Point of view of a sales agent : Tomasz Hagström (KADR)

KADR Film Studio is the oldest state-owned film production center subject to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, founded in 1955.

What does the MIFC represent to you?

ICFM is an excellent platform for meeting people involved in the reconstruction of film masterpieces and their distributors whose aim is to bring these masterpieces to new generations of “movie lovers”. The cinema is over 100 years old and on each stage there were "masterpieces". New technologies allow new generations to get acquainted with them using contemporary equipment and in the best possible quality. Therefore, professionals involved in these tasks need to have a place where they can meet, do business, exchange opinions and discuss how to give second life to the audiovisual legacy.

What is the importance of the classic films on the polish film market?

The aim of the reconstruction process is to protect the heritage of Polish cinematography from destruction. By reinventing their original quality without interfering with the artistic value of the work, film reconstruction provides them with a "second youth".
Digitization is the only chance not only to save films by creating high-quality digital copies, but also for the second life of masterpieces of Polish cinema in the world of modern technology.
The Polish audience loves Polish films. In the history of Polish cinema we have many wonderful films produced by recognized filmmakers ( Wajda, Has, Kawalerowicz, Konwicki, Kutz, Antczak) , awarded at many international film festivals (Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, Moscow and Oscar Prize), and we want the young generation to get acquainted with our film production and cult masterpieces. There are new possibilities for their presentations (digital cinema, satellite TV, internet, VOD portals, mobile TV etc.) and we must follow this rapid technological change to meet the demands of modern technologies and young audience.

How polish government is involved in restoration, distribution and edition of classic films??

The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage ,The Polish Film Institute and the National Audiovisual Institute have several restoration funds as a part of the Culture Program and their operational programs.

Funds for the reconstruction of video and audio are obtained also from others various sources, mostly from public sources like reginal film funds, or from sponsors, banks, fuel companies and others.
Quite recently (beginning of October) the Polish Film Institute obtained funding from the EU for the digitization and reconstruction of Polish cinematography. The subsidy amount is over PLN 78 million (ca. 18 mln Euro). Thanks to the funds from the Digital Poland Program, Polish Film Institute and film studios will digitize, secure and make available to viewers 160 feature films, several thousand chronicles and documentaries. Over the next three years, the digitalisation and reconstruction of the Polish cinema will get a huge boost. Reconstruction works is carried out in specialized companies with the help of filmmakers. All the reconstructed films are made out  of original materials, archived at the Polish National Film Archive. As part of the renovation of the film, language versions are made in a new (or updated) translation. Almost every reconstructed film has a solemn premiere with the participation of the artist and filmmakers.
 
The Polish Film Institute is responsible also for the digitalization of the cinemas, co-financing purchase of digital projection equipment with a minimum resolution of 2K in DCI standard. Cinemas under the grant agreement join the Polish Digital Cinema Network, which is coordinated by the National Film Archive on behalf of the Polish Film Institute. The agreement to join the SPKC is concluded for 10 years.

The Polish Film Institute also was involved in conservation and digitalisation of  PRE-WAR feature films at the National Film Archive in Warsaw' originated in 2006, following the recent recovery of several Polish pre-war movies, which were thought to have been lost (among others: Sir Thaddeus by Ryszard Ordyński 1928 and People without a Tomorrow by Aleksander Hertz 1921). The project was co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund, Priority XI 'Culture and Cultural Heritage', within the framework of the Operational Programme - Infrastructure and Environment.

How the polish classic cinema is received outside of Poland? 

Foreign distributors  are very much interested in Polish films. Films called “the Polish film school” and  “the cinema of moral anxiety“, as well as many others are screened at many various film events all over the world. Number of broadcasters and online platforms acquire from us the licenses and make the Polish audiovisual heritage available to their viewers.
Every year hundreds of inquiries from around the world come to KADR Film Studio, and year by year we notice an increase in interest, therefore as a person responsible for the distribution of Polish classics, I can assure you that I have a lot of work.