24/07/2014 - Today sees the start of the 14th edition of Poland’s most important film event, featuring a line-up bursting with 199 feature films

A total of 365 films, including 199 features and five world premieres: these are the vital stats for the 14th edition of the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, which kicks off today in Wroclaw and will wrap on 3 August. “A particular feature at this edition is the very strong presence of Polish cinema. Never before have so many local productions been selected in competition. And in total, five Polish films will be having their world premieres,” pointed out Roman Gutek, the director of the festival.

Standing out among the 13 films in the running for the Grand Prix in the official competition are three Polish films: Parasite [+see also:
trailer
film profile], by the pair of visual artists Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal; How to Disappear Completely, by Przemyslaw Wojcieszek; and Calling, the feature debut by Marcin Dudziak. 

As the most important film event organised in Poland, the T-Mobile New Horizons IFF differs from other festivals not only because of its editorial policy (which focuses on exploring new horizons), but also through its competitive section featuring films about art, which this year sees the participation of 12 titles, including two Polish ones: 15 Corners of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Zuzanna Solakiewicz, which takes a look at the work of experimental musician Eugeniusz Rudnik, and Karol Radziszewski’s The Prince, which portrays the life of Jerzy Grotowski (a visionary of 20^th-century Polish theatre).

The programme also includes 20 films from the Cannes Festival 2014 Official Selection (including the Palme d'Or winner, Winter Sleep [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
film profile]; the Grand Prix winner, The Wonders [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alice Rohrwacher
interview: Tiziana Soudani
film profile]; the Jury Prize winner, Goodbye to Language [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]; and the competition entry Clouds of Sils Maria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Charles Gillibert
interview: Olivier Assayas
film profile]), all of the titles presented at the recent Directors’ Fortnight, some of the films that snagged awards at Locarno, Sundance and Berlin, and the latest works by renowned filmmakers such as Aleksey German (Hard to Be a God), Bertrand Tavernier (Quai d’Orsay [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Claude Lanzmann (The Last of the Unjust [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Reha Erdem (Singing Woman) and György Palfi (Free Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), to name just a few. Also worth pointing out on the schedule is a section dedicated to new Greek cinema, among other sidebars.

In the Official Competition are:
A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Ben Rivers, Ben Russell (Estonia, France, Germany) 
Butter on the Latch - Josephine Decker (USA)
Calling - Marcin Dudziak (Poland, France)
Canopy - Aaron Wilson (Australia, Singapore)
Cherry Pie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Lorenz Merz (Switzerland)
Falling Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luis Miñarro ­
film profile] - Luis Miñarro (Spain)
History of Fear [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Benjamín Naishtat (Argentina, France, Uruguay, Germany, Qatar)
How to Disappear Completely - Przemyslaw Wojcieszek (Poland)
My Blind Heart [+see also:
trailer
interview: Peter Brunner
film profile] - Peter Brunner (Austria)
Parasite - Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal (Poland)
The Distance - Sergio Caballero (Spain)
Mouton [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (The Sheep) - Gilles Deroo and Marianne Pistone (France)
White Shadow [+see also:
film review
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interview: Noaz Deshe
film profile] - Noaz Deshe (Tanzania, Germany, Italy)

(Translated from French)