During the fourth seminar in the series "Global Solidarity: Archives of the Future," we will examine the complex and multi-layered relationships between the Polish film community and the Global South. Polish filmmakers regularly travelled to countries in Asia, Africa, and South America to speak to their local audiences about the processes of decolonization and modernization taking place there. Filmmakers from the Global South, in turn, studied at the Lodz Film School, where they made their own short films and collaborated on the productions of their peers. Polish audiences also had the opportunity to watch films from Afghanistan, Bolivia, Congo, Mexico, and Senegal, which sparked keen interest from critics.

During the meeting, we will consider, among other things, the role of films in shaping perceptions of non-European cultures, ways of presenting racial otherness, the experiences of students from the Global South in the Polish film community, and the reception of non-European film industries.

The seminar will also feature a screening of the short documentary film MIX, directed by Klaudia Szott (2026, produced by the Lodz Film School). The film uses excerpts from films made by students from the Global South during their studies at the Lodz Film School. Years later, Sylwia – the daughter of a Polish mother and a Nigerian father – discovers traces of her own history in the films made at that time. Her personal voice intertwines with archival images, creating a poetic narrative about memory, identity, and the body suspended between two worlds. The film was presented at the Visions du Réel festival (Switzerland) and the Krakow Film Festival.

See the trailer: vimeo.com/1181618387


Participants:
Tomasz Poborca, MA, Doctoral School of Humanities, University of Lodz
Monika Talarczyk, PhD, prof. National Film School in Lodz
Zofia Rodak, production manager of the film MIX, Lodz Film School Magda Szcześniak, PhD, IKP UW
Klaudia Szott, director of the film MIX, Lodz Film School

MIX (2026)
direction, sound on the set: Klaudia Szott
screenplay: Klaudia Szott, Teresa Fazan
additional cinematography: Augustyn Bardian
editing: Marta Grzegorek
sound: Artur Walaszczyk
music: Jerzy Mączyński
production management: Zofia Rodak
artistic supervision: Maciej Drygas, Jacek Petrycki, Marta Prus, Rafał Listopad, Bartosz Pietras
with participation of Sylwia Achu

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