THE VIEW FROM... INDUSTRY
STYLISTIC VARIETY From A Knife in the Water (below) to The Zone of Interest (this image), there’s no one style in Polish filmmaking
© A24 FILMS
be invited in by others. You need to have work to show,” Kleszczewska explains, a standard ask for most cinematography societies. Once accepted, members enjoy access to a professional network, opportunities to develop skills and also partnerships with Polish festivals, such as EnergaCAMERIMAGE, which is held annually in Toruń. “We organise a lot of workshops,” states Kleszczewska. “We have one on new technology once a year for the whole industry, so anybody can come.”
Another public offering is the PSC’s Art of Seeing, a monthly event that includes a film screening and analysis. The organisation selects one movie, inviting the director and/or DOP for an interview in front of an audience. Each event is also recorded and uploaded online. “We are doing a lot to make noise around the picture. The picture is so important in film – it’s half of everything. It makes the mood, makes the story.” While Polish filmmaking doesn’t take on a single, distinctive visual style, there
are throughlines that can be traced back to the country’s socio-political instability during the 20th century. “We are artists from the core,” Kleszczewska explains, “and it comes from the individualistic style that we developed under the socialist government. Our cinematography has always been strong, but it’s also in progress.” ON EQUAL FOOTING Kleszczewska recognises that the industry is ever-changing. “I remember when I started, I was shooting on film negatives,” she recalls. “Then the digital revolution arrived and now in Poland we almost all shoot on digital. Artificial intelligence is the biggest question for us now. We don’t know what will happen next. The whole world is in the same situation.” Kleszczewska hopes the upcoming tax law will open Poland up to more international opportunities. “I’m very optimistic,” she admits, arguing that filmmaking – like most things – should be a democracy. “When we treat others as partners,” she says, then collaboration comes naturally.
Learn more at psc.pl
81
DEFINITIONMAGS
Powered by FlippingBook