The tenth edition of “Prison Movie” is approaching, and you have been chairing the festival jury since the very beginning.
What prompted you to accept this role?
– My adventure with “Prison Movie” has been going on since 2013. That’s when Wlodzimierz Kobus, then a prison chaplain, came to me asking if it was worth doing a prison-themed festival in Olsztyn. He came to me because I’ve been involved in film all my life. I’m a film critic by education, a film expert, as a journalist I was mainly engaged in cultural and film topics, I created film discussion clubs, and since 1990 I have been running the studio cinema Avant-garde 2 in Olsztyn. I must admit that at first I perceived the chaplain’s words as a joke, because who would make such.films? But when I saw how emotionally involved he was in this project and saw the real need for such a festival, I understood that he was not joking. So far, prison themes have been dealt with mostly in feature films. I thought that a viewer at such a festival – while watching documentary films – would be able to see what is behind the prison wall. And this was the argument that finally convinced me. And then I heard from Mr. Kobus that he wanted to do an international festival. I replied that if so, a proper name was needed. I proposed “Prison Movie. “

How has the festival changed over the years?
– I’ll admit that the films that came to the first editions were quite unrewarding and difficult to watch. They were dominated by so-called talking heads, that is, people who usually told their stories in a static way. I don’t like that, especially in a documentary. The films were of little interest precisely because of the repeated convention of “talking heads.”

It turned out to be not enough to put a camera in front of the characters and expect their story alone to be enough for a good festival film. I missed metaphor, poetry, some generalizations and an idea. Most festival films were made by amateurs, and this was evident. Over time, however, films made by professionals, such as TV stations, began to arrive at the competition, and these productions became better and better every year, shorter, more interesting and created with an idea. 

Technology has also developed a lot. Prison educators also began to have it at their disposal, and this could be seen in the better quality of the films sent from the units. Foreign productions began to appear at “Prison Movie”: from Finland, the Czech Republic, Colombia, Serbia, the USA, Israel, Great Britain or Hungary. They not only enriched the festival, but also justified its international character. 

Together with the jury, you have already evaluated in 167 festival films. How do foreign ones differ from domestic ones?
– They differ really only in one thing: professionalism. You can see that the foreign ones were made by professionals, people with experience and good equipment. But I must admit that the films of recent editions, regardless of where they came from, were already at a more equal level. With time, the stature of the festival also began to grow. It became more and more appreciated and prestigious. At first “Prison Movie” was held in a modest hall of the Olsztyn provincial office, then it moved to the Olsztyn Philharmonic Hall, where the awards are presented at galas organized with increasing flair. The awards themselves are also given to professional directors who have made films with prison themes.

Is there anything in these festival films that moves or offends you?
– Years later, I approach them with a professional distance. But I’M still grossed out by “talking heads, ” as they still sometimes appear in festival proposals. I’m also bothered by the length of some films, because if they last an hour, at some point they can get annoying and tiring. However, I notice that every year there are fewer and fewer such productions. Together with the competition jury, I am beginning to see a significant improvement in this regard. I must also add that the organizers of “Prison Movie” attach a very great importance to the selection of members of the festival jury. Hence, it is composed of people from different backgrounds: journalists, university employees, publicists, actors, musicologists or teachers. As a result, the films are evaluated in a multifaceted manner.