Podkarpackie Film Trail

Some prominent Hollywood filmmakers, Fred Zinnemann and Sam Spiegel, came from this area. Most importantly, however, many small towns, villages and places in the middle of nowhere have ‘played’ in dozens of Polish and foreign movies. Although the heart of the Polish film industry is located in Warsaw and Łódź and the decision to use locations at the south-eastern outskirts of the country is linked with additional challenges, many filmmakers choose these beautiful Subcarpathian locations to create cinematically appealing settings for their feature films representing a variety of genres, including historical pictures, war movies and contemporary drama films.

The project entitled Podkarpackie Film Trail, initiated in 2020, is designed to collect and present information related to the cinematic history of the region. It has created a comprehensive and detailed catalogue of all films made in the Subcarpathian region, listing the locations used. It also presents stories related to the productions made in the region. In the frames of the project, once a year an event is organized in a specific place along the trail, where the audiences can watch selected feature films as well as documentaries, they can meet filmmakers, participate in discussion panels with film critics, and – last but not least - they can take a tour of the nearby film locations. So far such events have been organized in the following places.

The film-related history of Jaśliska is quite unique. This small village in the Low Beskids has attracted many filmmakers over the years. Its peaceful atmosphere and beautiful mountainous scenery has provided an excellent setting for stories presented on the big screens. Part of the unique character of the place is linked with its history. For half a millennium Jaśliska was a town along the Hungarian route so there are surprises such as the town square and the medieval wine cellars. Today the village retains its appearance of an old and very small town. The residents of Jaśliska were happy to host the crews of a few film productions. These included the 2018 drama film Mug directed by Małgorzata Szumowska, awarded the Golden Bear by the jury of the Berlin International Film Festival, as well as the 2019 drama film Corpus Christi by Jan Komasa, which was nominated for the Academy Awards. Owing to these critically acclaimed films, today the village of Jaśliska is known worldwide. However, before Hollywood ever heard of Jaśliska, the village made its debut in cinemas with the film Wino truskawkowe (Strawberry Wine) (directed by Dariusz Jabłoński, 2007) presenting a colourful picture of local people and their stories.

Filmmakers have come to love Przemyśl because it is a town with a wealth of history, many old buildings and streets, which provide a perfect setting for stories talking about the past. This is why various locations of this town can be seen in many productions. In some movies, Przemyśl seems ethereal, or warm and friendly, in others it looks grim and dreary, or even frightening. This city reveals its different faces to the movie makers and each time is able to offer something that no one has yet seen there. In fact its timeless character made it possible for Przemyśl to take on the roles of Lviv, Vilnius and St. Petersburg. Some films made here are based on true stories which happened in Przemyśl. One of these, the American TV movie Hidden in Silence, (1996) directed by Richard A. Colla, presents the story of the Podgórski siters who at the start of WWII lived in Przemyśl. The best known productions made here include the 1986 drama A Chronicle of Amorous Accidents directed by Andrzej Wajda and The Border (in Polish: Wataha), a very popular crime series airing on HBO Poland. Various episodes in the latter series have also featured a number of locations in the Bieszczady mountains.

The potential of the Bieszczady mountains has been known to filmmakers since the 1950s, and over the years various locations in this area were used in about twenty feature films. The beautiful scenery provides an excellent backdrop for both adventure and drama. It may convey a feeling of tranquility, magic and mystery as well as a sense of dread. In the late 1960s, the vast expanses of the Bieszczady, with no signs of technological civilization, effectively played a role of 17th century landscape in the historical drama about Colonel Wołodyjowski, directed by Jerzy Hoffman. Even earlier than that, in the late 1950s the film director Wadim Berestowski, inspired by true stories of those who had left large cities to live in the wilderness of the Bieszczady, made the film Rancho Texas, which was the first Polish ‘western movie’. More recently the town of Ustrzyki Dolne featured extensively in a biographical movie Idź pod prąd (Go against the flow), about the first Polish punk rock band KSU, which, surprisingly, started in this remote place in 1977. Most typically, however, the landmarks of the multicultural heritage of this borderland, some located in remote places and others on display at the Ethnographic Park in Sanok, have appeared in movies talking about the fortunes of people living during difficult times in the past.

Another city which has hosted film crews is Jarosław - a long time ago an important trade centre attracting merchants from distant places. Its arcaded houses, the narrow streets and dark backyards, the large central square with the imposing Town Hall, as well as other locations in the old part of the city in the eye of a camera can look like places from history books. Perhaps this is why Jarosław ‘played’ in the historical TV series entitled 1920. Wojna i miłość (1920. War and Love)  and in the drama film Eter (Ether) by Krzysztof Zanussi, talking about the times before the First World War. In January 2007, Andrzej Wajda was shooting the historical film Katyń on location in the nearby tserkva in Stary Dzików. On this occasion he visited Jarosław as well, and decided that he would also shoot a scene in the Town Square in Jarosław. ‘I fell in love with this beautiful city and decided to immortalise it in the film,’ he said.

The Podkarpackie Film Trail is a work in progress. Five events were organised by 2024, in  Jaśliska, Przemyśl, the Bieszczady mountains as well as Jarosław and Sanok. The next to come is the event in Kolbuszowa. The project is carried out by the Podkarpackie Film Commission.