During Friday’s nearly five-hour programme block, a range of films differing in form, content, length and quality was presented. The selection ranged from short comedies lasting a dozen or so minutes and drawing on parody and absurd humour ("Film pod tytułem", "Strefa 18", "Spid"), through very short computer animations made in Flash by Radar Group ("Matryca", "Karate", "Budka" and others), to socially engaged documentaries (for example, the short film "Przyjaciele").
Despite their offbeat or amateur origins, a considerable part of the productions gives the impression of having been made reliably and professionally. Naturally, as is entirely commonplace, they are not free from numerous errors resulting from the construction of the screenplay, the choice of actors or matters connected with the technical execution.
A large group of amateur filmmakers treat their films as fun, a joke or even a prank, as exemplified by the sometimes funny but for the most part exceptionally stupid "Strefa 18", which relies on lavatorial and scatological humour (in other words, a barrel of laughs with an emphasis on the barrel). The Filmowa Była Tu 15 Minut Temu group managed to make people laugh in a somewhat more intelligent way. Their "Film pod tytułem" is a kind of attempt to expose the mechanisms of filmmaking, while simultaneously revealing and making fun of many genre conventions (crime films, fight films and gangster cinema) and referring to other films ("Kill Bill" and "The Matrix"). The film is of course far from perfect, but it is genuinely enjoyable to watch.
The real revelation of the first day of the review, however, was "Spętany eros"—a one-hour documentary directed by Magda Furman-Turowska, addressing the sexuality of people with disabilities. The film gives an exceptionally realistic and authentic impression. Couples with disabilities who have sexual relationships and speak about themselves and their relationship express themselves with exceptional sincerity and openness despite the presence of the camera lens. The creator of "Spętany eros" does not interfere with the reality of the film or try to modify it—she leaves everything to her subjects. And that is where the film’s strength lies.
Friday’s programme concluded with the comedy "O rety, moja babcia ma chłopaka" by Witold Świętnicki, known to Bolesławiec audiences from the previous year, when, as a guest of the review, he presented his acclaimed and controversial film "Golasy".
The second day continued with screenings of amateur short comedies (for example, "Fachowcy", "Ziew" and "Skleroza nie boli"). A certain change of pace was provided by Robert Turło’s painstaking animations ("Wysokie loty", "Księżniczka", "Kawiarnia"). Saturday also saw a screening of "Koniec Muru" by Przemek Filipowicz, already known to Bolesławiec audiences—the film was produced by Boleslawiec.org.
The films by winners of the "Publicystyka 2004" Independent Cinema Festival, held in Kędzierzyn Koźle, presented an interesting vision of contemporary life. After the hour-and-a-half screening, two more films were shown: "Dyskusję" by the aforementioned Witold Świętnicki and a documentary depicting the process of making that film from behind the scenes.