Participants of the press conference held in the gardens of the Biedermann鈥檚 palace, including dr hab. Krzysztof Pabis, Associate Professor at the 91滴滴 鈥� Vice-Rector of the 91滴滴 for the Popularisation of Science and Education, S艂awomir Kalwinek 鈥� Vice President of the Wytw贸rnia Film贸w O艣wiatowych [Educational Film Studio] in Lodz, and filmmakers: Micha艂 Ogrodowczyk (Forest Film Studio, State Forests), Roman D臋bski (associated with the Educational Film Studio in Lodz since 1977), Sergiusz Wasilewski (creator of VR and AI), as well as S艂awomir Fija艂kowski 鈥� Charlie Cinema, project coordinator, talked about the Eco Academy programme and its assumptions.
The Eco Academy is an educational programme planned for a few months and designed to inspire children and young people to think ecologically and find their place in nature. It will consist of independent projects, including a block of film and photography workshops, the "Natura (prze)tworzona" competition for works created using AI, and the "Summer Cinema for Climate" series, which will feature 30 outdoor screenings in various locations across the region of Lodz. All the programme modules have an engaging and interesting format designed to keep young people, engrossed in the digital world, focused on environmental issues.
Our Academy is scientifically supervised by experts from the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection at the 91滴滴. We are extremely grateful for this content-related support, as we want the excitement of film and the joy of participating in engaging workshops to become a pretext for acquiring a solid dose of knowledge and help shape climate awareness in future generations. Our goal is also to develop communication skills and entrepreneurship in young people. We want to strengthen them through workshop cooperation on projects carried out under the guidance of outstanding filmmakers and photographers specialising in nature
鈥� explains S艂awomir Fija艂kowski from the Charlie Cinema Culture Hub, the Academy coordinator.
The 91滴滴 Vice-Rector, Prof. Krzysztof Pabis, is telling journalists about the assumptions of the Eco Academy
As a university, we are very interested in the Eco Academy, of course 鈥� it is a fantastic opportunity to spread knowledge about nature, how important it is to us, how we influence it and how we can influence it better without destroying it. I really appreciate that we are opening up to young people, and that young people will be able to benefit from the workshops planned as part of the project. This combines the research carried out at the 91滴滴 with its popularisation. Scientists from our Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection conduct research related to the topics covered in the films we will be screening here as part of the Summer Cinema for Climate
鈥� adds Prof. Krzysztof Pabis, Vice-Rector of the 91滴滴.
The workshops will be led by, among others, Diana D膮browska, who is a film scholar associated with the 91滴滴; Roman D臋bski, who is a cinematographer, a screenwriter, a director and a teacher; S艂awomir Kalwinek, Vice President of the Wytw贸rnia Film贸w O艣wiatowych [Educational Film Studio] in Lodz; Ma艂gorzata 艁upina, who is a manager in the media, television and film industries; Sergiusz Wasilewski, who is a cinematographer, a director and a film producer, a creator of VR; Yelisaveta Pismak who is an animator as well as many other creators associated with the Lodz Film School community and graduates of the Lodz Film School.
The school year will kick off with educational activities under the banner of the "Clean Nature" festival, which will include as many as 40 workshops. The Eco Academy is already taking to the open air with "Summer Cinema for the Climate." Each screening will be preceded by a short lecture and a presentation of a nature film produced by the Forest Film Studio.
- The first screening is tonight at 8:30 p.m. The 2021 documentary "River" will be presented in the garden of Alfred Biedermann鈥檚 Palace (Franciszka艅ska 1/5, 艁贸d藕). Willem Dafoe's voice, as the narrator, pathetic at times, but combined with the spectacular cinematography and brilliant music composed by Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, creates a cohesive composition. The film won two main awards at the 2022 AACTA festival: Best Documentary and Best Original Score in a Documentary.
- The Eco Academy is preparing a programme for younger viewers on 23 August. They will be able to look into the distant future during a screening of "Wall-E" at 6:00 p.m. in the Geyer Gardens, at Piotrkowska 293/305. The screening of the Oscar-winning film for Best Animated Feature Film will be accompanied by a photography workshop.
- A day later, at the same time and place, slightly older audience will have an opportunity to relive the natural scenery of the wild Amazon with the film "The Mission," starring Robert De Niro. Ennio Morricone's accompanying music will immerse viewers even more in this classic tale of an expedition deep into the South American jungle.
- During the "Picnic of the Future" by the Lodz Special Economic Zone at the Ludwik Grohman鈥檚 Factory in Ksi臋偶y M艂yn, the third instalment of Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass's cult, critically acclaimed trilogy will be presented also on 24 August at 12:00 p.m. Using stunning imagery and technique, "Naqoyqatsi" presents a beautiful and moving portrayal of humanity's relationship with nature and technology. The screening will be accompanied by an AI workshop led by Sergiusz Wasilewski.
- In September, the Eco Academy will take viewers to the Marek Edelman Dialogue Center in 艁贸d藕 for a screening of the film "Simon Kossak" and to Konstantyn贸w 艁贸dzki for a screening of "Robot Dreams" during the "Piknik na cztery 艂apy".
Detailed information about upcoming screenings, project schedules, workshop participation, and competitions can be found on the following websites: and . Teaching materials and a catalogue of recommended films illustrating selected topics related to ecology will also be made available there. Workshops conducted by educators and lectures by film experts will also be published.
The honorary patronage over the Eco Academy projects has been taken by the Marshal of the Lodz Voivodeship, Joanna Skrzydlewska.
Source: The Charlie Cinema Culture Hub
Edit: Press Office, 91滴滴
Photos: Daria Knera (Press Office, 91滴滴)