Cinema
The film industry in Lodz
For years, Lodz was known as a great textile industry but also, and this is what we will deal with today, cinema. Indeed, cinema in Lodz has a major place in its history. On my side, I have not yet been to see the museums dedicated to the cinema in Lodz and I have not been to see any film but it will be soon. So I'll deal mainly with the history of cinema in Lodz rather than my personal impression.
It is important to know that Lodz has one of the oldest film schools in the world. This city is often compared to Hollywood, it is even called the "Hollywood of Poland". Indeed, we can observe in the main street of Lodz (Piotrkowska) stars with the names of the most famous actors and directors of Poland. This shows the importance of cinema for this city.
Lodz saw its first screenings as early as the 1890s. However, it was not until 1907 that the first cinema (the Variety Palace) opened in the city. This cinema was very successful very quickly, and other cinemas were opened in the following years. By 1912, the city already had a dozen movie theaters, attracting a large audience from all social classes.
However, it was not until 1920 that Lodz was considered the center of the film industry in Poland. Several film studios were established in the city, attracting directors, actors and technicians from all over Poland. In 1926 the film school was founded in Lodz, which trained some of the greatest Polish directors, such as Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Kieslowski and Andrzej Wajda.
Over the years, many important films have been shot in Lodz. In 1962, Roman Polanski shot his first feature film, "The Knife in the Water" in Lodz. This film was nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film. In 1989, Krzysztof Kieslowski began shooting "The Decalogue" in Lodz. This series of ten films was critically acclaimed and is considered one of the most important achievements of Polish cinema. Today, Lodz continues to be an important center of the Polish film industry, with many films and series shot in the city each year.
From my point of view, I find the history of cinema in Lodz a fascinating subject and I can't wait to go to museums and even to see Polish films in order to have an external opinion on these films.