The Minister of Culture will appoint a new PISF Council. Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska: even the most entrenched institution can be freed

On Thursday, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Piotr Gliński decided to extend the possibility of presenting “candidates for members of the Council of the Polish Film Institute” until November 24. Based on the previous decision, published on November 3, the deadline for submitting candidates is Friday, November 17. Information about the extension of the deadline appeared in the “News” tab of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage website.

“Due to suggestions from some creative circles regarding the extension of the recruitment of candidates to the Council of the Polish Film Institute, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage decided to extend the deadline for submitting candidates to November 24, 2023.” – we read in the announcement.

On Wednesday, in response to tvn24.pl’s questions on this matter, the ministry argued that it was only a “routine procedure”. “The appointments of the members of the PISF Council of the current (three-year) term were signed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage on December 23, 2020. Therefore, taking into account the approaching end of the term of office of the current Council and the need to ensure the continuity of the implementation of its tasks, in particular giving opinions on the annual activity plan and the draft annual financial plan Institute, the initial stage of the procedure has been initiated, i.e. collecting candidates for members of the Council. Initiating such activities remains a regular and routine task of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage,” reads the statement of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

However, there were voices of surprise and concern from the film industry. tvn24.pl’s interlocutors reminded on Thursday that the “previously good custom” of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage was to notify organizations associating women filmmakers about the planned establishment of a new council and the possibility of submitting their candidacies.

– The procedure for announcing recruitment to the new Council of the Polish Film Institute is strange. When selecting the PISF Council in the past, organizations representing the Polish film industry received information from the ministry in advance that the recruitment of candidates would begin. It was a good custom that was abandoned this time, explained film producer Renata Czarnkowska-Listoś, president of the Women of Film Association, on Thursday.

MORE IN THE TEXT TVN24.PL: Recruitment for the Council of the Polish Film Institute. “We were surprised by this information”

Speaker of the Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońskaa film producer in the past, in an interview with Tomasz-Marcin Wrona from tvn24.pl, said that the appointment of a new Council of the Polish Film Institute by the Minister of Culture “could be considered routine if he were to continue his work in the government, and this will not be the case” .

– Appointing a new council in this situation is an attempt to put concrete in another cultural institution – she said. – Soon there will be a new Minister of Culture, and Minister Gliński will be forgotten. Therefore, I believe that announcing competitions for director positions or appointing a new institute council at this time is nothing more than securing your influence by force, she said.

Kidawa-Błońska reminded that “The PISF Council influences the functioning of the entire institute and supervises the work of the director.” – Minister Gliński will appoint people to this council who will continue to implement his policy – she said.

– However, I would like to point out that even the most entrenched system or institutions can be freed. And these actions of Minister Gliński will not go unpunished and I would not be so confident in his place, the politician pointed out.

Who is being considered for the position of Minister of Culture in the government? Donald Tusk? – I would love to share this information with you, but it will be announced by Donald Tusk. That’s what we agreed. And I stick to the rule that I keep my agreements with my boss, she concluded.

The voice of the Speaker of the Senate is not an isolated one. TVN24 reporter Katarzyna Gozdawa-Litwińska reported from the Sejm the statements of other politicians of the new parliamentary majority.

– This is not a routine matter, it’s just another chair, another chair and another position. PiS is mainly devoting these last weeks to this. After all, today they do not deal with, for example, KPO funds, they do not think about what the new road system in Poland will look like. They want to steal a little, leave Heniek, Gienek, maybe Halina somewhere, and that’s exactly what Minister Gliński is doing – said an MP from the Civic Coalition in an interview with Gozdawa-Litwińska Cezary Tomczyk.

The parliamentarian recalled that Andrzej Duda at the end of May 2015, after receiving the resolution on choice as president of the Republic of Poland, he appealed to those in power at that time, Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz, not to make “serious changes” during the transition period.

– Now we are a step further. PiS lost the election. It is known that he has no mandate from society and is just finishing his mission. Each such resolution, each decision of this type, if it is illegal, will be simply withdrawn – said Tomczyk.

In a conversation with a TVN24 reporter, Dorota Olko, an MP from the Left, pointed out that another MP from the Razem Party, Paulina Matysiak, asked the ministry in writing why the information about the possibility of presenting candidates for the council was not displayed on the ministry’s website. – Why is Minister Gliński in such a hurry when we know that a new government will be formed? – Olko reported.

The MP informed that the ministry did not answer these questions. – I wonder if (MP Matysiak – ed.) will be able to get an answer, because this government will soon finish its work. If it operates in this mode, the members will already be appointed, said the Left MP.

– I think this is against the will of Polish women and men who supported a change of government. The new authorities should fill these positions, Olko said.