Polish film festival kicks off in Budapest
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
14.02.2017 12:19
A screening of the Oscar-nominated film Faraon (Pharaoh) has launched a Polish film festival in Budapest, during which a production will be shown every other Monday.
A still from "Faraon". Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Hungarian film critic Andras Rez said Polish films are “particularly important” to his countrymen because “there are many historical analogies and it is worth considering how the world is perceived by Polish filmmakers”.
Rez said that since the 1960s, Polish films have looked at the complicated relationship between authority and the individual, adding that “it is worthwhile to think and talk about this now”.
Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s 1966 film Faraon, which opened the festival on Monday, tells the story of a fictitious heir to the Egyptian throne, who plans to introduce reforms and improve the lives of his poor subjects.
Faraon was selected to open the film festival because, according to Rez, it was “the most spectacular film this side of the iron curtain” when it was released, and Bolesław Prus, the author of the book on which the film was based, had a loyal following in Hungary.
During the festival, entitled Moral Anxiety, which closes on 12 June, films by Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi, Ryszard Bugajski, Krzysztof Kieślowski and Wojciech Smarzowski will also be screened.
Moral Anxiety is the 2017 instalment of Mupa Mozi, an annual film festival dedicated to a different subject every year. In the past, Mupa Mozi has paid tribute to French and Spanish film and Hungarian cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. (vb)
Source: PAP