Only few more days before some of Europe’s leading film professionals reach Warsaw to conduct the 5th SOFA workshop. Who will be guiding this year’s participants in Poland?

It is with great pleasure that the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announce the titles of the 51 films on this year’s EFA Feature Film Selection, the list of feature fiction films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2017! With 31 European countries represented, the list once again illustrates the great diversity in European cinema.

Polish Days co-organized by the Polish Film Institute  are the most important industry event of T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, where industry representatives including programmers, sales agents, producers, film funds and distributors from all over the world meet to watch the latest Polish films at closed screenings. This year's edition of Polish Days took place on 8-10 August.

Five completed Polish films and nine works-in-progress were shown at closed screenings during the event. Eleven projects in development were also pitched to the international audience. All presentations were followed by one-on-one sessions.

The event has been gaining international interest and strengthening its position in recent years. This year around 250 key Polish and international guests were present in Wrocław, including producers, film funds and festival programmers (Cannes, Berlin,  Rotterdam, Tribeca among others), as well as a number of international and domestic buyers.

Among the works shown in full at closed screenings were Panic Attack by Paweł Maślona, Wild Roses by Anna Jadowska, Thrice Falls the Saint by Jacek Januszyk, Tower. A Bright Day by Jagoda Szelc and The Reconciliation by Maciej Sobieszczański.

The works-in-progress section presented 9 films, including Back Home by Magdalena Łazarkiewicz, The Mute by Bartek Konopka,Speedway by Dorota Kędzierzawska, The Fastest by Łukasz Palkowski, The Man with the Magic Box by Bodo Kox among others.

Pitchings presented Polish films at an earlier stage of development and production. Among them, new works by Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi), Borys Lankosz (Dark, Almost Nighttime), Karolina Bielawska (Neon Tears), Kuba Czekaj (Lipstick on the Glass), Magnus von Horn (Sweat), Norman Leto (Pilot 9/11).

Awards from Aeroplan Studios and ColorOffOn Film went to the projects: Lipstick on the Glass by Kuba Czekaj  and The War Has Ended by Hagar Ben Asher respectively.

The scholarship from EAVE was awarded to Beata Rzeźniczek from Madants, representing project The War Has Ended directed by Hagar Ben-Asher

Event partners included the Wrocław Film Commission, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, the Łódź Film Commission, the Krakow Film Commission, the Podkarpackie Film Commission, the National Audiovisual Institute, Coloroffon, Aeroplan Studios and EAVE. Media partners included Film Pro, Film New Europe and Film & TV Kamera.

Organized by the New Horizons Association and Creative Europe Desk Poland, it consisted of workshops and lectures on various aspects related to the project promotion and development.

Studio New Horizons+ selected European director-producer pairs who are developing their first or second feature film. 10 emerging talents from Poland and 10 from Hungary, Austria, Germany, Romania, and the United Kingdom took part in the programme under the supervision of the following experts: David Pope (London Film Academy); Alya Belgaroui (EAVE), sales agent representing Wild Bunch; Aranka Matits (EAVE), representing Featurette; Raquel Cabrera from The Film Agency; Mark Lautman from Intermission Film; Jakub Duszyński from Gutek Film; and Jan Naszewski from New Europe Film Sales.

The New Horizons Studio+ program was completed with an insightful lecture “Film Trailers” by the special guest from the UK Mark Lautman from Intermission Film, which was given as a part of Creativity Talks organized by the British Council.

The participants took part in the pitching contest. The jury selecting the best pitch (composed of Aranka Matits, Raquel Cabrera and David Pope) decided to split the awards into two parts.

Statement from the Jury:

We are very impressed with the evolution of each project – in the span of just four days.

We hope to have provided an inspiring and nourishing environment for both directors and producers; and that sharing our ideas, suggestions and experience will be of use to them as their pursue their burgeoning carriers. We, for sure, will leave Wrocław feeling inspired by their vision and drive.

QUEENS – an Honourable Mention at the New Horizons Studio+ Pitching

We were impressed by the evolution from when the director-producer team first introduced the project where they were grabbling with genre labels, tonality and social context to a pitch that engaged us with nuanced characters and made us curious to find out how they will resolve their dilemmas. The Honourable Mention goes to QUEENS, directed by Stefan Bohun and produced by David Bohun. 

FISHEYE – the Winner of the New Horizons Studio+ Pitching Contest and recipient of the London Film Academy Award

The New Horizons Studio+ /The London Film Academy Award goes to FISHEYE (directed by Michał Szcześniak and produced by Ewa Turczańska), a project that painted a very clear picture of what the team behind it wants to accomplish. The pitch presented effectively the promise of the story and its universe as well as articulating all the specific creative contributions of the range of collaborators that are involved in each and every filmmaking process.

The award is project consultation with David Pope (London Film Academy).

Congratulations to the winners and thank to all the participants and partners: EAVE, London Film Academy, Romanian Institute of Culture, German Films and the Austrian Cultural Forum, as well as media partners: Film & TV Kamera, Film Pro and Film New Europe.

Film productions funded by the Subcarpathian Regional Film Fund in 2017.