31/01/2006

Private channels are not as involved in film production as public television, but their role is important, too. Three channels are particularly active in this respect: Polsat, TVN, and Canal Plus Polska. The latter has been the most committed, investing almost as much as TVP (€ 28.75M exactly), which makes it the biggest private investor for Polish cinema. Between 1995 and 2005, over 60 features and 20 shorts and documentaries were produced with the financial participation of Canal Plus Polska. Lately, the channel was involved in the production of bigger movies, such as The Pianist by Roman Polański, Pornografia by Jan Jakub Kolski, and Moj Nikifor ('My Nikifor') by Krzysztof Krauze. Canal Plus Polska also supports film festivals, like Era Nowe Horyzonty in Cieszyn (in Wrocław, starting next year) and the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.
Polsat is also an important investor. Since 1995, it has participated in 54 productions, with an emphasis not on artistic projects but on commercial films (action movi.es and comedies) —a strategy also chosen by TVN (17 features supported between 1997 and 2005).