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 8th edition of the festival will be held on October 22-29, 2022.

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.

Nothing can replace a dark cinema room, a large screen and the presence of 200 other people who burst out laughing at the same moment or cover their eyes. The energy that is generated then is the magic of cinema. There is no such series or movie on VOD platforms, there is no projector or TV set that could replace meeting and feeling with another person. That is why this year, the motto of SPEKTRUM is Stop watching. Start seeing.

Go outside and see the world. Share yourself with others in the cinema room. Don’t waste your energy and time in front of the TV, because all the stories start at the doorstep of your house, including those we want to tell in this year’s Spektrum program.

But Stop Watching. Start Seeing slogan has one more meaning, one request. Let us stop being passive to what is happening in the world. Let’s not watch the reports from wars as the next episodes of an exciting series, but let’s face the victims of this war and stand up for them. Let’s not treat the climate crisis as a topic that does not concern us directly, like another catastrophe movie for a light Friday night with friends, and let’s see the impending consequences for the entire planet.

Stop watching. Start seeing

— Paweł Kosuń
Festival Director

What awaits us in this edition? As always, a review of the most interesting films from Poland and the world. In this section, we present films awarded at the most important film festivals, from Berlinale, Cannes, Venice to Gdynia. We called this competition Spektrum to emphasize the importance of these struggles in which the only juror is the festival audience. But also to indicate the cross-sectional nature of this competition.

There will also be short films, i.e. the entire series of competitions The Young Perspective, during which we will show documentary, fiction, animations and films made by young people up to 21 years of age. Professional jurors choose the most interesting shorts made by young filmmakers, thus indicating which directors should be looked at in the coming years.

We are also still developing in two directions that are extremely important to us. They should be relevant to all of us. We remember about social responsibility, focusing on the idea of locality and trying to increase our eco-friendliness. In 2021, we launched a competition for titles that treat localities, community strength and good neighborhood in various ways. Closer is a selection of 4 films, selected by a reliable festival audience.

In addition to film screenings, SPEKTRUM includes lectures, talks, meetings with filmmakers, workshops and special screenings.

See you on October 22-29 in Świdnica.

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.