I’m pleased to invite you to a documentary course I’m honored to teach as part of Films Spring Open, which will focus on how to create award-winning documentaries on important topics.

During the four meetings of the course, I will share with you step-by-step my method of creating internationally acclaimed documentaries, which I have acquired over the past quarter century. I will present the issues simultaneously in a comprehensive manner, pointing out all aspects far beyond the film image itself, and at the same time in a detailed manner, highlighting important issues in each area of creative filmmaking. The key films that will be used for analysis are the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated “Children of Leningradsky,” the Producers Guild of America (PGA) Award-nominated “Something Better To Come,” shot over a 14-year period, and my latest film “Angels of Sinjar,” about the Yezidi genocide in Iraq, shot in some of the most difficult and inaccessible places on earth, often dangerous as well. In the film productions I’ll be discussing, I played many roles simultaneously: writer, cinematographer, director, editor, producer and co-producer.

The course will be held in the formula of “case studies” and will have a practical, interactive character, so as to meet the expectations of the course participants, while focusing on the challenges that you individually face in your work. Therefore, participants’ own projects that can be practically developed during the course are welcome, although not mandatory.

I look forward to meeting you at the Film Spring Open Documentary coursepol!

Depending on demand, courses can be conducted in Polish, English or Russian.

Hanna Polak

Watch the course teaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9oIMiKI4rU