Poland’s Ministry of Culture has dismissed Radosław Śmigulski as director of the Polish Film Institute (Pfi) in a move that has sent shockwaves across the local film industry even if it was not wholly unexpected.
Minister of Culture and Cultural Heritage Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz announced Śmigulski’s dismissal in a press conference on Thursday.
Śmigulski was among three cultural institution directors and one research institute head, appointed under the rule of Poland’s former right-wing Law and Justice Party-led government, removed from their roles in the sweep.
The dismissals come amid a wider drive by centre-right Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s four-month-old government to restore the independence of state institutions that it says was eroded under the rule of the Law and Justice Party.
Sienkiewicz previously wielded the axe at Poland’s state broadcaster last December, firing top management amid accusations they had turned it into a mouthpiece for the...
Minister of Culture and Cultural Heritage Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz announced Śmigulski’s dismissal in a press conference on Thursday.
Śmigulski was among three cultural institution directors and one research institute head, appointed under the rule of Poland’s former right-wing Law and Justice Party-led government, removed from their roles in the sweep.
The dismissals come amid a wider drive by centre-right Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s four-month-old government to restore the independence of state institutions that it says was eroded under the rule of the Law and Justice Party.
Sienkiewicz previously wielded the axe at Poland’s state broadcaster last December, firing top management amid accusations they had turned it into a mouthpiece for the...
- 4/12/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here taking you through what has been a whirlwind of a week in international TV and film. Do not stop here — please do read on. And sign up here.
Indie Movie “Game-Changer”
£1B worth of sweeteners: It was a potentially “game-changing” week for a floundering British indie film sector with the unveiling of a 40% tax relief on movies with budgets less than £15M ($19M) — a relief that trade body Pact says it has been calling for in some form or another since 2017 and which answers the prayers of Culture, Media & Sport Committee boss Caroline Dinenage. Jeremy Hunt’s budget was perhaps the most listened-to and most celebrated for a decade by the creative industries after the UK Chancellor unveiled the relief with fanfare alongside 40% business rates relief for big studios and improved VFX relief. All in all, Hunt and the UK treasury said that the...
Indie Movie “Game-Changer”
£1B worth of sweeteners: It was a potentially “game-changing” week for a floundering British indie film sector with the unveiling of a 40% tax relief on movies with budgets less than £15M ($19M) — a relief that trade body Pact says it has been calling for in some form or another since 2017 and which answers the prayers of Culture, Media & Sport Committee boss Caroline Dinenage. Jeremy Hunt’s budget was perhaps the most listened-to and most celebrated for a decade by the creative industries after the UK Chancellor unveiled the relief with fanfare alongside 40% business rates relief for big studios and improved VFX relief. All in all, Hunt and the UK treasury said that the...
- 3/8/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Agnieszka Holland’s refugee drama The Green Border has taken the top prize for best film at the Polish Film Awards. The black-and-white feature, which looks at the inhumane treatment of refugees trying to cross the natural border between Belarus and Poland, premiered to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival last year but came under attack from Poland’s far-right government, which called the movie “Nazi propaganda” for its supposedly negative depiction of Polish police and border guards. The political attacks are thought to have influenced the Polish Oscar committee’s decision not to put Green Border forward as Poland’s best international film contender this year, instead selecting Dk and Hugh Welchman’s Hugh animated literary adaptation The Peasants (which did not get nominated).
But a lot has changed in Poland since. Parliamentary elections last October ousted the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which had ruled for 8 years,...
But a lot has changed in Poland since. Parliamentary elections last October ousted the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which had ruled for 8 years,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: It was a moment of high drama befitting a premium TV series and yet was playing out in real time in front of the people of Poland.
Just days before Christmas, when the nation should have been winding down for the holidays, the Tvp national broadcaster’s news operation was abruptly taken off air and bosses unceremoniously fired as Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition took power from the ruling Law & Justice (PiS) party after eight years in opposition.
Protests were sparked by outgoing Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, police were summoned and some Polish news channels, briefly, went black. The departing Kaczyński branded the new Tusk government’s move “illegal” but the new leader pushed on, dismissing senior management and boards, and pledging to create new news outlets that would be balanced.
This was no simple changing of the guard, however. More than two months on, Deadline has revisited the...
Just days before Christmas, when the nation should have been winding down for the holidays, the Tvp national broadcaster’s news operation was abruptly taken off air and bosses unceremoniously fired as Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition took power from the ruling Law & Justice (PiS) party after eight years in opposition.
