Press photographers, televisions from all European countries and the red carpet. It is on this carpet that European film stars – excellent actors and outstanding directors – will walk at the beginning of December 2016. That will happen on the occasion of European Film Awards, called European Oscars, which will be awarded in Wroclaw in two years. This will be one of the most important events within the European Capital of Culture 2016 programme. "I’m very happy that the magic of the silver screen will be present so strongly in our beloved town with great film traditions", stresses the Mayor of Wroclaw Rafał Dutkiewicz.
How to lobby for film events
On that occasion, Dutkiewicz reveals some details of negotiations concerning the organisation of the awards ceremony in Wroclaw. First, Jerzy Kapuściński, the director of the TVP2 channel, persuaded the Mayor of Wroclaw to talk to Wim Wenders, a film director and the long-time president of the European Film Academy (EFA) (awards are granted by its members). Then Wenders convinced the Mayor to contact Marion Döring, the director of EFA, who then proposed entering into co-operation with Agnieszka Odorowicz, the director of the Polish Film Institute, and declared her willingness to co-operate. Other lobbyists were Polish directors: Agnieszka Holland (president of the EFA Board) and Krzysztof Zanussi (member of the EFA Board).
Director of EFA impressed by Wroclaw
Only a year ago, when asked if the awards gala would take place in Wroclaw in 2016, Marion Döring replied diplomatically: "We will wait and see”. At the conference in the City Hall she confirmed that negotiations had been advanced at that time, but she could not disclose anything. The director of EFA visited Wroclaw twice and she was truly impressed by the city. "I immediately felt the wonderful energy emanating from this city and I saw that your mayor is a man with true passion. Then we decided that this would be the place where we should appear in 2016", convinces Marion Döring. "For us, Wroclaw is an extremely young city teeming with life and we believe that it will be not only the European Capital of Culture, but also the European Capital of Cinema in 2016", asserts the director of the European Film Academy.
A special concert by Zbigniew Preisner
The European Oscar awards ceremony will be preceded by a concert of film music composed by Zbigniew Preisner for films by Krzysztof Kieślowski. "My concert will be dedicated to him, but I would like to fulfil a project with eight love songs in various languages performed by artists from various countries", announces the composer. "I want a message to be sent from Wroclaw that all that remains is love and everything else is unimportant", convinces Preisner.
First award for Krzysztof Kieślowski
European Film Awards were granted for the first time in 1988, and the first Felix statuette (today it has no name) for the best film was received by the director Krzysztof Kieślowski for his "Krótki film o zabijaniu" (A Short Film About Killing). On that occasion, he said: "I hope that Poland is in Europe". "He reminded everyone that Europa existed also behind the Iron Curtain and there were not only grasslands on the East", points out Krzysztof Zanussi. The Polish director sat in the jury during a heated discussion whether the award should go to "The Last Emperor" by Bernardo Bertolucci or to "Krótki film o zabijaniu" by Krzysztof Kieślowski. "What ultimately prevailed, was the opinion that Kieślowski’s film expresses the spirit that no one else had, because a film like that could be made only in Europe, not in Asia, Hollywood or anywhere else", recollects Zanussi. "Our idea of European Film Awards was truly European, because we included also countries on the other side of the Berlin Wall", points out Volker Hassemer, the creator of European Film Awards.
Big stars with awards
Until now, awards in several categories have been granted, among others, to actresses such as Juliette Binoche, Björk, Penélope Cruz, Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet, actors such as Roberto Benigni, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Ewan McGregor, and directors such as Ken Loach, Lars von Trier and Pedro Almodóvar.
Awards ceremonies take place in Berlin in odd years and in other important European cities (London, Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen etc.) every other year. "There are few ceremonies like European Film Awards, where people emphasise so strongly how important it is to be Europeans", convinces Marion Döring. But the gala will be important not only for eminent filmmakers and actors, but also for Wroclaw inhabitants. All details will be known to Roman Gutek, the film curator of the ECC 2016 programme, who advocated the organisation of the European Film Awards ceremony in Wroclaw for a few years. He reminded us that in May spectators in 16 European cinemas (including the Nowe Horyzonty Cinema) would select the film for the Young Audience Award (it is granted by the European Film Academy) and pointed out that Wroclaw has fantastic film traditions. "Almost 500 films have been made here, which accounts for 1/3 of the output of Polish cinematography, and the most outstanding filmmakers like Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi or Agnieszka Holland have worked here", stresses Roman Gutek.
Magdalena Talik
- Letter from Win Wenders to the Mayor of Wroclaw Rafał Dutkiewicz
Dear Mayor,
Dear Friends (and Neighbours!),
I am very happy that European Film Awards will return to Poland after ten years. There could be no better opportunity than the year 2016 and no better place than Wroclaw – the lively European Capital of Europe with its enthusiastic inhabitants!
I am not sure if you know about that, but European Film Awards were created in 1988, when Berlin held the title of the European Capital of Culture. At that time, on the eve of the first awards ceremony, a group of filmmakers decided that the time had come to found the European Film Academy in Europe. This idea met with such an enthusiastic response that our dream became reality already a few months later.
And that was exactly 25 years ago: on the 1st of April 1989 we met in Berlin again to establish the European Film Academy. So, today we are not only announcing that the City of Wroclaw will be the host of the 29th edition of European Film Awards – we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of our Academy!
As I was told by members of our Management Board, you are a passionate organiser and conductor of choral singing.
Unfortunately, because I am currently busy editing two films, I could not be with you today, so I request you to sing "100 Years" on my behalf on the occasion of this anniversary!
Wim Wenders
President
- Letter to Mayor Rafał Dutkiewicz from Agnieszka Holland
Dear Mayor, Dear Colleagues and Friends and You – Roman Gutek,
I am sad that I cannot be with you today, but I am happy that the European cinema will celebrate its special day here in Wroclaw. It is the most appropriate place; no other city in Poland has done as much for European culture and independent cinema as much as Wroclaw has. Here people understand that culture is not only the greatest joy, but also the biggest opportunity to unite Europe authentically. I deeply believe in this. And I also believe in Polish cinema, which began to revive dynamically after the crisis of the transformation and prove that it is possible to attract the mass audience to cinemas also today if really important things are discussed. The aim of the European Film Academy is to help important national films to reach the European audience. This is the main purpose served by European Film Awards that will be granted in Wroclaw in December 2016.
With kindest regards,
Agnieszka Holland
President of the European Film Academy Board
