KINOTEKA, the largest Polish film festival in the UK, joins relief efforts to help children escaping war in Ukraine

As the world shows overwhelming solidarity with Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion, the situation on the ground becomes increasingly dire. Over 1-2 million refugees have crossed the Polish border, with hundreds of thousands more reaching Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and other European countries. While the response in Poland has been overwhelmingly positive and open to people seeking refuge from the war tearing up their country, there is an enormous need for humanitarian help from all around the world.

Kinoteka understands that every donation counts and helps in such desperate times; therefore they have decided to answer this call by donating all festival proceeds to SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine emergency appeal. Each ticket purchased for a Polish film showcased at Kinoteka will result in a direct donation to the cause of supporting children and their families in Ukraine.

This call has also been met with the support of Kinoteka’s partner cinemas across London, including ICA, the Prince Charles Cinema, Riverside Studios, BFI Southbank and JW3. The Prince Charles Cinema director Gregory Lynn matched Kinoteka’s pledge and said: “We will donate all net receipts, Kinoteka’s and ours, to the charity supporting Ukrainian refugee children.“

READ MORE: KINOTEKA PROGRAMME

SOS Children’s Villages provide urgent support to Ukraine: helping to evacuate children and families to safety, providing those still in Ukraine with food and other supplies so they can stay in lockdown and providing constant trauma support for staff, families and children whose lives have been thrown into chaos. The need for support is growing by the hour. Millions of people are expected to flee the war in the following weeks. As well as the children and families already cared for by SOS Children’s Village prior to the invasion, large numbers are expected to need help as a direct result of the war.  Learn more about the charity here.

The Polish Cultural Institute in London is a proud organiser of the 20th Anniversary Kinoteka Polish Film Festival 2022, supported by the Polish Film Institute and IKH Productions. The Festival is opening on the 9th March and will last until 3rd April 2022. It will not only screen in some of London’s premier and most popular venues, including the ICA, the Prince Charles Cinema, Riverside Studios, JW3 and BFI Southbank, but this year a select number of titles will play at Edinburgh Filmhouse cinema.

As always, Kinoteka brings an eclectic mix of films across all genres from drama, comedy, social issues and documentary through to classics and will showcase the very best that Polish cinema has to offer. In addition to screenings, there will also be special events such as Q&As and panel discussions. You can watch the official Festival trailer below and explore the complete programme online at the Kinoteka website.