Program 2024

16:00

Related Event: „The Future of Ukraine”, Collection for FNF x Fine Acts

The collection of illustrations “The Future of Ukraine” aims to highlight hope, resilience, courage, and solidarity in the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The goal is to imagine the future of Ukraine and Europe, tapping into the potential of artists’ creativity and visionary talent, while using hope-based communications for human rights.

 

15 talented artists from 10 European countries, including Ukraine, created these illustrations as part of SPRINTS – an art bootcamp by the global creative studio for social impact, Fine Acts, where they had only 48 hours to create the art after a topic’s briefing.

 

The full collection of captivating illustrations in English and Ukrainian can be found on TheGreats.co, a unique global platform by Fine Acts for open-licensed socially engaged visuals.

 

All the illustrations are available under a Creative Commons open license, empowering activists, organizations, and educators globally to not only freely download, but as well adapt them for non-commercial use.

 

The collection is a partnership between Fine Acts and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) as part of FNF’s global campaign #ReshapeEurope on strengthening Europe’s democracy and resilience.

Room: MACHINE HALL (at the end of the hall) [0]

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Registration

Registration for the Freedom Games lasts all day. You can come just before the session you are interested in. Parking for participants is located by the Łódź Fabryczna station.

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16:45

Mikołaj Trzaska: Solo Performance

 

Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury – państwowego funduszu celowego, w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca.

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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17:00

Between history and freedom. Meeting with Andrzej Sapkowski

The meeting will be followed by a book signing at the Do Dzieła bookstore booth. Please bring no more than two copies of books.

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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18:00

18:30

Official Opening of Freedom Games | CITY

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf – TVP
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19:30

Yascha Mounk: Freedom and the Trap of Identity Politics

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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20:15

Nazanin Boniadi: Woman Life Freedom – Iran’s Lessons from Poland’s Solidarity Movement

After almost half a century of occupying Iran, the Islamic Republic faces its greatest existential threat— an emboldened civil society, a fearless Gen Z, and women blazing the trail for freedom. As the regime extends its long arm of repression across the globe, the free world has its greatest allies in the Iranian people. This talk will explore lessons that Iran can learn from Poland’s Solidarity Movement, the mutually beneficial role of supporting the Iranian people’s aspirations for democracy, and overcoming the movement’s impediments to success.

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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21:00

Concert: Yagody

Balkan motifs and Ukrainian sounds – this will certainly not be missing at the Opening Gala of the 2024 Freedom Games, during which the band YAGODY will play a concert!

The ‘YAGODY’ project emerged in June 2016. The music created by the band is filled with Ukrainian sounds and Balkan motifs. ‘It is important to us that the lyrics that flow inside you also resound on your lips. Our music is letters from the past that you did not receive,’ – say the band members.

‘Also, our music is about us. Four women with different temperaments and experiences. Zoriana Dybovska (percussion), Sofiia Leshyshak (djembe), Nadiia Parashchuk (accordion) and Tetyana Voitiv (drymba and Tibetan bowl). We are quite different from each other and that is why the name of our ensemble starts with the sound ‘YA’. In Ukrainian it means ‘I’. We are similar in our differences’ – they continue.

In short, ‘YAGODY’ is a journey into oneself. Into one’s heart. In our music, everything comes together. A return to the ancestral home becomes possible. So let’s watch and listen!

 

 

Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury – państwowego funduszu celowego, w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca.

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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FESTIVAL CLUB: 6. DZIELNICA

FESTIVAL CLUB: 6. DZIELNICA

We cordially invite you to an unofficial afterparty every day of the festival (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) after the end of the festival program at the EC1.
ENTRY: upon presentation of ID or appropriate Freedom Games wristband.
ADDRESS: 6. Dzielnica Club & café (102 Piotrkowska Street, II floor, entrance from the gate)
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09:00

Related Event: „The Future of Ukraine”, Collection for FNF x Fine Acts

The collection of illustrations “The Future of Ukraine” aims to highlight hope, resilience, courage, and solidarity in the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The goal is to imagine the future of Ukraine and Europe, tapping into the potential of artists’ creativity and visionary talent, while using hope-based communications for human rights.

