A debate on reportage, documentary films and non-fiction literature with the participation of reporters and documentary filmmakers, as well as the story of Władysław Kozakiewicz - we invite you to spend the Tuesday with WATCH DOCS. Human Rights in Film IFF!

5:00 p.m A talk with director Mehrdad Oskouei and Siavash Jamali - director and executive producer of "Sunless Shadows"

About the film: In his latest film, Mehrdad Oskouei, one of the most outstanding documentary filmmakers of our time, takes on the topic of violence against women. The protagonists in "Sunless Shadows" are teenagers serving prison sentences in a correctional facility in Iran for crimes against their attackers: their fathers, husbands, and brothers. Oskouei observes with terrifying precision the accursed cycle of systemic oppression that is passed down from generation to generation, the only reprieve from which, paradoxically, is a prison term. The director masterfully shows the everyday life of adolescent girls—filled with sadness, but also with the joy and hope that come from sisterhood. Sunless Shadows is undoubtedly one of the most universal portraits of our time, as both viewers and juries have claimed at many of the world’s leading film festivals.

6:00 p.m. DEBATE: The power of testimonial? - on documentary film in the age of fake news

A conversation during which authors of documentaries will answer the question: how to do it - and why? What is the role of the documentary (press, book, film) today and what ethical dilemmas are associated with the creation of non-fiction materials? 

Participants:

• Maria Zmarz Koczanowicz - documentary film director

• Urszula Jabłońska - reporter, author of, among others, "Człowiek w przystępnej cenie. Reportaże z Tajlandii” ("Man at an Affordable Price. Reportages from Thailand")

• Joanna Gierak-Onoszko - reporter, author of, among others, "27 śmierci Toby'ego Obeda” ("27 Deaths of Toby Obed")

• Paweł Reszka - journalist, reporter

• Maciej Nowicki - director of WATCH DOCS. Human Rights in Film IFF

The meeting will be moderated by Magdalena Kicińska, editor-in-chief of "Pismo" magazine.

The conversation will be translated into Polish sign language. 

8:00 p.m. A talk with Ksawery Szczepanik, director of "Going for Gold"

About the film: In his latest film Ksawery Szczepanik shines the spotlight on legendary pole vaulter Władysław Kozakiewicz. Although it is difficult to find people in Poland who would not recall his rebellious gesture raised in response to heckling Russian fans at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, hardly anyone knows Kozakiewicz’s road to the pinnacle of athletic success. "Going for Gold" is not only an emotional testimonial of athletic competition at the highest level, but also a portrait of Poland and the changes it goes through. Szczepanik uses archival recordings with great sensitivity to convey the atmosphere of those times, showing viewers behind-the-scenes stories about envious sports managers, sponsorship contracts worth thousands of dollars, and the role of natural medicine in Kozakiewicz's career and his victory in Moscow.