The JachtFilm Maritime Film Festival continues a long standing tradition from the 1980s. Between 1982 and 1990 the city of Katowice in southern Poland hosted a series of film screenings with national and international maritime and yachting films.
After a long break, caused by political and economical turmoil in Poland and Eastern Europe, the festival was revived. In 2011 Warsaws Kino Wisła was the place to be for all film-loving sailors and mariners – that’s where the current Maritime Film Festival was born.
During the two days of the 2011 edition, over a dozen films and documentaries about Polish and international sailing were screened. Most footage came from the archives of the Polish national television and private directors and producers.
As if those gems were not enough, the audience was able to enjoy stories from our esteemed hosts – captain Janusz Zbierajewski and journalist Andrzej Radomiński.
Their extensive knowledge and seemingly endless humor created a unique atmosphere, enchanting and entertaining the audience.
The following editions brought more big “chunks” of Polish and international maritime cinema to Warsaw. Our audience appreciates the efforts to bring true and exceptional sailing stories to the big screen. We try to screen films not only documenting voyages but also telling a story.
We proud ourselves on the loyalty of our audience. It consists mainly of sailors and sailing enthusiasts, many of which also have interesting sailing stories to tell. Some of them are active sport sailors, but most are recreational mariners.
Our goal was to prepare a balanced mix to suit all our visitors. Sailing has many faces, all of which are worth documenting, especially if there is a captivating human story to tell though sometimes the story of a vessel can be equally breathtaking.
We are also happy to welcome many special guests at each edition, many of which are the protagonists of the shown films.
Since 2013 there has been a very popular addition to the festival – we’re screening submitted short films about sailing and the sea under the motto “Reel me in”.
On November 2024 in Warsaw will host the 13th Maritime Film Festival.
https://youtu.be/Rt-xoB_dI0I
FEATURE - Best film
SHORTS - Best film under 5 mins.
AUDIENCE AWARD: For feature-length film.
GRAND JURY AWARDS: For short - length film.