Four days of artistic inspirations, five competition categories and over 100 productions! The 12th Unruly Unbreakable Cursed International Film Festival has just ended. The event, which took place in Gdynia, lasted from 24 September (Thursday) to 27 September (Sunday). Twenty-five foreign productions, including films from Iran, Japan and the Baltic States took part in the competition.
Since its establishment, one of the main ideas governing the festival has been the opportunity for creators and artists representing different generations to meet their audiences. The discussions and debates accompanying the screeenings took place in the halls of the Gdyńskie Centrum Filmowe (Gdynia Film Centre) and the Musical Theatre. Authors, directors and producers, both from Poland and abroad, provided their take on the subjects of “History on the big screen”, “Miracle of the Vistula and saved Europe”, “Return journeys to the homeland of the Siberian children 1919-1922” and also on the life and great heritage of Karol Wojtyła and Stefan Wyszyński.
Other ccompanying events included several exhibitions, among them i.e. the outdoor exhibition of the Institute of National Remembrance, entitled “Generations of Freedom” – portraying the fates of Polish families.
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Soldiers of the anti-communist pro-independence underground who were taken to the torture chamber of the NKVD and Security Services in Strzelecka Street in Warsaw were treated in an exceptionally brutal and cruel manner - according to one of the intelligence reports of the Delegation of the Armed Forces. The document was presented on Saturday at Festival in Gdynia. The information about the NKVD Headquarters in Poland located in a tenement house in the Praga district in Warsaw and the local post-war Security Services detention centre with its 25 cells and solitary confinement cells was presented at the Festival by Marta Milewska, Ph.D. who now heads the IPN’s "Strzelecka 8" Memorial Chamber.
The IPN’s specialists from the Office of Search and Identification who search for secret burial places of Polish victims of totalitarianism have examined about 40 out of 59 planned places in Poland and Lithuania since the beginning of 2020, which was announced during the Saturday meeting with the IPN’s Deputy President Krzysztof Szwagrzyk, Ph.D., D.Sc. heading the Office.
A premiere of the documentary "Zośka" directed by Dorota Kania and Anna Zapert took place prior to the discussion. The documentary with fictionalized scenes is based on the story of Helena Żurowska - the only woman murdered by the communists with the so-called Katyn shot.
At the gala evening closing the festival the late President of the Institute of National Remembrance from 2005-2010, Janusz Kurtyka, was awarded posthumously with the "Door to Freedom" distinction. The distinction is awarded for propagating the idea of freedom.
AGENDA
26 September
10:00-11:00 Teatr Muzyczny Scena Kameralna, a discussion on "How to talk about history. The NKVD torture chamber in Strzelecka Street in Warsaw”. The discussion moderated by Marta Milewska (IPN Warsaw)
2:40-3:45 Naval Museum, special screening of the film „Okruchy Wolności” accompanied by a meeting and discussion on “How to protect our archives?” hosted by Marzena Kruk, the Director of the IPN's Archive.
16:15-17:45 Nowa Scena Musical Theater, discussion panel "Freedom and Independence Association (WiN) - three areas, three concepts of organization”, with the participation of Filip Musiał Ph.D.,D.Sc.,(Director of the IPN Cracow Branch), Tomasz Łabuszewski, Ph.D. (IPN Warsaw), Kazimierz Krajewski, Ph.D.(IPN Warsaw)
4:00-5:40 Naval Museum, screening of the film "Baśka", dir. Dorota Kania and Anna Zapert, co-production of the Institute of National Remembrance, combined with a meeting "Poland is looking for heroes" with prof. Krzysztof
Szwagrzyk, Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance and his team from the IPN's Search and Identification Office.
27 September
10.00 Grunwaldzki Square, opening of the exhibition “Let's open the door to freedom. Janusz Kurtyka 1960-2010".
11.00-13.45 Naval Museum - presentation of an international document "Stepinac - cardinal and his conscience" accompanied by a panel discussion "Church and freedom. Liberation of the communist bloc. Poland, Hungary and other countries ”with the participation of Jaroslaw Szarek, Ph.D., President of the Institute of National Remembrance.
14.45 The Naval Museum - discussion panel "1920. A real miracle over Vistula. Hungarian aid " combined with the launch of the book published by the Institute of National Remembrance" Pál Teleki (1879–
1941)” with the participation of Jarosław Szarek, Ph.D. the president of the Institute of National Remembrance.
15.20-17.00 Warsaw Film Center Gdynia Film Center, screening of the film "Phenomenon Polishness ”, dir. by Alina Czerniakowska in co-production of the Institute of National Remembrance. Meeting with the director after the movie.