The event takes place in Sokołowsko, a small picturesque locality near Wałbrzych in south-western Poland, which gained fame thanks to its sanatorium for TB patients.
Founded in 1855, it was Europe’s first facility of its kind, predating the one in Davos, Switzerland, by more than four decades.
Sokołowsko played an important role in Kieślowski’s life.
In the 1950s he lived there with his family while his father was undergoing treatment for tuberculosis at the local sanatorium.
It was during this time that Kieślowski developed his interest in cinema. His early documentary Prześwietlenie (X-Ray) explores the world of people receiving treatment there.
In addition to a cross-section of Kieślowski’s output – including the Three Colours trilogy and The Double Life of Veronique – the festival programme also features a selection of European cinema, film classics, documentaries, and the latest works by young Polish directors.
As festival director Diana Dąbrowska told the media, the overall focus reflects Kieślowski’s "philosophy of social attentiveness."
According to Dąbrowska, Kieślowski’s films are "a soothing tonic for the wounds of contemporary social life."
She added: "All the films shown during the event teach us a lesson in empathy and sensitivity."
Kieślowski, who died in 1996 at the age of fifty-four, was among the most influential Polish filmmakers.
Apart from The Double Life of Veronique and the Three Colours trilogy, he achieved worldwide critical and popular success with The Decalogue series, which has been distributed to 75 countries.
(mk/ał)