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UNICA Festivals:
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008
Getting there | National programme
times | Where to stay | Prices
UNICA 2009
in Gdansk, Poland from Friday 4th - Sunday 13th September
photo by Kriss Szkurlatowski |
If ever a city had a turbulent history, it is Gdansk, formerly known
as Danzig.
Today it is a prosperous trading port on the Baltic Sea - part of tri-city
three linked towns on Poland's coastline. Largely restored to older glories
in the 1950s and 1960s it is now an important tourist destination. And in
2009 it will be the host for the UNICA Festival.
Poland organised much-enjoyed UNICAs in 1997 and 2003 so they are well-versed
in preparing and arranging all that is necessary. The film movement is strong
there. The previous festivals were in Warsaw, so there is a fresh element
for 2009.
Witold Kon, director of the festival, says: "Gdansk is a magical, incredibly
fascinating city with a rich history and hundreds of ancient monuments. It
is the true pearl of the Polish coast."
Details of the excursions and much more will become available in the months
leading up to the event so check back here for the latest information. |
photo by Kriss Szkurlatowski |
Each member country's national federation chooses a programme of films to
represent them. There must be a five minute gap between each film and the
total time slot awarded to each country depends on results in preceding years.
For 2009 the order of national programmes and times are:
| 01 |
Poland |
75 |
|
11 |
Andorra |
75 |
|
21 |
Tunisia |
65 |
| 02 |
Italy |
70 |
12 |
Georgia |
60 |
22 |
Slovakia |
60 |
| 03 |
Austria |
60 |
13 |
United Kingdom |
70 |
23 |
Czech Republic |
60 |
| 04 |
Estonia |
60 |
14 |
Argentine |
70 |
24 |
Spain |
75 |
| 05 |
Germany |
65 |
15 |
Iran |
70 |
25 |
Finland |
60 |
| 06 |
Korea |
75 |
16 |
Macedonia |
60 |
26 |
Belgium |
65 |
| 07 |
Liechstenstein |
60 |
17 |
Slovenia |
60 |
27 |
Latvia |
60 |
| 08 |
Netherlands |
75 |
18 |
Switzerland |
70 |
28 |
Luxemburg |
65 |
| 09 |
Russia |
65 |
19 |
Sweden |
65 |
29 |
France |
70 |
| 10 |
Bulgaria |
60 |
20 |
Hungary |
65 |
30 |
Croatia |
65 |
photo by Mary Green |
Flights into the city's Lech Walesa Airport leave from Birmingham, Bristol,
Doncaster, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Luton and Stansted. For details
click here.
By rail the journey from London to Gdansk takes between 22 and 31 hours,
typically changing in Brussels, Berlin, Pasewalk and Szczecin Glowny.
By car - about 17 hours of driving plus cross-channel ferry - but local websites
suggest the last part of the journey may be difficult. New roads are being
built but are not yet ready. Poland has the highest accident rate in Europe,
so only travel by car if you know what you are doing!
By bus - Eurolines can take you direct from London to Gdansk in a journey
of 26 hours for about £113 (mid 2008 prices).
|
| By boat - Fly to Stockholm and then take a boat. Ferries from Sweden
depart from Nynäshamn (south of Stockholm but on commuter rail routes)
fare around 70 Euros. Or Karlskrona (even further south and a slightly
trickier journey from Stockholm) fare about 50 Euros.
There is no shortage of options in the three towns which cluster together
round the port of Gdansk. The Polish Federation has a deal with Novotel in
the centre and Mercure Hevelius - both modern hotels at the heart of Gdansk.
Double rooms 134 Euros (£106) and single rooms 125 Euros (£99).
You can book by downloading the form as a pdf file from
here
and sending it to the Polish Federation of Independent Film Makers. |
photo by "macieq" |
Technically there is no charge for attending the screenings. The fees cover
special events. A Full Congress Card including all events costs 200 Euros
(£158) up to the end of May. From 1st June 220 Euros (£174)
If you prefer to pick-and-choose:
|
Opening dinner - usually involving entertainment peformances |
70 Euros |
£55 |
|
Full day excursion - to local places of interest including transport
and meals |
80 Euros |
£63 |
|
Half day excursion - to local places of interest including a meal |
40 Euros |
£32 |
|
Gala evening - entertainments, awards ceremonies and farewells |
70 Euros |
£55 |
More Information
The Polish Federation is setting up a special website which is not quite
ready yet. You can find out about Gdansk - in English - from the town's official
site at
www.en.gdansk.gda.pl.
These details are only a rough guide. We checked timetables and fares in
the Autumn of 2008. Note that flight days, times and fares can change at
short notice. We show the fare for one adult return including all taxes.
On budget airlines you will pay an extra handling fee of around £5 for
paying by credit card.
Several major airlines provide services which can connect most airports in
Britain with Gdansk, usually changing at Heathrow and Warsaw. The only one
worth considering on cost grounds is Lot the Polish airline ... though it
has a reputation for arriving late so watch the transfer times between flights.
|
from Heathrow: |
|
returning from Gdansk: |
|
dep |
6.50 |
arr |
14.45 |
|
dep |
5.40 |
arr |
9.35 |
|
dep |
10.35 |
arr |
16.50 |
|
dep |
10.00 |
arr |
16.40 |
|
dep |
17.50 |
arr |
23.30 |
|
dep |
17.15 |
arr |
21.50 |
Return fare from Heathrow about £175 - obviously extra for connections
to and from other British airports.
The budget airlines offer not only much lower fares but direct flights. Their
fares can change a lot depending when you book. When we checked most were
operating a "£0" or "£0.99" fare scheme and what you pay mainly
reflects taxes.
Birmingham Airport
Ryanair fly out and back on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
17.25 |
arr |
20.45 |
|
dep |
21.10 |
arr |
22.40 |
Fare £30
Bristol Airport
Ryanair service starts October 2008. It looks like Wednesdays and Sundays
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
6.00 |
arr |
9.20 |
|
dep |
9.45 |
arr |
11.15 |
Fare £50
Doncaster-Sheffield Airport
Wizz Air fly out and back on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
21.45 |
arr |
00.50 |
|
dep |
19.55 |
arr |
21.15 |
Fare £38
Edinburgh Airport
Centralwings fly out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and
return from Gdansk on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
9.40 |
arr |
13.20 |
|
dep |
13.35 |
arr |
15.30 |
Fare £90
Glasgow-Prestwick Airport
Wizz Air fly out and back on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
7.55 |
arr |
11.15 |
|
dep |
6.00 |
arr |
7.30 |
Fare £35
Liverpool Airport
Wizz Air fly out and back on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
8.05 |
arr |
11.15 |
|
dep |
6.00 |
arr |
7.35 |
Fare £50
London-Luton Airport
Wizz Air fly out every day
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
8.00 |
arr |
11.10 |
|
dep |
6.10 |
arr |
7.30 |
|
dep |
20.50 |
arr |
23.15 |
|
dep |
18.45 |
arr |
20.05 |
Fare £37
London Stansted Airport
Ryanair fly every day
|
leaving |
|
returning |
|
dep |
6.10 |
arr |
9.25 |
|
dep |
9.50 |
arr |
11.10 |
|
but also on Fridays,Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays |
|
dep |
17.55 |
arr |
21.10 |
|
dep |
21.35 |
arr |
22.35 |
Fare £45
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