The result of the cooperation between the School and NETFLIX is a variety of interesting ideas for series, which the students presented to a wide group of producers, namely: a comedy-drama with fantasy elements BUBEK AND IWONA about a depressed teenage devil (authors: Miłosz Sawicki, Magdalena Kućka and Aleksandra Raszka); psychological political thriller CAMPAIGN - the story of a candidate for the president of Poland, who has to fight not only with political competition, but also with a sex scandal in her own family (Marcin Kluczykowski, Jędrzej Gorski, Zofia Barełkowska, Kuba Brylski); comedy-drama CO-DEPENDENT - the adventures of a couple who, in order to repair their relationship destroy all the relationships around them (Jakub Grabarczyk, Dorota Wójtowicz, Jakub Hernik); crime comedy-drama HOTEL AUREA - a story about a Polish immigrant who somehow finds himself in Icelandic custody and has to make a deal with the local police chief (Nikolas Reza, Wojciech Zajgner, Julia Rzepnikowska) and the neo-noir comedy THE TOWN, in which a burned-out copywriter tries to unravel mafia-political system (Mikołaj Piszczan, Jakub Nowacki, Jacek Kobeszko).

“I realize that to be successful in the film industry, talent and creativity are not enough, but knowledge of the rules and expectations of the industry is needed. Thanks to our programme, students have the opportunity to reach a wide range of professionals from the world of film with their original projects,” says Prof. Milenia Fiedler, Rector of the Lodz Film School.

“We know perfectly well how difficult it can be to start professionally in the world of film and TV series, which is why we want to help future creators at this important moment in their lives. The film and series industry in Poland is developing very quickly and there is already both room and a need for new, interesting perspectives from young filmmakers. That is why we plan that next year, in partnership with the Lodz Film School, we will launch another edition of the programme and open the door to development for another group of students,” says Anna Nagler, director of NETFLIX original series in the Central and Eastern Europe region.

The creators of the series themselves are also pleased with the initiative. “When working on a screenplay intensively for a long time – and this was our work during the NETFLIX workshops – it is sometimes difficult to maintain distance from the story being told. The moment when we present our projects to the industry is not only an opportunity to establish contacts but also to learn a different perspective. The opinions of outsiders can be very invigorating, they are very valuable for the screenwriter,” says Jakub Nowacki, screenwriter of the series The Town.

Mentors in the project were experts cooperating with NETFLIX, including Pat Charles (screenwriter and producer of the series Bones, Iron Fist and Black Lightning), Katrin Merkel (Midpoint Institute, German Film and Television Academy Berlin - DFFB), Josh Lenn and Maria Cervera and Dario Madrona (School for the Elite). The screenplays were developed under the supervision of Film School lecturers - Kacper Wysocki and Bartosz Staszczyszyn. The partnership of the Lodz Film School and NETFLIX supports the artistic and professional development of the most talented students to provide them with the best possible start in their professional careers, as well as giving a voice to the new generation of Polish filmmakers and learning about their ideas that have a chance of being implemented.

text: press material of the project
our previous news about the cooperation: filmschool.lodz.pl/en/news