Gdynia Mayor Wojciech Szczurek welcomed UNESCO’s decision, describing it as a “highly prestigious recognition of the city’s achievements in the film sector and culture in general.”
He added that the decision paved the way for closer cooperation with European partners for the city’s film institutions.
Gdynia has since 1987 served as the venue for the Polish Film Festival, an annual celebration of Polish cinema. The city has a film school whose graduates have won numerous prizes at festivals both in Poland and abroad.
Plans for the future include a "cyber film centre," an internet space and a digital film repository that would be accessible to all, including the hard-of-hearing and visually impaired.
Gdynia is the second Polish city to be named a UNESCO City of Film, after Łódź.
Kraków and Wrocław in southern Poland are UNESCO Cities of Literature, while Katowice is a UNESCO City of Music.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network now counts a total of 295 cities in 90 countries.
(mk/gs)