Editor

The International Short Film Festival ŻUBROFFKA is the event that creates positive energy and joins together people from around the world! The jubilee opening ceremony features MÚM, the legend of Icelandic electronic scene!

This year's festival is held between 2-6 December 2015. Our rich and diverse program includes more than 250 films, presented in special screenings and  seven competitions: national (Amateur, Students, Independent), international (Eastward Window and Whole Wide World) and global (Kids and Music Video). This year our programmers have chosen 105 films (from approx. 1700), which are going to be assessed by the international jury:

Konstantina Kotzamani - Greek director nominated for a European Film Award for her film "Washingtonia" which also won ŻUBROFFKA Grand Prix last year. Vahram Mkhitaryan - Armenian director and photographer, his films "Shepherd’s Song" and "Milky Brother" have been presented and awarded at film festivals around the world. Magnus von Horn - Swedish director whose feature debut "The Here After” was critcially acllaimed at international festivals (premiered in Cannes this year). Ryszard Jaźwiński – Polish Radio 3 journalist, a large part of his life he spends at the cinema as a viewer, juror and moderator of meetings with filmmakers. Paweł Chomczyk – Bialystok theatrical producer, actor and puppeteer, he also appears in films and radio dramas, co-founder of independent theatres Doomsday Company and Coincidentia Group

Additional programmes include specially selected sets of short films, namely "Chinese Alternative Transformations", "Various Faces of Current Czech Stop-Motion", "Single-Track Moving Force"  (a special cycling programme), "Russian Animated Madness", "Dances with Camera", "Midnight Shorts", "Balkan Blues", "Korean Independent Animation "," Mental Caucasus "," Refugees: Postcards from a Journey.”  There will also be, hugely popular in Bialystok, film breakfasts, this time Venezuelan, Bavarian and Scottish.

At the opening ceremony, the legend of Icelandic electronic scene MÚM are going to play live score for 1930 silent drama “People on Sunday”. The closing ceremony and awards gala will feature a special screening of 3D RARITIES to commemorate 100^th anniversary of 3D cinema!

The festival is not just about films, but also energetic music. In Bialystok you will hear: a legendary English FREESTYLERS crew, constantly traversing the world and promoting breakbeat / bass; Munich SCHLACHTHOFBRONX - pioneers of global bass scene who took world playlists by storm with their mix of dancehall, kuduro, electro, baile funk and Balkan rhythms; CLAP! CLAP! – an Italian artist and producer, inflaming dancefloors with his mix of house and world music; LITTLE BIG - Russian rave group, 200%  energy plus amazing performance art (described as new, crazier Die Antwoord!); Jaaa! - sensation at Polish music scene, alluring freak electronic project, formed by musicians associated with Contemporary Noise Quartet, Quintet and Sextet, Napszykłat and Daktari.

During ŻUBROFFKA you will also see Justyna Mielnikiewicz’s photo exhibition: UKRAINE RUNS THROUGH IT; there will be meetings with artists, panel discussions and workshops. During "Seniors vs Dogme" workshop, together with director Grzegorz Jaroszuk we shall find out if seniors can strip cinema of illusion in just a few days. In animated documentary workshop "My Home, My Playground", Ewa Borysewicz will convince young animators that each of us has an interesting story to tell. In another workshop, film critic Jakub Socha will try to teach young participants to write and talk about films.

More information: www.zubroffka.pl