 

15 talented artists from 10 European countries, including Ukraine, created these illustrations as part of SPRINTS – an art bootcamp by the global creative studio for social impact, Fine Acts, where they had only 48 hours to create the art after a topic’s briefing.

 

The full collection of captivating illustrations in English and Ukrainian can be found on TheGreats.co, a unique global platform by Fine Acts for open-licensed socially engaged visuals.

 

All the illustrations are available under a Creative Commons open license, empowering activists, organizations, and educators globally to not only freely download, but as well adapt them for non-commercial use.

 

The collection is a partnership between Fine Acts and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) as part of FNF’s global campaign #ReshapeEurope on strengthening Europe’s democracy and resilience.

Room: MACHINE HALL (at the end of the hall) [0]

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Registration

Registration for the Freedom Games lasts all day. You can come just before the session you are interested in. Parking for participants is located by the Łódź Fabryczna station.

+

10:00

Related event: film section

Screening program:

 

BE SOMEBODY / BE SOMEBODY, dir. by Michal Toczek, feature, 27’21”

WARSZAWA, HOLAND / WARSZAWA, HOLAND, dir. by Ming-Wei Chiang, narrative, 17’30”

IN THE LES ARE PEOPLE / THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE FOREST, dir. by Szymon Ruczynski, animated, 9’53”

TAKIE CUDA SIĘ ZDARZAJĄ / SUCH MIRACLES DO HAPPEN, dir. by Barbara Rupik, animated, 13’48”

GARSTKA ZIEMI / HANDFUL OF DIRT, dir. by Izabela Zubrycka, documentary, 13’04”

Kapitałocen – Joanna Dreczka, 2024
Czorty – Jan Kazimierz Barnaś, 2022
How many drops in an ocean can AI handle? – Mateusz Pecyna, 2023
Murphy – Wojciech Kamerys, 2022
Twój dom jest tam gdzie śmieci twoje – Aleksandra Soćko, 2023
Bez tytułu – Piotr Piwowarski, 2024
Merboys – Jakub Stępień, 2021
Zasłyszane – Zuzanna Ziarnik, 2024

Compilation of films from the Institute of Photography and Multimedia at the Wladyslaw Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz prepared for the 2024 Freedom Games.

 

Curators:
Dr. Łukasz Ogórek prof. of the academy
dr. Anna Bąk

 

 

The films will be played in a loop.

Room: URANIA CINEMA [+3]

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Related event: “Engaged Animation,” Piotr Kardas

URBAN SPHINX (Spain 2019, 05:00), María Lorenzo

ARCHITECTS’ CRUISE (United Kingdom 2022, 02:36), Simon Hamlyn, Kingston School of Art

HOME, (UK 2019, 07:51), Anita Brūvere, Nodachi LTD

FASHION VICTIMS 2.0 (Spain 2023, 02:10), María Lorenzo

THE CHILDREN OF CONCRETE (France 2017, 06:42), Jonathan Phanhsay-Chamson

EX TERRAT, (Austria/France 2016, 05:45), Reinhold Bidner

BREXICUTED France 2018, 06:00), Chris Shepherd, Autour de Minuit

OPEN WATER (Austria 2021, 11:18), Georg Eckmayr

IN A LINE OF TWO, MEETING ALIOU AND AFIF (Italy 2020, 06:51), Elisabetta Bosco, Margherita Giusti, Viola Mancini

PLSTC (France 2022, 01:37), Laen Sanches

MARIUPOL. A HUNDRED NIGHTS (Ukraine 2022, 07:26), Sofiia Melnyk

 

 

Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury – państwowego funduszu celowego, w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca.

Room: URANIA CINEMA [+3]

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Zitelmann x Balcerowicz: In Defense of Capitalism

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Summary of the Year of Government

Room: ODEON HALL [+3] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Beata Lubecka
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Derek Scally: The Best Catholics in the World

When we were born we had no choice: Poles and Irish practiced, or practiced religious traditions unreflectively, by the method of accomplished facts. Are the paths of our exit equal. What does the history of the “Best Catholics under the Sun” teach us? Artur Nowak will discuss the decline of the Roman Catholic Church, which until recently monopolized education on the “green island” and enshrined the superiority of Catholicism over democracy in the Constitution, with Derek Scally.