Protests were sparked by outgoing Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, police were summoned and some Polish news channels, briefly, went black. The departing Kaczyński branded the new Tusk government’s move “illegal” but the new leader pushed on, dismissing senior management and boards, and pledging to create new news outlets that would be balanced.
This was no simple changing of the guard, however. More than two months on, Deadline has revisited the...
- 3/6/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the October parliamentary election that saw the defeat of the right-wing Law and Justice party and appointment of leader of the opposition party Donald Tusk as prime minister, Polish filmmakers are cautiously readying for change.
“So far, our cinema authorities have not changed. It remains to be seen whether they will change their approach to funding more topical or controversial projects. Recent years have been very difficult in this regard,” says acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland.
Holland’s latest film, refugee drama “Green Border,” had been attacked by the right-wing government last year. Her next film, “Franz,” about Franz Kafka, is a Czech-German-Polish co-production to be sold at EFM by Films Boutique.
“We know everything and nothing about Kafka. There are dozens of detailed biographies and the reasons for his growing importance remain a mystery. I am trying to put this film together like a scattered jigsaw puzzle,” she adds.
“So far, our cinema authorities have not changed. It remains to be seen whether they will change their approach to funding more topical or controversial projects. Recent years have been very difficult in this regard,” says acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland.
Holland’s latest film, refugee drama “Green Border,” had been attacked by the right-wing government last year. Her next film, “Franz,” about Franz Kafka, is a Czech-German-Polish co-production to be sold at EFM by Films Boutique.
“We know everything and nothing about Kafka. There are dozens of detailed biographies and the reasons for his growing importance remain a mystery. I am trying to put this film together like a scattered jigsaw puzzle,” she adds.
- 2/17/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are emerging in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. That’s why we’re doing the hard work for you.
This week, we make our first trip to Poland, to check out a World War II spy drama. The Bay of Spies draws parallels to the likes of German Oscar Winner The Lives of Others and John le Carré TV adaptations such as The Night Manager. Politically, Poland is a charged place right now. The fact a film noir-influenced story based on real events during the war and with real moral ambiguity is the country’s most talked-about show right now is perhaps no coincidence.
This week, we make our first trip to Poland, to check out a World War II spy drama. The Bay of Spies draws parallels to the likes of German Oscar Winner The Lives of Others and John le Carré TV adaptations such as The Night Manager. Politically, Poland is a charged place right now. The fact a film noir-influenced story based on real events during the war and with real moral ambiguity is the country’s most talked-about show right now is perhaps no coincidence.
- 2/6/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has shut down state-run 24-hour news channel Tvp Info, according to reports.
The BBC reported that Tusk had shuttered the channel as part of a bid to “depoliticise” public media. A resolution on Tuesday evening local time was backed by a majority in Warsaw’s Parliament calling for public TV and radio to display “independence, objectivity and pluralism.”
Reports state that the head of the Tvp network, the head of state news agency Pap and also the head of Polish radio have all been dismissed. Tvp Info was taken off air on Wednesday.
Tusk, a pro-eu Prime Minister who leads a coalition government, was sworn in earlier this month after winning a mandate in October. His opponents, the Law and Justice Party, staged a sit-in at the Tvp headquarters after the news channel was shut down.
Critics of the Law and Justice Party, which until recently was in government,...
The BBC reported that Tusk had shuttered the channel as part of a bid to “depoliticise” public media. A resolution on Tuesday evening local time was backed by a majority in Warsaw’s Parliament calling for public TV and radio to display “independence, objectivity and pluralism.”
Reports state that the head of the Tvp network, the head of state news agency Pap and also the head of Polish radio have all been dismissed. Tvp Info was taken off air on Wednesday.
Tusk, a pro-eu Prime Minister who leads a coalition government, was sworn in earlier this month after winning a mandate in October. His opponents, the Law and Justice Party, staged a sit-in at the Tvp headquarters after the news channel was shut down.
Critics of the Law and Justice Party, which until recently was in government,...
- 12/20/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Bosses at Poland’s oldest state broadcaster have been removed and its news channel taken off air by Donald Tusk’s new government.
The heads of Tvp, Polish Radio and state news agency Pap were fired yesterday with the new Tusk-led coalition dismissing Tvp as a propaganda channel that had been aligned with the Law and Justice (PiS) party – the nation’s previous ruling administration.
Responding, PiS’ head Jaroslaw Kaczynski condemned the Tusk government’s “illegal actions” and joined a protest at Tvp headquarters in the Polish capital Warsaw overnight. Last night, Tvp Info, the 24-hour news service, symbolically changed its headline strap from red to black before being taken off air.
Poland’s state treasury owns 100% of the 70-year-old state broadcaster and “the necessity for this type of action and the justification were set out in the resolution of the [parliament] of the Republic of Poland of December 19, 2023,” according to the Polish culture ministry,...
The heads of Tvp, Polish Radio and state news agency Pap were fired yesterday with the new Tusk-led coalition dismissing Tvp as a propaganda channel that had been aligned with the Law and Justice (PiS) party – the nation’s previous ruling administration.
Responding, PiS’ head Jaroslaw Kaczynski condemned the Tusk government’s “illegal actions” and joined a protest at Tvp headquarters in the Polish capital Warsaw overnight. Last night, Tvp Info, the 24-hour news service, symbolically changed its headline strap from red to black before being taken off air.
Poland’s state treasury owns 100% of the 70-year-old state broadcaster and “the necessity for this type of action and the justification were set out in the resolution of the [parliament] of the Republic of Poland of December 19, 2023,” according to the Polish culture ministry,...
- 12/20/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Polish director Agnieszka Holland’s migrant crisis drama Green Border.
The film, which won Venice’s Special Jury Prize, explores the migrant crisis on the “green border” between Belarus and Poland, through the eyes of refugees trapped in the inhospitable terrain, activists trying to help them and border guards.
The drama hit the headlines worldwide in September following a political backlash in Poland, after the film angered the then ruling right-wing, anti-migrant coalition led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party for the film’s underlying critique of its policies.
Polish distributor Kino Świat pushed on with the Polish release nonetheless with Holland doing her promotional tour with security guards by her side.
PiS lost its parliamentary majority in general elections in October and a centre-left coalition led by Donald Tusk is expected to take the reins of power in the coming weeks.
The film, which won Venice’s Special Jury Prize, explores the migrant crisis on the “green border” between Belarus and Poland, through the eyes of refugees trapped in the inhospitable terrain, activists trying to help them and border guards.
The drama hit the headlines worldwide in September following a political backlash in Poland, after the film angered the then ruling right-wing, anti-migrant coalition led by the Law and Justice (PiS) party for the film’s underlying critique of its policies.
Polish distributor Kino Świat pushed on with the Polish release nonetheless with Holland doing her promotional tour with security guards by her side.
PiS lost its parliamentary majority in general elections in October and a centre-left coalition led by Donald Tusk is expected to take the reins of power in the coming weeks.
- 11/21/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
If you’ve seen “Europa Europa”, the real-life story of a Jewish boy who escapes a Nazi concentration camp and joins the German army, you’ll know that the Polish director Agnieszka Holland knows how to make films about people wriggling their way through life. Her latest film, which is in competition at Venice, tells several interlinked stories in and around the swampy forest border region between Poland and Belarus. We meet border guards, activists, and refugees themselves. Despite biting off a bit more than it can chew, it’s an affecting introduction to a little-known crisis and the latest case of a master filmmaker showing us they can still do it.
Six weeks out of a national election in which Poland’s hard-right government is expected to extend its grip on power, “Green Border” also has a moral urgency beyond its representation of refugees’ hardship, who are described by...
Six weeks out of a national election in which Poland’s hard-right government is expected to extend its grip on power, “Green Border” also has a moral urgency beyond its representation of refugees’ hardship, who are described by...
- 9/5/2023
- by Adam Solomons
- Indiewire
Brexit looks set to rumble on as news broke this morning that the European Union has agreed to a ‘flextension’ that will see the UK given an extended deadline of January 31, 2020 to complete the process.
The UK had been set to leave the EU on October 31, but that prospect became increasingly unlikely when prime minister Boris Johnson was unable to get his Brexit deal and a timetable agreed on by parliament last week.
EU Council president Donald Tusk confirmed the delay this morning, tweeting that the decision will now be “formalised through a written procedure”. This is the third Brexit delay after two took place under former Pm Theresa May.
To avoid a ‘No Deal’ scenario, which would have seen the UK crash out of the EU in just three days’ time, the Pm was required to request an extension from the European body.
The ‘flextension’ term relates to the...
The UK had been set to leave the EU on October 31, but that prospect became increasingly unlikely when prime minister Boris Johnson was unable to get his Brexit deal and a timetable agreed on by parliament last week.
EU Council president Donald Tusk confirmed the delay this morning, tweeting that the decision will now be “formalised through a written procedure”. This is the third Brexit delay after two took place under former Pm Theresa May.
To avoid a ‘No Deal’ scenario, which would have seen the UK crash out of the EU in just three days’ time, the Pm was required to request an extension from the European body.
The ‘flextension’ term relates to the...
