On Thursday, May 7th, an open meeting with Dorota Lech and Weronika Czołnowska took place at the Lodz Film School Cinema.

Dorota Lech spoke about her long-term work as a programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival, where she has been in charge of the Discovery section (debuts and second films) and selection of films from Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. She shared valuable tips with students on preparing a film for the festival and gave a behind-the-scenes look at the festival selection process. Since 2026, she has been the director of the New Horizons International Film Festival in Wrocław.

Weronika Czołnowska, Head of the Industry Department at the New Horizons International Film Festival, then presented details of two industry programmes: Polish Days and Female Screenwriters on the Horizon, encouraging students to participate.

On May 6-7, third-year film and television directing students had the opportunity to try their hand at pitching, presented by Dorota Lech and Weronika Czołnowska, among others. The pitching was held in English, and the guests shared their expert suggestions with the presenters.

The pitching workshops aimed to strengthen students’ ability to effectively present ideas for film projects, develop skills in clearly formulating a message, building arguments, and self-presentation in a professional film environment.

Thank you for the meeting!

The visit was part of the "Professional Pitching" workshop, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

The event was organised and co-hosted by Jarosław Wszędybył, lecturer at the Department of Film and Television Directing.

photos 1-8: Anna Zegar
photos 9-22: Anna Kazimierczak