About the Łódź Film Fund

 

 

In 2017, ten years had passed since the establishment of the oldest regional film fund in Poland—the Łódź Film Fund. The first film productions: "Summer 1941" (Wiosna 1941), dir. Uri Barbash, "Old man and the dog" (Stary człowiek i pies) , dir. Witold Leszczyński and Andrzej Kostenko, and the winner of many awards — "City floats" (Miasto Płynie), dir. Balbina Bruszewska, were co-financed by the City of Łódź in 2007. The Fund supports the production of feature, documentary, and animated films that are connected—in their theme or in their production process—with the City of Łódź and the Łódź region. Since it has existed, the Fund has provided co-financing for 69 films, for a total amount of more than PLN 8 million. Since September 2015, it has functioned, on a co-production basis, within the structures of the EC1 Łódź—the City of Culture institution in Łódź. The Fund is administered by the Łódź Film Commission. It is the first and one of the largest regional film funds in Poland.

 

Pięć plakatów filmów dofinansowanych z ŁFF

 

In 2016, EC1 Łódź—the City of Culture became a co-producer of the Polish candidate for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: "Afterimage" (Powidoki), directed by Andrzej Wajda (and being his last creation) and a number of other productions: "Beyond Words" (Pomiędzy słowami), dir. Urszula Antoniak, produced by the Opus Film studio from Łódź (winner of an award for the best sound and cinematography at the 2017 Polish Film Festival in Gdynia); "Memories of Summer" (Wspomnienie lata), dir. Adam Guziński; "Forest, 4AM" (Las, 4 rano), dir. Jan Jakub Kolski; "Marie Curie" (Maria Skłodowska Curie), dir. Marie Noelle; "Bikini Blue", dir. Jarosław Marszewski; the documentary film "Runners" (Biegacze), dir. Łukasz Borowski; "Diagnosis" (Diagnoza), dir. Ewa Podgórska; and season 3 of the recognised animated series "Memories of Florka" (Pamiętniki Florki), produced by Anima-Pol.

 

Pięć plakatów filmów dofinansowanych z ŁFF

 

2017 was an exceptional year in terms of the number of co-financed productions—as many as 11 films received co-financing for a total amount of PLN 1.2 million. The Fund now has a new formula that is unique on a national scale. The obligation to shoot within the territory of the Łódź region was removed and the option to apply for co-financing only for post-production works was introduced. Co-financing on these conditions was granted to a documentary film by Matej Bobrik, "The art of understanding" (Sztuka Zrozumienia), produced by Koi Studio in Warsaw (the premiere is scheduled for mid-2018). Co-financing was also provided to 4 feature films: "Cold War" (Zimna Wojna) by Paweł Pawlikowski, "A house of wanderers" (Dom tułaczy) by Mariko Bobrik, "Pardon" (Ułaskawienie) by Jan Jakub Kolski, and "I am lying now" (Ja teraz kłamię) by Paweł Borowski; 3 documentary films: "Who will write our history" (Kto napisze naszą historię) by Roberta Grossmann and "Small Hands in a Big War" (Wielka wojna w małych rękach) and "Midwife" (Położna) by Maria Stachurska; and 3 animated productions: "Memories of Florka" (Pamiętniki Florki) Part 4, "Big worry" (Wielkie zmartwienie) by Zbigniew Kotecki, and "Sacculina carcini" by Katarzyna Nalewajka.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Łódź Film Fund, EC1/the Łódź Film Commission obtained funds from the Polish Film Institute (PISF). It was decided that as part of the celebrations, the productions that manifested their Łódź character the most noticeably should be honoured in a special way. New posters for the productions selected were prepared by distinguished graphic artists from Łódź: Ola Niepsuj (who creates eclectic collages combining pencil, ink, and paint with digital graphics), Krzysztof Iwański (who experiments by combining the boldness of colour with the interpenetration of words and images), and Mariusz Andryszczyk (whose art is largely based on typography). Additionally, six film reports were prepared that cast new light on major works produced in Łódź. Moreover, the anniversary provided numerous opportunities to watch the co-financed films again and to bring together the creators and the audience during the biggest film festivals in Łódź and in Poland.

 

Pięć plakatów filmów dofinansowanych z ŁFF

 

 

The activities that were organised throughout the year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Łódź Film Fund were gathered and presented in a multimedia report.