50th PFF: Jerzy Skolimowski receives FIPRESCI 100 Lifetime Achievement Award

At the Opening Ceremony of the 50^th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, Jerzy Skolimowski will receive the special FIPRESCI 100 Lifetime Achievement Award, which commemorates the 100^th anniversary of this oldest international film critics’ association in the world.

It is a tremendous honour to present the FIPRESCI 100 special tribute to a true master of cinema. As we celebrate 100 years of FIPRESCI and 50 years of the Polish Film Festival, we reflect on the decades past and recognise that Jerzy Skolimowski has always been present with his remarkable films – intelligent, humane, witty, thought-provoking, and effortlessly cool. He stands among the greatest filmmakers to have ever lived, and we are proud to share this moment with him – says Ahmed Shawky, president of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).

In the words of Joanna Łapińska, Artistic Director of the Festival: This will be a historic moment: 50 years of the Polish Film Festival and 100 years of FIPRESCI, celebrated by the international film family here in Gdynia. And in such a unique form! I am thrilled that the opening night of the festival will be highlighted by the presentation of the FIPRESCI jubilee award to Jerzy Skolimowski. He has made his mark on cinema history as an uncompromising artist. A Polish director of an international renown. Once a rebel, today he boldly crosses boundaries, still as open and curious about reality as ever. The decision to honour him with the FIPRESCI 100 Lifetime Achievement Award is deeply meaningful to me. This organization brings together people from all over the world, and Polish cinema is precisely that: global.

Jerzy Skolimowski adds: It is a great honour to receive the FIPRESCI award for the so-called lifetime achievement, even though I have yet to make my most important film. I owe my career to film critics. Until today, I have not had an opportunity to thank them properly.

This is a great honour for the director, but also for the Festival. FIPRESCI Jubilee Award has only been presented once before, at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and the next presentation is planned for the Venice International Film Festival. In addition to the award ceremony, the 50^th PFF will also feature a special screening of Jerzy Skolimowski’s first two films, Identification Marks: None and Walk-over and his last picture EO, preceded by an introduction by Michał Oleszczyk and Ola Salwa.

100 Years of FIPRESCI

Screening of the films Identification Marks: None and Walk-over, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. Introduction by Michał Oleszczyk and Ola Salwa.

The 50^th Polish Film Festival will take place from 22^nd to 27^th September 2025 in Gdynia. The Festival is produced by the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.

©FIPRESCI