the director's films will be presented - Warsaw 44, The Hater and Corpus Christi.
The film programme will also include a masterclass and a meeting between the director and students at the University of Aberdeen on Friday March 1, organised in partnership with the University’s Elphinstone Institute, the George Washington Wilson Centre for Art and Visual Culture and the Department of Film and Visual Culture.
For the wider public, there will be an opportunity to meet Jan Komasa at 6pm on March 1 at open screening of Corpus Christi in room KCF7 in King’s College, University of Aberdeen.
The free event, for which booking is not required, will be followed by a Q&A session with the director.
Mateusz Lagoda, President of the Polish Association Aberdeen said: “Jan Komasa is an extremely talented filmmaker who has received numerous awards at many of the most important film festivals in Poland and around the world.
“His films have been presented at festivals in Venice, Chicago, Tribeca, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, New York, Paris, Minsk, Luxembourg, and many others and we are delighted to be able to bring him to Aberdeen.
“The showing of ‘Corpus Christi’ will be a highlight of this year’s Polish-Scottish mini festival.”
Silvia Casini, co-director of the George Washington Wilson Centre for Art and Visual Culture said: “I’m delighted that students of Film and Visual Culture - and beyond - at the University of Aberdeen will have the opportunity not only to watch a film by world-renowned filmmaker Jan Komasa, but also to take part into a Masterclass led by him. I hope this will further strengthen the collaboration between Film and Visual Culture, the Elphinstone Institute, and the Polish Association in Aberdeen.”
Nicolas Le Bigre of the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute added: “I’m thrilled to help welcome Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jan Komasa to the University of Aberdeen where we’ll screen his powerful film in one of our beautiful historic buildings.
"As always, the Elphinstone Institute is pleased to work with internal and external colleagues and continue its long-standing support of cultural events that bring Polish and Scottish culture together.”
Other events taking place as part of the Aberdeen celebration of the Festival include a free screening of 'Warsaw 44' on Saturday March 2 at 7.30pm at the Phoenix Centre, Newton Dee, Bieldside, AB15 9DX Aberdeen.
Tickets can be reserved at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/miasto-44-city-44-polish-scottish-mini-festival-tickets-838406003927
On Sunday, March 3, at 4pm the same venue will show Corpus Christi, followed by The Hater at 7.30pm.
To reserve your place and for more details visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/corpus-christi-boze-cialo-polish-scottish-mini-festival-tickets-838397739207 and https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hall-of-suicide-hater-sala-samobojcow-hejter-polish-scottish-mini-fes-tickets-837264329147.
The International Film Festival Tofifest is one of the fastest growing film festivals in Poland and the mission of the Festival is to promote independent cinema.
