Throughout its 27-year history, the OFF Cinema Documentary Film Festival has evolved significantly. While in its early days, the Festival focused on independent cinema, it transformed into an international documentary film festival centred on competitions a decade later. Last year, it became a review with several thematic sections showcasing the most noteworthy productions of recent years. Adrianna Skórnicka, a film expert at the Zamek Cultural Centre, explains, "Structuring the festival had the effect of attracting a broader audience. Competitions would bring together films that explored vastly different topics, making it a challenge to engage audiences unaware of what to expect".

Starting last year, the festival has honed its focus on here and now, its renewed mission being to introduce the residents of Poznań to most renowned documentary productions that may not always be accessible beyond the festival.

Festival-goers get to choose screenings aligned with their interests. The films are categorised into the nine thematic sections of Classics, Eco Docs, Films About Films, The Sounds of Docs, Season, Cinema without Barriers, The Nearest East, Mountain Docs and, the newly introduced Doc Limits.

The most recent addition, Doc Limits, draws inspiration from emerging trends in documentary filmmaking and innovative methods employed by filmmakers. Are there inherent boundaries to documentaries? "I believe not. Boundaries are quite fluid and often serve to protect the subjects," asserts Skórnicka. One example of direct immersion in the subject's world is found in Apolonia Apolonia by Lei Glob, a documentary depicting a teenage artist and a filmmaker who befriends her. This documentary is the winner of this year's Docs Against Gravity festival. Methodological boundaries are pushed by Four Daughters, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, who enlisted professional actresses when unable to involve the two actual women who had joined ISIS in her production. Formal boundaries are shattered by Anselm, shown in 3D, and directed by Wim Wanders, known for The Salt of the Earth, Buena Vista Social Club, and Paris, Texas. The conceptual Orlando, My Political Biography draws inspiration from literature. When asked about his plans to write an autobiography, its author, Paul B. Preciado, reportedly replied that it had already been written by Virginia Woolf. He was referring to Orlando, a novel considered a precursor to queer literature. Preciado translated this work into cinematic language, giving voice to 27 non-binary and transgender actors and actresses.

The socially involved sections primarily include The Very Near East and Eco Docs. The former, made in collaboration with the Ukraine! Film Festival, presents Ukrainian and Polish films that shed light on Poland's eastern neighbour. Notable in this selection is the interventionist Skąd dokąd (In the Rearview) by Maciej Hamela, who transported people across the border at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Eco Docs section aims to sensitise audiences to pressing environmental concerns.

Each section of the festival appeals to a distinct audience. Mountain Docs, curated by Alicja Głów, predominantly attracts enthusiasts of rock climbing rather than cinema. For them, Off Cinema offers a rare opportunity to view productions that seldom make it to the big screen and engage in post-screening discussions with their creators.

Meetings with filmmakers are not limited to the Mountain Docs section. The festival also invites other artists, including authors of literature reportages. Additionally, there will be opportunities to interact with filmmakers following the screening of the opening film, the award-winning Pianoforte by Jakub Piątek, which delves into the struggles of participants in the Chopin Competition. The screening will be followed by a piano recital by Marcin Wieczorek, one of the artists featured Internet of the film.

"Off Cinema opens people's eyes and responds to the world. This is precisely what we, the organisers, find most compelling," remarks Skórnicka. This responsiveness sets documentary cinema apart and underscores its unique appeal.

Magdalena Chomczyk

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

Off Cinema Documentary Film Festival

Castle (Zamek) Cultural Centre, 24-29 October

For more, see offcinema.ckzamek.pl

© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2023