Warsaw's turn on the circuit

Over 150 films from almost 50 countries will be shown during the 22nd Warsaw International Film Festival, which starts on October 6 and lasts until October 15. Attendees there will see the latest films which premiered at recent festivals in Toronto, Venice and Locarno.

The best film within the fifth edition of the 'New films, new directors' competition will be awarded the Grand Prix, and the organizers have prepared three other awards in the Regional Competition, for best full-length documentary and the audience's choice award.

Łukasz Karwowski's South by North will open the festival. The long list of films presented includes: Corneliu Porumboiu's 12:08 East of Bucharest, the winner of the Camera d'Or Europa Cinémas Award in Cannes; Pernille Fischer Christensen's A Soap, the Best Debut Film and Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear winner at Berlin; Szabolcs Hajdu's White Palms; and Boris Khlebnikov's Free Floating, which won the Best Director award at this year's Venice festival.

Some 100 directors and actors will also attend the festival, including Gustave de Kervern and Benoit Delepine, a French duet of directors (Avida, Aaltra), Martina Gedeck, a German actress, Czech actor Pavel Li‰ka, Nicolas Winding Refn (the Danish director of Pusher, Bleeder, and Fear X), Hans-Christian Schmid, director of Requiem, Dito Tsintsadze - who directed The Man from the Embassy, Gun Shy, Lost Killers, and Michael Verhoeven, who is responsible for The Unknown Soldier and Das Schreckliche Mädchen, among others. Apart from the international guests the festival will also be attended by local actors and directors.

Further info: www.wff.pl