The event, organized by the Witold Dynowski Ethnographic Workshop Association, promises a cinematic exploration of diverse cultures and societies, focusing in particular on the minority experience.
Anna Bińka, the head of the association, emphasized the festival's goal to showcase ethnographic film as a genre that can educate diverse audiences about different cultural and societal norms.
"We reflected on how ethnographic film works and affects us as viewers, and noticed that it teaches us openness towards others who may think very differently from us, as well as sensitivity towards minority groups," she said.
"We decided to focus this year on the experience of being a minority," she added. "It turns out to be a very broad topic, and arranging the program was not at all trivial. These four films show the struggles of various groups for their rights, their experiences, and pose a question about how much we can understand a person who is different from us."
The event will also offer an opportunity to discuss themes touched upon in the films with anthropologists associated with the University of Warsaw's Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology.
The Witold Dynowski Ethnographic Workshop Association is named after a 20th-century University of Warsaw ethnologist.
The festival will commence with the opening film Women of Valor by Anna Somershaf from Israel.
This 76-minute film, released in 2021, questions how 600,000 women in ultra-Orthodox families can win equal rights.
Following this, the Danish film On Behalf of the Living by Ton Otto, Christian Suhr, and Gary Kildea will explore whether a Western researcher can understand the experiences of Papua New Guinea's devout believers and their encounters with the spirits of the dead.
The Brazilian film The Village Resists by David Bert Joris Dhert will delve into the impact of major sporting events claiming land from local communities.
The final screening will be Light Years by Poland's own Monika Proba, presenting the life of an Orthodox priest candidate at the crossroads of religious and secular worlds.
Each screening is accompanied by short discussions with the filmmakers and invited guests, connecting the audience in Warsaw with perspectives from around the globe.
The films, presented in their original languages, will have subtitles in both Polish and English, ensuring accessibility to a diverse audience.
The evening will conclude with a musical performance by Wernyhora, a trio from the southern Polish region of Podkarpacie, whose music echoes the cultural heritage of the Carpathian borderland between Poland and Ukraine.
The festival, which began its life as a student initiative in 2004, has now grown into a significant cultural event, offering a platform for understanding and appreciating of global cultures through film.
Attendance is free but a ticket is required from bilety.ethnomuseum.pl.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP