Polish Cinema today - Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej

Film industry
FILM PRODUCTION GUIDE POLAND 2010
30
Production
The Polish market of film-related services is well
developed and many producers choose to make use
of existing facilities, which saves them the cost of investing
in developing their own production base. There are numerous
companies that specialize in services for various stages
of production, from casting, lighting equipment and special
effects to editing, sound production and finally subtitling.
Only a few major studios have complex facilities, offering
everything from soundstages to editing services.
distribution
The market for film distribution and exhibition is
slightly more concentrated, with approximately a dozen key
players. Most film distribution companies have a complex
approach to their film product, dealing with everything from
cinema distribution to television sales and the DVD market.
Independent distribution companies in Poland have also
recently been increasing their involvement in film
production; contributing to the film budget and subsequently
acquiring picture rights. This form of co-production has
proven very effective and will undoubtedly continue to gain
in importance.
The Polish distribution market itself is dominated
by Hollywood studios and their affiliates – UIP, Forum Film
(Buena Vista International), Imperial CinePix (20 th Century
Fox) and Warner Bros. Apart from these major players, there
are a few local companies that play a key role in the market.
One of these is ITI Cinema, the company responsible for
the distribution of the biggest Polish films in recent years:
Katyń, Lejdis (Ladies), Idealny facet dla mojej dziewczyny
(The Perfect Guy for My Girlfriend), Kochaj i tańcz (Love
& Dance), Wojna polsko-ruska (Snow White and Russian Red),
and Dom zły (Dark House). Another company worth
mentioning is Gutek Film, credited with familiarizing Polish
audiences with the works of some of the world’s most
prominent filmmakers, including Lars von Trier and Pedro
Almodovar. In 2007, the Polish Filmmakers Association
and several leading film producers jointly set up a foundation
known as Film Polski. It was established to promote Polish
films in Poland and abroad, but also to handle their
distribution.
exhibition
The number of cinemas in Poland today is reaching 800,
of which 77 are multiplex cinemas and another nine are
IMAX. In recent years the number of multiplex cinemas has
been increasing steadily. Unfortunately this brought on
the inevitable drop in the number of single-screen cinemas,
although funding from the Polish Film Institute can help
improve their situation in the future.
Thanks to participation in the EUROPA CINEMAS
framework, some cinemas in major cities are able to focus on
arthouse films, while the mainstream multiplex venues focus
on first-run pictures. Exhibition of arthouse films is also being
developed through the Arthouse Cinema Network (Sieć Kin
Studyjnych), financed by the Polish Film Institute and run
by the National Film Archive.
In 2007, a record 13 new multiplex cinemas were
opened throughout Poland. 2008 brought the launch of only
8 multiplexes in Poland’s major cities – the market is now
saturated and investors are more interested in launching
cinemas in smaller cities. Cinema owners are now counting
on getting audiences interested in 3D cinema. It is estimated
that by the end of 2009, at least 150 screening rooms
throughout Poland have been equipped with Dolby 3D Digital
Cinema, most of these belonging to the Multikino, Cinema
City and Helios cinema chains. Due to a growing interest
in digital cinema, smaller cinemas are currently being
equipped with digital projectors through special
programmes, like the local initiative in Małopolska,
or the National Programme for the Digitization of Cinemas,
run by the Polish Film Institute.
national Film archive
The Polish National Film Archive (Filmoteka Narodowa)
is located in Warsaw. It is in fact the largest film archive
in Poland, collecting and preserving film prints, and running
a large library of cinematic literature and press. The National
Film Archive is involved in a number of educational projects
and special programmes for the preservation of Polish cinema
heritage. The National Film Archive recently launched
a programme for the digitization of old (i.e. pre-WWII) movies
from its own collection.