In August this year, a thorough renovation of the New Horizons Cinema will begin. For seventeen years, one of the largest and most important film festivals in Poland has been held here – the New Horizons International Film Festival, and for thirteen years the American Film Festival. The festivals and other film and cultural events are organized by the New Horizons Association in cooperation with the City of Wrocław.
The city concluded a ten-year lease agreement with Futureal Investment Partners – until June 2032, and made the space available to the New Horizons Association, so that it could continue its mission.
- It was a challenge to secure a place for the activities of the New Horizons, which we all appreciate so much. We managed to do more than that, because the cinema not only stays in the place with which it is associated, but it will also be thoroughly modernized – says Jacek Sutryk, mayor of Wrocław. - I am delighted that Roman Gutek and his team will stay with us for at least ten more years.
Futureal Investment Partners will modernize the cinema with its own funds. New air conditioning, film projectors, screens and sound systems will be installed. The renovation will be carried out in the period from August 2022 to May 2023. By the end of October this year, the foyer and the largest screening room will be modernized. Later on, other viewing rooms will be temporarily shut down, and construction will be carried out in a way to not interfere with running the cinema. The 13th edition of the American Film Festival will take place in November 2022 as planned.
- I am grateful to the city and the mayor, Jacek Sutryk, for actively engaging in negotiations with the new owner of the building, in these uneasy times for cinema and culture, and for bringing these negotiations to a positive conclusion. The ten-year agreement stabilizes the situation of the cinema, the festivals and enables their further development – says Roman Gutek, president of the New Horizons Association. - During the seventeen years of cooperation between the city and the Association, many film, cultural and educational events serving the residents of Wrocław were organized at the New Horizons Cinema. Before the pandemic, 500,000 viewers attended screenings and various events at the cinema, all year round. This means that since 2012, when the New Horizons Cinema was set up, it has been visited by almost 5 million people. I am glad that we have at least ten more years ahead of us with the New Horizons in Wrocław.
