Gdynia Film Festival


The Gdynia Film Festival is an annual film festival first held in Gdańsk, now held in Gdynia, Poland.
It has taken place every year since 1974, except in 1982 and 1983 when Poland was under martial law.
The organizers of the festival are the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, Polish Film Institute, Polish Filmmakers Association, the Pomeranian Voivodeship Local Government as well as the port city of Gdynia.
The Polish Film Festival award is the Grand Prix Golden Lions, which is different from the Eagle, awarded at the Polish Film Awards and the Seattle Polish Film Festival. Special awards include the Platinum Lions conferred for lifetime achievements in cinema as well as the Audience Award. Agnieszka Holland is so far the only film director to have been awarded the Grand Prix three times.
The jury for the 2008 competition was headed by Robert Gliński, a director who had previously won at the festival.

Past winners of the festival

The Golden Lions Award was not awarded on six occasions: in 1976, four films were instead awarded Main Prizes ; in 1982 and 1983, the festival was not held due to the imposition of the Martial law in Poland; in 1989, 1991 and 1996.