Welcome to the official website of
The 4th edition of
WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2006


2006 Honorary Patronage of the 4th edition`06:
President of Warsaw City
Minister of Culture of Republic of Poland

Ari Sandel, 2006 David Camera winner for "West Bank Story" in fiction short category of WJFF`06 took an Oscar for his short in life action category of AA 2007.

Congratulation Ari!


Davis Guggenheim, brother of our Jury Chairman`06, Ms. Grace Guggenheim took an Oscar for his "Inconvenient truth".

Congratulation Davis and Grace!

On Nov. 24 - 29, 06 took place the 4th edition of WJFF dedicated to Mr. Roman Polanski.

Apart of the competition screenings, Amos Gitai and Charles Guggenheim retrospectives in KINOTEKA Cinema, took place the retrospective of all Polanski`s films in ILUZJON Cinema.

Roman Polanski: a film and theater director, screenwriter, actor and film producer. He was born in 1933 in Paris. He was repeatedly conferred several awards, also life achievement awards, e.g.: 1993 Golden Lion Award at the International Film Festival in Venice, 1999 Felix Award (European Film Academy Award), Golden Scepter (Zlote Berlo) - Polish Culture Foundation Award (Nagroda Fundacji Kultury Polskiej), World Achievement Award, 2003 Eagle Award (Orzel) - Polish Film Award (Polska Nagroda Filmowa) for life achievements. In 1999 he became an honorary member of French Academy of Fine Arts, in 2000 he was awarded a doctorate honoris causa from PWSFTviT in Lódz, he is also an honorary citizen to this city, and in the Star Alley in Piotrowska Street he unveiled his own star.
One of his great movies is the Pianist bestowed with numerous awards.

Apart from the screenings of his films we would like to organize the retrospective of Amos Gitai and Charles Guggenheim.

Amos Gitai. He was born two years after Israel came into existence. He oscillates between the USA, France and Israel. As a director, screenwriter, producer and actor he can pride himself with 40 movies - documentaries (e.g.: about Annie Lennox and Eurythmics concert tour in Japan - "Brand New Day"), stories, historical and political frescoes. He pays a special attention to the problems of the Middle East - Israel and Palestine, religion, social control, utopia, or the question of the refugees. He also focuses on the conflicts within American society (e.g.: "In Search of Identity" or "American Mythologies") and European civilization (e.g.: "Valley of the Wupper" about the emergence of neo-Nazism in Germany, and "Name of the Duce" about neo-fascist party in Italy). His works can be characterized by a consequent style and deceitful sense of humor. His movies are often displayed on international film festivals. A movie adaptation of the Book of Ester was selected to Cannes Critics Week. His last movie "Free Zone" was conferred the 2005 Golden Palm Award at Cannes Film Festival 2005 in category for the best actress (see: 1st prize for the best movie at 3rd edition of WJFF in 2005. Pompidou Center arranged in Paris in 2003 a spectacular retrospective of his movies and as well. His movies "Kadosh" (1999), "Kippur" (2000) and "Kedma" (2002) competed for the Golden Palm Statuette, and for the Golden Lion Award - "Eden" (2001), "Alila" (2003) and - recently - "Promised Land" (2004). To the Polish audience he may be known for one of his "picture novels" - "11'09''01 - September 11" which serves as homage to the victims of the terrorist attack upon the WTC in 2001.

Charles Guggenheim movies (1924 - 2002) and a planned visit of the daughter of the deceased director's.

His career as a documentalist lasted half of a century. He realized over 100 movies in which he discussed various problems ranging from human rights protection and American architecture to the tragedy of the WWII. He was nominated 12 times for the Academy Award and is a laureate of four Oscar Prizes for "The Johnstown Flood", "A Time for Justice" and "Robert Kennedy Remembered". He also was awarded a prestigious Gorge Foster Peabody Award for "Saturday at the Zoo" and three Emmy Awards. He is regarded as a central figure in the formula of American documentalism which he initiated and which evolution he observed. He was the first to create television media for American political campaigns using documentaries.

During the Festival, as it happened in the previous years, there will be presentations of educational blocks held for hundreds of students of secondary and high schools. The movie projections selected by principals and teachers are going to be preceded by lectures of the representatives of Shoah Foundation established by Steven Spielberg, and by projections of the movies from the cycle devoted to the memory of John Paul's II dialog with Jews.
 We had the Palestinian film section. Please read more in the FILM links

Daniel Strehlau
Sincerely,
Daniel Strehlau, M.A.
Festival Director
E-mail:
warsawjff@wjff.pl
mediawjff@wjff.pl
Film Studio Windows
President of The Foundation for the Development of Jewish Culture in Poland

Add: P.O.B. 537, 00-950 Warsaw # 1, PL