Wrocław, the 2016 European Capital of Culture 2016 (ECC), plans to offer over a thousand different cultural events in various fields of art: architecture, film, music, visual art, theatre, performance and opera. The programme was announced on 19 June at a press conference in Wrocław's Stadion Miejski.
Wrocław president Rafał Dutkiewicz said that 2016 may be the city’s most important year in its post-war history:
"We want to reach certain goals for the ECC, but the most important one is to double the number of culture-savvy citizens and tourists in Wrocław".
Dutkiewicz pointed out that the city has been preparing for the ECC since 2013:
"The ECC in Wrocław will reach its zenith in 2016; however, some events are to be continued in 2017 as well. The cost of organising it is estimated at 300 million złoty, 120 million of which will be donated by the Polish government."
Jarosław Fret, the chairman of the Board of Curators and the director of the theatre section, expressed the belief that the ECC 2016 will not only engage the citizens of Wrocław in cultural activities, but also profoundly change the culture of the city:
"The programme of the ECC 2016 combines an event-based festival with a process of change and transition. 'Spaces for Beauty', the motto we created for Wrocław ECC, means transforming the tectonics of the city. Our second motto, 'Metamorphoses of Culture', is the key to Wrocław’s identity and multiculturalism.
Film
The most important film event to take place during the 2016 ECC is the European Film Awards ceremony that is to be hosted in Wrocław in December 2016. Europe's key film awards will be presented for the 29th time. So far, Polish filmmakers have been presented with this award twice: Krzysztof Kieślowski for A Short Film about Killing and Paweł Pawlikowski for Ida.
"The most significant European filmmakers will participate in this event. Starting from October we are planning to screen films that have been awarded the European Film Awards so far. This year’s nominated pictures are also to be presented before the final ceremony."
– says Roman Gutek, the director of the T-Mobile New Horizons film festival who is also responsible for the film section of the ECC 2016.
Gutek also announced that Wrocław will host a series of film reviews that are to present the history and diversity of European cinema. The film events start this year: the audience of 2015 T-Mobile New Horizons film festival will be able to watch the most significant Lithuanian films. Plans for 2016 include reviews of Wim Wenders’ works, Czechoslovakian New Wave and Ukrainian cinema.
The Film Operas project will start in 2016 as well. It includes the Polish premiere of Lost Highway, an opera performance based on David Lynch’s movie, with libretto by Elfriede Jelinek.
A review of Basque cinema is also scheduled (Basque city San Sebastian is also 2016 ECC) as well as a series of translated Polish film classics for Wrocław-based foreigners.
The ADAPTER audiodescription programme is to be developed as well. Over a hundred films, suited for the needs of people with visual and hearing impairments, will be available on a free-of-charge VOD portal.
The ECC 2016 programme also includes major film festivals that are already well-known in Wrocław: the T-Mobile International New Horizons Film Festival and the American Film Festival.
Literature
In 2016, Wrocław will also be the World Book Capital City of UNESCO. Ireneusz Grin, the director of the literature section:
"During the events in Wrocław, we will create an international book anthem based on Tadeusz Różewicz’s poem. On 23 April 2017, the last day of the World Book Capital City in Wrocław, this anthem will be sung in many cities around the world. This piece will remain the international book anthem even after our presidency"
– says Grin.
The Pan Tadeusz Museum in Wrocław is to be opened in 2016 as well. Run by the Ossolineum, it will exhibit, among others, a manuscript of the Polish national epic, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz.
The Bibliopolis is a project that aims at encouraging people to read. Its programme includes public readings and book exchange fairs. Literature will also become visible outdoors – books will be displayed on the building's walls and 10,000 cars will be covered with literary texts.
The Silesius International Poetry Festival will be organized in 2016 as well. It will collaborate with the biggest poetry festivals in Poland: Poznań Poetów, Miasto Poezji from Lublin, and the Czesław Miłosz International Festival from Kraków. Also,Wrocław will host the 4th World Congress of translators of Polish literature.
Polcon, the biggest festival of science-fiction and fantasy in Poland, is also scheduled for ECC 2016, as well as the official congress of Polish book club members, a meeting called a “literary Woodstock” by Grin.
New books are also to be published for ECC 2016:
"We are planning to translate the classic Polish children’s books into the languages of ethnic and national minorities. A literary portal created solely by students from Wrocław will also be created."
– said the curator of the literature section.