| The background is that I am the director of the International Film Festival
called Up To 21 - which is for young people.
Two years ago we started a workshop with funding from the European Community's
Exchange Youth Programme. We think we will continue and there is a scheme
to make it a running workshop - one which will take place at regular intervals.
For the workshops we cooperate with other nationalities. So far it has been
held twice in Poland but we want to move it to other countries every year
or every six months. Then we will be able not only to meet each other but
also to learn about other countries by being there.
|
Agnieszka Wlazel
 I was born 28th December. During high
school I realised that was the date when the Lumiere Brothers gave the first
ever film show and decided I had to be in film.
I did not go to film school but started to work in
the Cultural Centre where there was a lot of film activity. I began working
with Witold Kon preparing the festival. I was director of the festival
and I also made some films. I won a bronze medal at UNICA 97 for
Subway. |
| The Next Festival & Next
Workshop
The UP TO 21 Festival will be from 22nd to 25th May 2003.
A Workshop will once more run parallel with the festival but will last seven
days from18th to 25th May. We have started co-operation with a new
Cultural centre which is a very good base for different aspects of art.
We may, perhaps, arrange an international workshop during the UNICA Festival
2003. Then we would get some financial support from EU for the young people
... but that is still in the future. |
What Goes On?
At last year's workshop the young people brought some of their own films
and watched each other's work, but they also made films. They thought up
ideas, shot them, edited them, added music - so they prepared the whole thing
together in mixed nationality groups. The workshop lasted a week. During
that time they also visited the town and had fun.
 Last year they made four
films and the year before five or six. Each group has their own cameras,
we had two editing computers and it was organised like that so they could
make complete films. This year we had people from Sweden, Norway and Poland:
English was the common language. We hoped also to have a German group but
they cancelled at the last moment. The year before it was Sweden, Norway,
Germany, Netherlands and Poland: the common language was German. It is easier
when everybody speaks the same language. |
| How Can I Join A Workshop?
Part of the funding conditions is that similar groups from different countries
must take part. IAC will have to organise such a group from UK. The
"running workshop" is one thing and any possible UNICA workshop is a separate
issue.
For the UNICA workshop we would like to have 60 people - 2 per country
if possible. Not just people whose films are in that UNICA festival
- sometimes people make good films but that particular year may not make
their best film.
The previous workshops ran for seven days overlapping the four days of the
Up To 21 festival. During the workshop participants mainly made films
but also took part in some festival events. |
 The instructors are club officials. Before
the workshop we divide tasks so that each person prepares the programme for
his or her own lectures.
We also have some young people teaching so, for example,
Jacek Wojtas who was on the UNICA 2002 Jury, was very good at animation
and taught that. Other people have editing skills and taught editing. So
participants learn both from the instructors and each other. |
