EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY IN WARSAW

European Film Academy (EFA) Board Meeting will take place in Warsaw during the 20th Warsaw International Film Festival today, Saturday, October 16, 2004.

During this year Festival the decision will be reached whether the European Film Award Ceremony in 2006 will take place in Warsaw. EFA Board Members are meeting, among others, the Minister of Culture Waldemar Dąbrowski, as well as the Vice President of Warsaw Andrzej Urbański.

Guests of the WMFF:
- Chairman of the Academy – producer, France ("Jefferson in Paris", "Le Destin", "Rembrandt", "Divine Intervention")
– Vice President of the Academy: Nik Powell – National Film and TV School director, UK

- general manager of the Academy Marion DÖRING
- Pierre-Henri Deleau – festival director, France
- Mike Downey – producer, UK ("Falcons", "Niceland")
- Ulrich Felsberg – producer, Germany ("Lisbon Story", “Bend It Like Beckham”, "The Soul Of A Man")
- Stephan Hutter – producer/distributor, Germany ("Trainspotting", "Run Lola Run", "Amélie", "Bowling for Columbine")
- Mika Kaurismäki – director, Finland ("Zombie and the Ghost Train", "Last Border", "L.A. Without A Map")
- Cedomir Kolar – producer, France ("Before the Rain", "Train de vie", "Heaven")
- Derek Malcolm – film critic, honorary member of FIPRESCI, UK
- Antonio Perez Perez – producer, Spain ("Nada mas", "Solas")
- Assumpta Serna – actress, Spain ("Dulces horas", "Matador")
- Els Vandevorst – producer, The Netherlands ("Dancer in the dark", "Dogville").

EFA was founded in 1989 and for the time being it gathers 1,600 representatives of the European film industry (there are a dozen Polish representatives among them). EFA’s main goal is to promote European film culture. Throughout the year, EFA engages in numerous activities in the sphere of film politics, as well as deals with economic, artistic, and training aspects of the film industry. EFA’s programme includes organization of conferences, seminars and workshops, whereas its common goal is to build a bridge between creativity and the industry. The annual culmination of the EFA’s activities is European Film Awards produced by a London-based company DDA Productions.

The President of the Academy is Wim Wenders – director, Germany ("Paris, Texas", "Der Himmel Über Berlin", "Buena Vista Social Club"), and an honorary member of the EFA Board is Sir Ben Kingsley – actor, UK ("Ghandi", "Schindler’s List").

European Film Awards (Felix) have been orginised from 1988. This year (2004) the Awards Ceremony will take place on December 11, in Barcelona.

Polish Winners of the European Film Awards
1988 – Europenan Film: KRÓTKI FILM O ZABIJANIU, director Krzysztof Kieślowski
1989 – European Film Academy Discovery: 300 MIL DO NIEBA, reż. Maciej Dejczer
1990 – European film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award: Andrzej Wajda
1991 – European Film Academy Documentary: USŁYSZCIE MÓJ KRZYK, reż. Maciej Drygas
1993 – European Film Academy Documentary: (ARTE Award) – Wyróżnienie: 89mm OD EUROPY, director Marcel Łozinski
1996 – European Film Academy Documentary: (ARTE Award): Jerzy Śladkowski and Stanisław Krzemiński, for the contribution to the development of European documentary.
1999 – European Achievement in World Cinema: Roman Polański
2002 – European Cinematographer: Pawel Edelman, PIANISTA, director Roman Polański