Polish community club to host film festival in Naples

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — Polish community club, Polska Przystań, will host its first-ever Polish Film Festival in March at the Paragon Theatres in Naples.

The three-day festival runs from Friday, March 20, until Sunday, March 22, and features nine contemporary films from Polish cinema. 

Some of the confirmed titles include the opening-night film "Chopin, Chopin!," "Home Sweet Home", and "The Partisan."

Kathy Zakrzewski, organizer of the festival, said the films were chosen based on the latest and most popular movies currently playing in Poland. Many of the films showcased have also won awards at international festivals.

"I think we're very excited to bring the Polish cinema to Naples. [A] Lot of people are very, very interested in Chopin, Chopin. So this is kind of like our main event," said Zakrzewski. "We have a lot of American audience reaching out, and they're interested in the day."

The festival aims to bring authentic Polish voices to Southwest Florida and celebrate Polish heritage.

"Some people who lived in Naples for decades feel that this event will bring them closer to where they came from, or where their parents came from. And they feel proud of being Polish in America," said Karolina Byzdra, spokesperson for the Polish Film Festival.

Byzdra says Naples is the perfect place to host a film festival. She hopes the festival will appeal to a broader audience, not just Polish-speaking people.

"We believe that this is a phenomenal place, because with the Baker's Museum, with the arts, Philharmonic; we believe that this is the way," said Byzdra. "This is where cinema grows, and that's the real art."

The festival will also feature an audience vote for the best films. The films with the highest audience scores will receive awards, which will be sent to their producers in Europe.

Click here to purchase the opening night ticket package. Click here for select tickets.