The stay in Mongolia was an opportunity for the film scholar from Lodz to participate in scientific meetings and take part in many discussions on Polish film studies which were conducted in an international environment.
Prof. Piotr Sitarski delivered a paper on contemporary Mongolian crime films at the conference entitled "Contemporary Mongolian Cinema in the International Arena", which was held to as part of celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the Mongolian film industry. The event was organised by the Mongolian film studio Mongolkino and the Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture in Ulaanbaatar. In addition, Prof. Sitarski served as a juror at the international Badruugan Badraa Debiut 11 film festival, organised by the Faculty of Journalism and Media Arts of the university.
Despite the cultural and geographical distance, film connections between Mongolia and Poland are quite numerous. Many veterans of Mongolian cinema have visited Poland in the past, and some also speak Polish. Every year, Polish Film Days are held in Ulaanbaatar, and recently the Mongol Kino studio signed an agreement of intent to make films with the Warsaw Documentary and Feature Film Studios (WFDiF)
– reports Prof. Sitarski.
The scientist from Lodz also had the opportunity to give a lecture to local students, during which he talked about Polish film studies.
Interestingly, the visit to Mongolia was an opportunity to meet after many years, as the Director of Mongolkino, Tumen-Ulzii Budsuren, is a graduate of cultural studies with a specialisation in film studies at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Lodz.
It is extremely important that our international graduates return to their homeland after completing their studies and find their place in the local labour market, using the skills they acquired during their studies at the University of Lodz on a daily basis
– concludes Prof. Sitarski.