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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When a refugee becomes a neighbour and a colleague…

In everyday life, we encounter various terms and labels that often shape our perceptions of other people. One such term is “refugee” – a term that often evokes associations with distant, hard-to-understand stories, full of stereotypes and myths. But what happens when a refugee becomes our neighbor, co-worker, member of the local community?

 

This panel will bring together people who have experienced refugeeism themselves and who have lived in Poland for several years. They will share their thoughts on integration in a new country, pointing out what works in the systemic integration solutions and what needs improvement. Participants in the discussion will also talk about their experience of living in Poland and how they are perceived by Poles – both on a social and personal level.

 

This won’t just be a conversation about refugees – it will be a conversation with neighbors, neighbors’ neighbors, colleagues who share their journey to a new home, where they have become part of the local community. The panel will help understand that a refugee is not just someone from a distant story, but first and foremost a person with the right to live with dignity, develop and realize their dreams – just like any and all of us.

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

Speakers:

  • Speakers:
  • Tahmina Rajabova
  • Natasza Yazepchuk
  • Pavel Zhdanovich
  • Iqbal Hasa

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Anna Górnicka – Outriders
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The Teacher for Year 2040: Dare to think differently

During the talk, experts will introduce the Teach for Poland Foundation’s original concept of the future of the teaching profession, created on the basis of the research-foresight process and the “Teacher 2040” report. They will consider possible scenarios for the development of the education system and this profession in Poland and potential changes in status, role, working conditions, competencies, among others. In an innovative and inspiring way, they will share their reflections on what social, economic, political, technological trends will have an impact and why this is important and affects each of us today.

Room: INNOVATION ROOM [+2]

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Trump vs. Harris: State of the Game

In a little more than two weeks, Americans will elect a president, and for us, this is not just an internal matter of the United States. Who will become the new leader of the free world and commander in chief of the most powerful military on the planet? What distinguishes both candidates and which of their qualities are good or bad for us.

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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Related event: PWSFTviT photography exhibition

“Urban Legends” is a photographic project created on the phantasmagorias of second- and fourth-year students of the Department of Photography at the Film School in Lodz. The stories depicted go straight back to examples of the 20th century avant-garde, only to take a turn towards afterimages from horror films. The base for creating stories is the city of Lodz, the inspiration is gossip, memes and fake news, and everything is connected by the world of everlasting renovation and construction works.

Artistic persons Łukasz Biernat, Paulina Byczek, Ewa Januszewska, Monika Jóźwicka, Mikołaj Marciniak, Benedykt Rogala, Wojtek Serowik, Eryk Siemianowicz, Karolina Smołka, Krzysiek Szpryngiel, Jeremiasz Wesołek, Ania Zegar. The project is the result of cooperation between the studios of Szymon Kobusinski and Bownik, lecturers at the PWSFTviT.

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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Solidarity of Women in Music

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Agnieszka Szydłowska
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Oliwia Bosomtwe: Like a White Person. The Story of Poles and the Others

Publishing partner of the meeting is W.A.B. Publishing House.

Room: BASEMENT HALL [-1]

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11:00

Related event: Living Library

Living Library at the Freedom Games!

We invite you to participate in the Living Library, organized as part of IKEA’s #ChangingNarrations campaign with the support of the Towards Dialogue Foundation, Ocalenie Foundation, Mudita Association, EMIC Foundation, Immigrant and Immigrant Women Support Center and Eliza Gaust.

📅 Saturday, October 19, starting at 11:00 a.m.
📍 Level +2, IKEA zone

During the event, you’ll be able to “borrow” Living Books – people representing a variety of social groups who share their personal stories. In the talks, which last 30 minutes, you will hear about the challenges faced by, among others, migrants, people with disabilities, caregivers of people with disabilities, Roma and Roma women and many others.

This is a unique opportunity to learn about the perspectives of people we don’t have the opportunity to talk to on a daily basis. The Living Library offers a space for frank dialogue, breaking down stereotypes and building respect for diversity. Through these conversations, you can better understand “otherness” and the challenges faced by those who are excluded or at risk of exclusion in society.

Visit IKEA’s #ChangingNarration zone on level +2 and take part in this unique experience. This is a unique opportunity to reflect and change perspectives.

