INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

The outstanding Polish film and theatre actress Anna Dymna, who was a guest of the Old Film Festival in Bydgoszcz last weekend, has been honored with the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship Film Award. Our region is a proud patron of the art of cinema. The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Film Fund, operating for several years now, is not only a tool for promoting the voivodeship and its economy, but also a means of supporting valuable film productions.

“Anna Dymna needs no introduction. The powerful and memorable characters she has created on screen stay with us for years, and everyone knows about her social engagement as well. It is not we who honor Ms. Anna — it is she who honors us, allowing us to share in her talent, her kindness, and her presence,” said Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

The Pola Negri statuette was presented to the great lady of Polish cinema by Deputy Marshal Zbigniew Ostrowski during the Old Film Festival gala.

The Marshal’s Film Award has been granted since 2022. Apart from Anna Dymna and director Wojciech Smarzowski, who received it during a recent special pre-premiere screening of The Good House (Dom dobry) in Bydgoszcz, the laureates include, among others: Jerzy Skolimowski, Jan Holoubek, Jan Jakub Kolski, Stanisław Janicki, Krzysztof Zanussi, Leonard Pietraszak, Jan Englert, Katarzyna Figura, Daniel Olbrychski, Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza, Magdalena Różdżka, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, and film music composer Jerzy Rogiewicz.

The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Film Fund, established by the Marshal’s Office several years ago, was created as a tool to promote the region — also as a place friendly to artists and creative industries — and ultimately as a means to strengthen the regional economy (as creative industries, including film, generate jobs and tax revenues).

“It is also, or perhaps above all, a tool for supporting meaningful productions — one that should inspire creators to make films in our region. We believe that together we can create cinema that moves audiences, builds identity, and remains long in the memory. We are fully aware of the significant role film plays today — not only as a form of artistic expression but also as a force shaping the image of a place and engaging local communities,” emphasized the Marshal.

With the help of our fund, several major films have already been produced, including the acclaimed superproduction Chopin, Chopin! (dir. Michał Kwieciński, awarded in Gdynia for costumes and set design), the latest film by Wojciech Smarzowski The Good House, the excellent Good Boy by Jan Komasa, The Crossroads with Jan Englert, and The Seasons directed by Michał Grzybowski. Even before the fund was established, we supported Jerzy Skolimowski’s 11 Minutes and Janusz Majewski’s Eccentrics, or On the Sunny Side of the Street.

We have also contributed financially to The Gingerbread Heart (Piernikowe serce) by Piotr Wereśniak, filmed in Toruń’s Old Town and premiering at the end of November. Thanks to the Film Fund’s support, Krzysztof Zanussi will soon shoot his latest film as well.

Beata Krzemińska

Spokesperson, Marshal’s Office