About

Spektrum is an international film festival in which we present 6 competition sections, both full and short films. We are looking for new talents and film narratives, not forgetting the values that have always been close to us: locality, interpersonal relations and a balanced approach to the production of cultural events.

The 89h edition of the festival will be held on October 24-29, 2023.

Idea

Since its beginning, SPEKTRUM has been a community event, a space to meet people who love and celebrate cinema. The film here in Świdnica is a pretext for collective feelings and sharing emotions, it is a trigger that makes the viewers tightly fill the cinema halls every year, become a community, cry and laugh together, disagree together, discuss… are together.

A few years ago, even before the pandemic, the motto of the Venice Art Biennale was “May you live in interesting times.” Back then, it seemed attractive and stimulating for change. From the perspective of time, it’s no longer so obvious. First, the pandemic disconnected us from social life for 2 years, and then the war approached the borders of Poland. The world accelerated, and we couldn’t keep up. The further development of artificial intelligence intensified the sense of inevitable change and, above all, triggered our fear of the future. The world we lived in until now lay in ruins.

We are starting to build anew.

The question remains, do we really need to keep up? This year’s festival motto – “Save the changes” – is a call for mindfulness in everyday life. Let’s focus on the here and now. Let’s cherish our memories with loved ones, friends, and family. Let’s set aside the rush for later. Let’s hit the pause button. We may not fully comprehend the complexities of the world, so it’s best to concentrate on our immediate surroundings. The films of this year’s festival are just like that – they focus on the details, they don’t narrate the world on a macro scale; they are small glimpses that describe the world through our relationships with those closest to us. And this is not unique to Spektrum alone. This year, intimate stories dominated world festivals. Cinema has become a refuge from the fast-paced world, a place where we “save” global issues for later.

So, let’s turn off our computers, press “Save the changes,” and meet in a warm, cozy cinema. And perhaps, after the screening, let’s look at ourselves with greater understanding and empathy.

Stop watching. Start seeing

— Paweł Kosuń
Festival Director

Previous editions

Spektrum is, above all, a brilliant interpersonal experience – I have never met so many friendly and open-minded people anywhere. Spektrum is a festival without pathos, created by people who love what they do, and this energy is transferred to the event.

Miłosz Sakowski

Take a few people with open heads, with imaginations exceeding the norms […] And take a city with a metaphysical soul. […] With wise and modern authorities. Take a cinema room, projector and movies. Now mix it all together, add heartiness, hospitality and lack of haughtiness. Here is a fulfilled recipe for Spektrum, Świdnica Film Festival. I know because I was a guest there.

Jan Jakub Kolski

Great program and honest audience. An intimate festival at its best!

Agnieszka Woszczyńska

Spektrum is primarily people who love cinema. I felt at home during the festival. Very good organization, very good movies and a picturesque city. It is worth being there, it is worth spending the extended November weekend at Spektrum.

Grażyna Błęcka-Kolska

Świdnica

Świdnica is a city whose attractions exceed its scale, and with a pleasant and intimate atmosphere, it is able to give a relief to anyone who suffered from fatigue with the big city rush.

Świdnica, located only 50 km from Wrocław, stands out from similar cities with a rich offer of cultural events, but also historic architecture, a bustling Market Square and close proximity to picturesque touristic sites. It is an ideal place to spend free time, as well as a brilliant stopping point on the travel route.

Tourists from all over the world, visiting Lower Silesia, always go to the 17th-century Church of Peace, which is the seat of the Evangelical-Augsburg parish, but also – thanks to the efforts of Bożena Pytel and Fr. Bishop Waldemar Pytel – a cultural center. In 2001 the building was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and its spaces are where meetings, discussions and unforgettable concerts are held, with the Bach Festival at the forefront.