Room: Level +2, IKEA zone

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11:15

The Vision of Europe Co-Created by Poland

Introduction: Adam Szłapka

Geopolitical, economic and demographic realities are leading to a metamorphosis, or even a halt to the previous course of European integration. We are increasingly talking about autonomy, protectionism, shields and closure instead of cooperation, freedom and openness. Growing polarization and increasing support for the demands of the far right in more European countries are beginning to influence the decisions and positions of mainstream European political forces. Are we witnessing the “quiet revolution” that Marc De Vos talks about in his recent reflections? Or are the European Commission’s new policy guidelines for the next five years just old goals in a new wrapper?

Room: ODEON HALL [+3] | ENG/PL

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The European Union as the Leader of AI Revolution

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Dominika Kaczorowska-Spychalska
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What Kind of Migration Policy?

Migration and asylum policy are among the most polarizing issues in Europe. In Poland, the conflict has intensified due to the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, where, according to reports from activists and outside observers, pushbacks are taking place in violation of international and European law. The discussion will focus on two aspects: on the one hand, the human rights perspective, which calls for respect for the human rights of refugees, and on the other hand, the security perspective, which presents the influx of refugees and immigrants as a threat to the security of Poland and Europe.

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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12:30

A 15-Minute City

Introduction: Carlos Moreno

The “15 Minute City” concept developed by Carlos Moreno has become part of a narrative raised and put into practice by the mayors of many cities. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo spread the idea during her successful election campaign. The concept’s impact on changing the way we think about urban development is a start for discussion of innovative urban solutions focused on residents’ needs and the leaders’ role in promoting and implementing them.

The clash of the three perspectives of academic Professor Carlos Moreno, local government Ms Mayor Hanna Zdanowska and the business sector represented by Waldemar Olbryk guarantees a substantive yet intriguing discussion.

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Nuclear Horizons – The Future of Atom

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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Authoritarian Repression and the Role of ICORN in Helping Artists

Introduction: Robert Piaskowski

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

Speakers:

  • Speakers:
  • Khaled Harara
  • Rabigül Uygar

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Dominika Kasprowicz
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Polish Foreign Policy in the Global World

Discussion on the future of Polish foreign policy. The discussion will focus on Poland’s priorities in the global context, including security, international cooperation, and the promotion of interests on the world stage. Particular attention will be given to relations with countries of the Global South, exploring how Poland can develop economic and diplomatic cooperation, balance cooperation and confrontation, and influence key global issues.

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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Polishness with Tongue in Cheek

Room: BASEMENT HALL [-1]

Moderation:

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Andrzej Brzeziecki: Measure the arshin. Marek Karp and the Center for Eastern Studies

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

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12:45

The Future of Global Capitalism

We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. – Ursula K Le Guin

Behind the global popularity of capitalism is not only its efficiency but also its flexibility. It is evolving to keep up with new opportunities and the changing needs of participants in the market game. The trick is to distinguish which phenomena are the beginning of a new trend, and which are merely temporary turbulence.

Room: ODEON HALL [+3] | ENG/PL

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13:45

New Sources of Development of Polish Economy

Introduction: Andrzej Domański

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Maciej Głogowski
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Chelsea Follett: Centers of Progress – 40 Cities That Changed the World

Where is progress being made? What factors make a place fertile ground for progress?

The history of civilization is the history of the city. It is cities that have created and defined the modern world, acting as places of key advances in culture, politics, science and technology. The book “Centers of Progress. 40 Cities That Changed the World by Chelsea Follett tells the stories of forty such places.

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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The Spread of Disinformation

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Natália Tkáčová
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Plant-Based Diet: Modern Fad or Rediscovering Tradition?

Increasing awareness of health, ecology and animal welfare is leading more and more people to turn to plant-based recipes. In an era of increasing climate challenges and a desire to improve the quality of life, plant-based diets are gaining importance not only as a temporary trend, but also as a viable solution for the future. During this panel, we will consider to what extent these modern trends really differ from our food tradition. Perhaps they are a natural extension of it? We will try to define together what the diet of the future could look like and what changes are necessary to move towards a more sustainable and healthier food system.

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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How to Implement Legal and Human-Rights Demands?

