Film Studies Does Not End with Theory
The Camera Action Festival grew out of the film studies community. Today, it is an event intended for a wide audience, but its academic roots remain an important part of the programme.
Malwina Czajka, Director of the camera action Festival and a graduate of the University of Lodz, emphasises that film studies gave her much more than knowledge about cinema:
These are studies that are meant to broaden minds, but also to teach creativity and an out-of-the-box approach to the world and to life. [...] Film studies taught me to think beyond established patterns, to be creative and to look for different solutions.
As she explains, such skills become invaluable very quickly when organising a large-scale event. One must think simultaneously about the programme, promotion, education and audience needs, while also responding to situations that cannot be planned in advance.
The Best Way to Learn Is by Doing
For students, cooperation with the festival provides an opportunity to put the knowledge gained during their studies into practice. This year, members of the University of Lodz Film Studies Student Science Club participated, among other things, in the selection of films for the Author’s Spotlight competition, while students will also serve on one of the festival juries. The festival has additionally prepared a MediaLab programme, a series of workshops devoted to the work of film critics and journalists, combined with practical assignments carried out during the event.
As Prof. Krzysztof Pabis, Vice-Rector for the Popularisation of Science and Education at the University of Lodz, points out, such experiences are important not only in the case of film studies:
If biology students observe nature, it will be far more valuable than learning theory alone. If film studies students help create a festival, they see in practice how such a festival is organised, but they also watch these films and listen to critics [...]. This is the kind of experience that simply cannot be gained in any other way.
From Volunteering to Working at a Festival
Paulina Małasiewicz, a graduate of Film Studies and Audiovisual Media at the University of Lodz, followed exactly such a path. While still a student, she volunteered at the Camera Action Festival.
It was a wonderful adventure and also an opportunity to combine the knowledge I had already gained during my first year of studies with the practical experience of watching films and observing interactions between film critics.
As she recalls, practice also meant dealing with everyday situations that could sometimes be unpredictable.
Members of the audience would come to us with questions about films, and that was when we really had to put our film studies background to use and talk with them about those films.
Science Meets Cinema
The cooperation between the University of Lodz and the Camera Action Festival extends beyond film studies. The programme will also include materials from the “Science Inspires” series, which will be presented to festival audiences alongside film screenings. Topics range from love and evolution, through the philosophy of kindness, to radio waves, fractals and genetic data. This is another example of bringing together the worlds of science and culture outside the university classroom.
Discounts for the UniLodz Community
As part of the cooperation with the Camera Action Festival, members of the University of Lodz community can purchase festival passes at special prices.
The industry pass is intended, among others, for students and graduates of cultural studies and film studies, as well as students and graduates of art schools, filmmakers and people professionally connected with the cultural sector and film industry.
The promotional pass is available to all University of Lodz students and holders of the University of Lodz Alumni Card.
Edit: Kacper Szczepaniak, Centre for Brand Communications, University of Lodz, University of Lodz
