It has begun! On Thursday evening in Kino Kijów (Kyiv Cinema) the 15. Mastercard OFF CAMERA was officially opened. As usual, the ceremony was hosted by the one and only Marcin Prokop. But there were also some surprises.

We have started the 15th Mastercard OFF CAMERA with Adam Zagajewski’s poem “Try to praise the mutilated world”. The gala’s host, Marcin Prokop, at the very beginning mentioned that the location in which the ceremony was held – Kino Kijów, is a special place and “we were in Kyiv not only physically”. When the cinema was being established in the 1960s, at the same time in the city of Kyiv, the Krakow Cinema was founded. Cinema has always been a refuge – in the one in Krakow people can escape from reality, in Kyiv – from bomb explosions.

It’s been repeated many times that cinema is facing more and more challenges and tasks. It has been not only an observer of events but it has the power of creation as well, or even of casting spells on the surrounding world. That also describes this year’s sections, in particular “Future Starts Now” – a festival section under the patronage of Bank BNP Paribas.

Starting this year, the International Dramatic Competition, full of bold and uncompromising films, will grant Andrzej Wajda’s Krakow Film Award. An official permission to have the award named in honour of the Master was given in the presence of the Mayor of the City of Krakow and Krystyna Zachwatowicz-Wajda who also read Andrzej Wajda’s letter from 2016 addressed to the Ukrainian people.

But that’s not all surprises! Storytel revealed some facts and announced bringing to life paintings from The Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) and also a unique presentation to be held during the closing gala.

The 15th edition of the Festival could not have been opened without mentioning how it all began. As Agnieszka Holland noted: “15 years is a beautiful age of a teenager who wants to discover the world and finds it absolutely fascinating.” And that’s what Mastercard OFF CAMERA festival is about – exploring, examining, travelling and discovering.

The ceremony was completed with a screening of Infinite Storm by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, with Naomi Watts playing the lead role. The Krakow audience was the first in Europe to see the film that has managed to win the hearts of American viewers within a very short time. Małgorzata Szumowska said this film was very important to her, as much as the place of its premiere, as it was Kino Kijów where she received her first film award. Among the makers of the film also Trudie Styler, Michał Englert and persons responsible for film production and execution were present at the ceremony.

We’ve already seen the first screenings, met the filmmakers and experienced the magic of cinema. The audience will have an opportunity to see 100 carefully selected films from all over the world, in a number of sections, the International Dramatic Competition and the Polish Feature Film Competition. You must see what we've prepared for you!

photo Dawid Gondek