Stars in Gdansk

Organisers of the Stars’ Festival decided to move their event to Gdańsk because the small town of Międzyzdroje lacked appropriate infrastructure to service the expanding festival. The organisers aim at promoting not only film, but also other art forms such as theatre, literature, music, painting and photography.

A detailed artistic programme of the Gdańsk Stars’ Festival is not yet known, but the events which have already been officially confirmed seem very promising. Gdańsk will be given over to film and theatre: a preview of “Forgotten Hero" by Volker Schlöndorff - a story shot late last year on Gdańsk Shipyard premises, inspired by the life of the legendary Solidarity activist Anna Walentynowicz, as well as a retrospective review of films by Andrzej Wajda and presentations of stories and documents under the common heading “Solidarity in Film" will be held.

Gdańsk Amber Stars’ Promenade - the place where celebrities representing film, television, literature, music and visual arts will leave their handprints - will be situated in Ołowianka Isle next to the new edifice housing the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, which will be the centre of festival events. The first persons to impress their hands on the promenade include Gdańsk novelist Paweł Huelle, German director Volker Schlöndorff, composer Wojciech Kilar, painter Franciszek Starowieyski, actress Joanna Brodzik and actor Andrzej Chyra. A sculpture-installation made of replicas of handprints from Międzyzdroje will also be mounted on Ołowianka Isle.

This year’s Festival will be organised by Instytut Sztuki Association from Cracow, a Warsaw-based "Dla 8,5" Foundation, Gdańsk municipality, and Pomorskie Province Marshall’s Office. The budget of this year’s Stars’ Festival is PLN 3 million, most of which will come from sponsors; the municipality and Pomorskie Province Marshall’s Office will spend PLN 400 thousand each on the event.

Source: Gazeta Wyborcza