Talking about Films. Interviews with Polish Film Scholars – review

Abstract

Published by Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, the book "Rozmowy przy filmie. Wywiady z polskimi filmoznawcami" (Żakieta et al., 2016) is the result of a the series of meetings conducted in 2013–2015 by the Film Studies Academic Society of the University of Lodz. The cycle, titled “Meet Your Film Specialist”, was initiated by Ewa Ciszewska, the Society’s supervisor. The list of invited guests included scholars from various institutions from the whole country, e.g. employees of the Chair for Media and Audiovisual Culture at the University of Lodz – the first academic institution in Poland, educating future film specialists. As the editors declare, the “interviews reveal inspiring portraits of authors eager to share their specialist knowledge and love for cinema” [my emphasis] (Żakieta et al., 2016, p. 8). For all readers who have previously read the interviewees’ books, Rozmowy przy filmie. Wywiady z polskimi filmoznawcami will offer a chance to broaden their knowledge. Others, in turn, will surely feel compelled to read them.This article is a review of the book titled Rozmowy przy filmie. Wywiady z polskimi filmoznawcami [Talking about Films. Interviews with Polish Film Scholars], edited by Żakieta, K., Góralik, M., Pospieszyńska, A. (Lodz, 2016). The reviewer pays attention to different topics brought up by interviewees in academic discussion. Both the series of meetings mentioned in the book’s title and the book itself were also meant to popularise film knowledge among people interested in audiovisual culture. The greatest advantage of the book is sharing with readers not only their extensive knowledge, but – what is at least equally important – their love for cinema