- 10/28/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
A Turkish airstrike has reportedly killed five civilians hours after President Donald Trump hailed a ceasefire agreement negotiated by his vice president, Mike Pence. The deal, which Trump declared would save “millions of lives,” was supposed to help the Kurds, who fought Isis alongside U.S. forces. Instead, the U.S. appears to have given Turkey an opening to advance on the Kurdish forces, which they appear to have done despite promises to the U.S. and without regard for civilian lives.
European Council president Donald Tusk dismissed the U.
European Council president Donald Tusk dismissed the U.
- 10/18/2019
- by Tessa Stuart
- Rollingstone.com
Larry Kudlow, former CNBC host-turned-Trump advisor, attempted to deny reality to CNN host Brianna Keilar, who quoted President Donald Trump admitting he had “second thoughts” about his trade war with China and multiple world leaders critical of Trump’s handling of trade.
.@brikeilarcnn presses White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on world leaders pushing back on President Trump’s trade strategy with China. #Cnnsotu pic.twitter.com/lRCbr5MpTk
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) August 25, 2019
Keilar’s first question had to do with Trump telling reporters he had “second thoughts...
.@brikeilarcnn presses White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on world leaders pushing back on President Trump’s trade strategy with China. #Cnnsotu pic.twitter.com/lRCbr5MpTk
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) August 25, 2019
Keilar’s first question had to do with Trump telling reporters he had “second thoughts...
- 8/25/2019
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
Thom Yorke lashed out at U.K. prime minister Theresa May and her methods of using “intimidation” and “causing immense distress and suffering” in order to deliver a Brexit deal.
In the Radiohead singer’s early Friday tweet, he also likened May’s actions to “the early days of the Third Reich.”
“Nobody voted for you to threaten chaos upon this land in myriad form in order to intimidate citizens and parliament,” Yorke wrote.
“Nobody voted for you to drive this red bus over a cliff with the passengers screaming in the back.
In the Radiohead singer’s early Friday tweet, he also likened May’s actions to “the early days of the Third Reich.”
“Nobody voted for you to threaten chaos upon this land in myriad form in order to intimidate citizens and parliament,” Yorke wrote.
“Nobody voted for you to drive this red bus over a cliff with the passengers screaming in the back.
- 2/8/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
In 2010, a plane crash in Russia killed Poland’s president and plunged its prime minister Donald Tusk into crisis. Agata Popęda and Daniel Boffey discuss how this incident still affects Tusk’s political career today. Plus: film-maker Mike Leigh on the 1819 Peterloo Massacre
In 2010, a plane crash in Russia killed Poland’s rightwing president, Lech Kaczyński, and plunged the country’s centrist prime minister into a crisis.
That man, Donald Tusk, went on to become president of the European council, a key player in Britain’s struggle to extract itself from the EU. On Sunday, he will chair the critical summit on Brexit. But away from Brussels’ bargaining rooms, Tusk remains locked in a bitter feud with his political rivals in Poland. Agata Popęda and Daniel Boffey join Anushka Asthana to discuss the details.
In 2010, a plane crash in Russia killed Poland’s rightwing president, Lech Kaczyński, and plunged the country’s centrist prime minister into a crisis.
That man, Donald Tusk, went on to become president of the European council, a key player in Britain’s struggle to extract itself from the EU. On Sunday, he will chair the critical summit on Brexit. But away from Brussels’ bargaining rooms, Tusk remains locked in a bitter feud with his political rivals in Poland. Agata Popęda and Daniel Boffey join Anushka Asthana to discuss the details.
- 11/21/2018
- by Presented by Anushka Asthana with Daniel Boffey, Agata Popęda and Mike Leigh; produced by David Waters, Mythili Rao, Elizabeth Cassin and Axel Kacoutié; executive producers Phil Maynard and Nicole Jackson
- The Guardian - Film News
Calls for Russia to release Ukrainian director intensify on eve of World Cup kick-off in Moscow on Thursday.
Concerns are growing for Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov as his hunger strike protesting his imprisonment and that of another 64 Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia enters its second month.
The filmmaker has been on hunger strike since May 14 and has said he will only start eating again if he and all the Ukrainian political prisoners are released.
“We know he is being checked in a civilian hospital. But it is [at] around 30 days, the point at which he is currently, that the risks increase significantly,...
Concerns are growing for Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov as his hunger strike protesting his imprisonment and that of another 64 Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia enters its second month.
The filmmaker has been on hunger strike since May 14 and has said he will only start eating again if he and all the Ukrainian political prisoners are released.
“We know he is being checked in a civilian hospital. But it is [at] around 30 days, the point at which he is currently, that the risks increase significantly,...
- 6/12/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
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