Volunteering as part of cultural film events – research results, video session and publication
Summing up 2019, it is worth looking at the work of people who, thanks to their special attitude, passion and dedication, choose to selflessly help develop film culture in Poland. The realities of the festival life of volunteers can be seen thanks to the effects of the project “Research on volunteering in the field of film culture”.
The video session and publication prepared as part of the project are a collection of conclusions resulting from research on cooperation with volunteers during cultural film events. The project was carried out as part of a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The scholarship holder and producer of the project – Simone Lipińska from the FILMFORUM Association – met with volunteers and volunteer coordinators of Polish film festivals to learn about the most important aspects of their work.
The research covered the analysis of individual stages of organization and coordination of volunteering: from recruitment, through the training process, implementation of the project to its completion. The effects of the work are video sessions and publications that provide insight into the realities of volunteer and volunteer coordinators’ work.
Video Essay presents the experience of volunteer teams and methods of cooperation with volunteers used by film festival organizers. It is a collection of statements of volunteers engaging in this type of undertaking. Their opinions, feelings and thoughts are juxtaposed with the reflections of volunteer coordinators cooperating with them.
Volunteers and organizers of the following film festivals took part in the research:
- Country Film Meetings INTIMATE SUMMER in Radom,
- NEW HORIZONS International Film Festival (Wrocław),
- Octopus Film Festival (Gdańsk),
- Polish Film Festival (Gdynia),
- WAMA Film Festival (Olsztyn),
- CINEMAFORUM – International Short Film Festival (Warsaw).
A Video Essay which is the result of the project is available HERE
The video session is complemented by a publication which is a synthesis of the most important opinions and conclusions gathered during the interviews. The publication is also enriched by the insights of experts in the field of volunteering. They are associated with organizations and institutions that initiate such activities and even specialize in them: the FILMFORUM Association, the KOSMOPOLIS Institute, the Volunteer Centre in Warsaw, the “Warsaw Volunteers” project and the JAROCIN XXI Association.
The publication (in Polish) is available HERE
Conclusions from the research can be used as a compendium of knowledge about volunteering cooperation and inspire organizers of cultural initiatives to introduce changes in the process of volunteering management and implement new, effective solutions in this field.
Gathered opinions and observations can also be a step towards raising general standards and improving commonly accepted standards in the field of cooperation with volunteers, who are an extremely valuable social capital of each film event.
Project coordinator:
Simone Lipińska
FILMFORUM Association
35 Gen. Władysława Andersa street, 00-159 Warsaw
Phone: +48 22 392 03 21
e-mail: simone.lipinska@filmforum.pl
The project was carried out as part of a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
