Emigra Film Festival aims to showcase the wealth of Polish filmmakers who live abroad and it has been running for 8 years already. We would like to warmly invite you for the first time to its London edition.

Like many other events in 2020 the festival will be streamed online. It promises to be 8 hours filled with films and interviews with cinematographers.

This year the jury of the festival received over 70 films. Awards went, among others, to the film “Scrag” (Golden Emigra for reportage) by T.Wiśniewski- story about a Polish explorer cycling in Siberia in -50 temperatures, “Diary of Isolation” – (Golden Emigra for lyrical account of life during lockdown in the UK) by M.Wirski and “Confession of an Emigrant” about the UK tour of a musician Czesław Mozil directed by W.Kuś.

We would also like to highlight the past and present contribution by Polish filmmakers who made London (or the UK) their home. Among others Roman Polański, Jerzy Skolimowski, experimental filmmakers Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, (BAFTA member) cameraman Witold Stok, Paweł Pawlikowski or Oscar winning producer Peter Fudakowski.

We will show rarely screened avant-guard film “The Adventure of a Good Citizen” (1938) by Franciszka and Stefan Themerson which influenced Roman Polański, early films by said director and a film by Oscar winning producer Peter Fudakowski as well as selection of films of this years’ Emigra.

There will be interviews with Witold Stok, a director of photography who worked with, among others, Kieślowski, Pawlikowski and Skolimowski to name but a few, interview with Aleksandra Czenczek on her new script and work on award-winning films with David Attenborough, foley artist Karolina Jędrzejczyk will reveal how sounds for famous films are created and Janusz Guttner (actor and photographer) will share his stories and show his great portraits of famous filmmakers.

Films and interviews of London Emigra 2020 will go online this Saturday the 12th of December at 2 pm. (UK time) Just click on www.emigra.com.pl sit back and enjoy!

Full Programme available below:

12 December, starts 2PM

hosted by Adriana Kulig and Elżbieta Smoleńska 

2 – 4.30PM Look at the Polish Filmmakers in LONDON – today and in the past.

2.10PM Klara Kopcińska / interview about the works of Stefan and Franciszka Themerson – pioneers of the Polish avant-garde films.

„The Adventure of a Good Citizen”, dir. S. i F. Themerson, 1937, 9 min 

„The Eye and the Ear”, dir. S. i F. Themerson, 1945, 10 min

„Two Men and a Wardrobe”, dir. Roman Polański, 1958, 15 min 

„When Angels Fall”, dir. Roman Polański, 1959, 22 min

3.15PM Witold Stok / interview – cinematographer, director, member of BAFTA 

3.30PM Janusz Guttner / interview – actor, photographer, poet, theatre director

„My Friend Ivor”, dir Aleksandra Czenczek, 2014, 8 min

„Old Man and Tree”, dir. A.Kulig, M.Kowalczyk, 2020, 2 min

4PM Aleksandra Czenczek / interview – screenwriter, director, worked on special effects for the D.Attenborough documentaries, member of jury for 8 EMIGRA

„Red Rover”, dir. Astrid Goldsmith, 2020, 13 min

4.20PM Karolina Jędrzejczyk / interview – sound producer, foley artist

4.40 – 8PM Selection of 8 EMIGRA awards winners

„Skinny”, dir. Tomasz Wiśniewski, 2020, 30 min

5.10PM Krzysztof Suchowierski / interview – traveler, main character in ‘Skinny’

„Emigrant’s Confession”, film about the UK tour of musician Czesław Mozil dir. Wojciech Kuś, 2020, 44 min

„Isolation Diaries”, dir. Mariusz Wirski, 2020, 12 min

18.15 Radosław Sieński / interview – film editor, director of awarded film

 „A question of time”, dir. Radosław Sieński, 2010, 12 min.

„Anteroom to Paradise”, dir. Dorota Petrus & Bogdan Lęcznar, 2015, 60 min „(not)Holiday travels”, dir. Monika Kuczyniecka, 2017, 7 min.

7.35 – 8.45PM Selected submissions to 8 EMIGRA

„At Dawn The Flowers Open The Gates Of Paradise”, dir. Elżbieta Piekacz, 2017, 14 min

„50 Euros of fame”, dir. Sebastian Królak, 2019, 18 min.

„Mr Bobkowski” dir. Marta Sawko, 2020, 4 min

„Displaced”, dir. Hanna Pikulska i Eleonora Cao Pinna, 2019, 11 min

„En mis memorias”, dir. Monika Zaborowska i Exequiel Relmuan, 2020, 6 min

8.45PM Closing Film

„Time Travel Machine”, dir. J.Bujnowski, 2018, 30 min

9.10 Peter Fudakowski / interview – director, Academy Award winning producer

„Secret Sharer”, dir. P. Fudakowski, 2014, 103 min