European Film Festival 2023 in Namibia
22.11.2023
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria took part in the European Film Festival 2023 in Windhoek, Namibia. The festival was organized by the European Union Delegation in cooperation with the EU Member States: the embassies of Germany, Finland, France, Portugal, Spain, Poland and Italy (represented by the Italian Club). The event was attended by partners from Namibia: Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Namibia Film Commission, Namibia Filmmakers Association and Jam Events (event organizer).
The main theme of this year's Festival was the slogan "Year of Skills". The festival started on October 4, 2023 and ended on November 29, 2023. The screenings took place every Wednesday at "The Village Opera House" in Windhoek.
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland presented the film "Masha & Valentyna" by British-Australian director Simon Target, who also has family ties with Poland. Made highly professionally and on a grand scale, the full-length documentary shows, through the prism of the fate of the title characters, the current war in Ukraine, the cruelty of the aggressor, the horror of war, patriotism and the will to survive and fight for the Ukrainian homeland, as well as the human solidarity shown to Ukrainians by Poles. The film documents the history that is happening before our eyes and is at the same time touching. It has great humanistic values, clearly showing where there is justice in this war, where there is good and where there is evil. The film "Masha & Valentyna" in a very realistic and emotional way reflects the atmosphere in Poland and the scale of mobilization and help provided by our country and society to people fleeing from Ukraine from the first days of the Russian invasion. At the Polish Diaspora Festival "Fate of Poles 2023", Simon Target received the 1st Prize in the "Solidarity 2022" category for his work on Poles' support for Ukraine.
The film screening, which took place on November 22, 2023, was open to the Namibian audience and gathered 125 people, including representatives of the diplomatic corps and the local Polish community. Before the film screening, a meeting of representatives of the Polish Embassy with the local Polish community took place.
Photos: Iwona Jabłonowska/Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria
