The Kinoteka Festival this year celebrates its 20th anniversary and the special programme includes an array of films from all genres… from drama, comedy, social issues and documentary through to classics. This year's edition is also special because the festival also stands by Ukraine and the people fleeing from the country ,which is under attack by Russia. In a statement released just before the opening of the festival The Polish Cultural Institute in London , the organiser of the festival , wrote "We understand that every donation counts and helps in such a desperate times, therefore decided to answer this call by donating all of the festival proceeds to ’SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine emergency appeal .Each ticket purchased for the Polish film showcased at the Kinoteka will result in a direct donation to the cause of supporting children and their families in Ukraine. This call, reads the statement, has been met with an immense support from our partner cinemas in London: Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Prince Charles Museum, Riverside Studios, BFI Southbank and JW3. The Prince Charles Cinema director Gregory Lynn decided to match Kinoteka’s pledge and said: “We will donate all net receipts, Kinoteka’s and ours, to the charity supporting Ukrainian refugee children. Sounds like a good cause and we were already looking for a way to do something in support of Ukraine.”
Marlena Łukasiak, head of cinema and theatre at the Polish Cultural Institute in London,talks about this year's special edition