Media Festival

Media Festival “Man in Danger” in Lodz is one of the oldest festival of documentaries in Poland. The festival was established in 1990 following the system transformation in Poland. The nature of the event underwent some changes. Initially, a great need for free expression possible after the lifting of censorship revealed previously hidden risks. All human misfortunes and traumas came to light: alcoholism, drug addictions, illnesses, political, social and ecological risks. Collective and individual. We presented them during the festival.

As media astounded the viewers with cruelty and violence which became attractive media goods, the key objective of the festival was to provide a creative forum for sharing experience and opinions concerning risks to human condition but also – methods of counteracting them. We want to promote openness to a different, positive perception of otherness, consideration of the future by exposing sources of fear and reflection over the art of handling them.

Besides the competition for documentaries, we are also open for other ways of meditating over our times by means of multimedia features, press reports, book publications, photography.

It becomes extremely important to provide the audience with space for active involvement in discussions on problems raised during the festival. This is supported by the fact that the festival guests are also film authors and actors known from films and features. A significant role is assigned to discussion panels, meetings with authors, workshops for youth and seniors intended to widen their knowledge but also to shape their ability to describe the world in their own way – by means of words as well as moving and still images.