This year’s, already the 16th , edition of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema will visually relate to the “Cinema is the memory of humanity” idea. Exuberant, spring and summer palette of colors and references to the classics by Jan Lenica and Wojciech Fangor follow the Artistic concept 2023, developed by the Artistic Director of the Festival, Grzegorz Stępniak.
Speaking by images
Cinema is a continuous record of history, culture and emotions of humanity Through films we can wander along the streets of 1960s Paris, face the dilemmas of samurais, mothers, teenagers, artists, glimpse into lives and realities that no longer exist, exchange memories between continents and cultures – says a multidisciplinary creative Tomasz Kuczma, the author of this year’s graphic design of the Festival. Key Visual Mastercard OFF CAMERA 2023 is a modern, graphic representation of that memory. It’s also a tribute paid to Polish graphic design. The abstract in form figures are a distant echo of classic works by Jan Lenica and Wojciech Fangor.
After the difficult pandemic period, it’s time for something new: the logo and the visual identity of the Festival have been refreshed. They are accompanied by a, simpler in form, graphic design in fresh, dynamic, spring and summer palette of colors.
We believe experiences and emotions are one of the most valuable things in life. Films, through their universality, connect people all over the world, giving them an opportunity to face a different reality, and they also encourage the viewers to reflect on what’s vital – for us and for the world. It’s particularly important in these exceptional times, after over two years of going through crises. Today, more than ever, we need to focus on what brings us together and look for an opportunity for joint celebration of passion and joy. For 8 years, and 5 years as the titular partner, we’ve been proud to be part of this unique celebration of cinematography – the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema. The changes introduced this year in the Festival’s identity are a new openness, a burst of spring and summer energy, which – I hope – will be shared by all cinephiles – says Jerzy Hołub, the Marketing Director for Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia in Mastercard Europe.
Artistic concept 2023
The Artistic Director of the Festival, Grzegorz Stępniak:
The upcoming 16th edition of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema comes at particularly complex times. Economic, business, political, cultural crises and the nearby war become the painful everyday reality, and it’s more and more difficult to escape from it, even for a moment.
We remain confident, however, that cinema, with its extra power of telling gripping stories and by showing the ups and downs of people who are so different from us, offers not only entertainment but it also serves strictly social functions. The primary of such functions is the on-going teaching of empathy, through openness to experiences and fates of other people.
We therefore hope that the unique, carefully selected films, screened in the Main Dramatic Competition “Making Way” and the Polish Feature Film Competition, the regular and the new festival sections that take a closer look at women, families and their new forms, technology and its relations with nature and culture, and also the changes taking place within action and adventure genres, will expose our audience to different ways and models of life. And, most of all, they will have a considerable impact on their sensitivity and become the so much needed lesson of empathy and compassion.
The Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema will be held in Kraków between 28th April and 7th May 2023. May 2023. The program will cover nearly 100 films from 40 countries, presented in best non-chain cinemas during over 200 screenings. Detailed information on the Festival can be found at: https://www.offcamera.pl/en/
Tomasz Kuczma
multidisciplinary creative, author of this year’s key visual of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA Festival
Author of posters, album covers, music videos, concert visuals, and visual identity for artists such as: Krzysztof Zalewski, Natalia Przybysz, Mery Spolsky, Rubens, Reni Jusis, Natalia Szroeder, Ania Leon, Daria Zawiałow, Katarzyna Nosowska, Smolik, Kayah and Julia Wieniawa. Specializes in visual communication advisory. Author of logos and identity systems for r Kayax Music and Mastercard OFF CAMERA Festival, among others. Works also as a composer and performer. Moves around a broad spectrum of styles: from jazz and afrobeat improvisations – using the alias Sommelt, through theatre music to experimental electronic.