The panel’s question, following Donald Tusk’s announcement to suspend the right to asylum, has become topical. There is growing disappointment and even outrage at the government’s policy of circles sensitive to violations of the rights of women, LGBT people or migrants, as well as disregard for the “rights of the planet.”

Ewa Kulik-Bielinska: “The government is on a collision course with organizations which, while defending the constitution and human rights, were treated as enemies during the PiS era. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen now.” If it goes on like this, it will be “difficult to pick up the public once again” in the presidential election.

Human rights, which are “the crowning achievement of the road from slavery to freedom” (W. Osiatynski), are giving way to political calculations (let’s win with PiS first) and such values as “state security.” They become like tasks with an asterisk on an exam, if there is time left after solving the basic ones. Except that time is always in short supply.

Three female politicians – Aleksandra Gajewska, Aleksandra Leo and Dorota Loboda – with the help of HFPC’s Susanna Nowicka, will ask, what does this look like in political practice? Is the pushing back of human rights a reflex of liberal elites reaching for the strongest tradition of thinking about the nation and the state (the “Endetian bite” according to A. Leder)? Or is it the result of the dominance of “tough guys” in politics? And secondly, what can be done about it? In a situation where the political set-up does not provide an opportunity to liberalize laws, are other adjustments possible?

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Piotr Pacewicz
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15:00

Making Liberalism Sexy (Again)!

When populism and extremism are on the rise, liberalism continues to be the best political solution for governing needs, and for the consent of the governed. There is a need to make liberalism not an “elite” and an “academic” philosophy, but the political option that can best the others in the marketplace of ideas. We need to make liberalism sexy (again), drawing from the classical tradition, the work done by modern thinkers, and looking at a future of digital connectivity and global challenges.

 

This session is divided in two panels lasting 25 minutes each, with free flowing conversations, brainstorming ideas, and a “rapid fire”, moderated by the two hosts of the Liberal Europe Podcast.

 

Brought to you by the Liberal Europe Podcast.

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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15:30

Geoeconomics – how can the EU ensure its security and development?

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Populism, Polarization, Violence: The future of Slovak Democracy

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

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From NGOs to Politics

The transition of individuals from social activism to political activity is a topic of considerable controversy. On one hand, it seems to be a natural progression and a way to leverage activist experience to introduce legislative changes and address social needs and problems practically. On the other hand, politicizing NGOs can lead to conflicts of interest and a shift in values and priorities from grassroots activism to alignment with political party agendas.

We will discuss this with Members of the European Parliament: Michał Wawrykiewicz, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, and Łukasz Kohut, as well as Kinga Łozińska from the Committee for the Defence of Democracy.

Is this civic path to major politics the right one?

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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Who are the liberals of today?

When Miroslaw Dzielski published the essay ‘Who are the liberals?’ in 1979, he pointed out the classical liberals. Individualists who believe in the ‘essentially good nature of man’, realists, statesmen who are tolerant not only ‘towards the enemies of freedom’. Liberalism meant the choice of values, human rights, the idea of a free market, without claiming a monopoly on truth. And who are liberals today? How do we define our identity? What does the duty to ‘reasonably guard freedom’ mean? We will try to answer in a conversation, the pretext for which is the forthcoming publication of the 100th issue of Liberté!

Room: BASEMENT HALL [-1]

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What happened to our conservatism?

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Michał Szułdrzyński
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16:45

Solidarity Transport Hub and High-Speed Railway: Engines for Polish Development?

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

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The future of Poland’s pension system

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Maciej Głogowski
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How Do Local Authorities and NGOs Cooperate in the Face of Threats to Security and Democracy?

The COVID-19 pandemic, the full-scale war in Ukraine and the influx of refugees have shown that the communities that bring support in the most effective way are local government institutions and social organizations. These cannot just be incidental actions. What is needed is a system that prepares these entities to take action in emergency situations, institutionalizes their cooperation, and at the same time strengthens local democracy. We will focus on the following questions, among others: What needs to change in the relationship between community organizations and local government? What does partnership mean in new times, in which crises may occur more frequently, and we can even expect that armed conflict may approach our towns and homes? How should we prepare for this? What recommendations do we have for other local governments and organizations?

Room: INNOVATION ROOM [+2]

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Ewa Stusińska: Sexrobots: AI Personified

In the book “Deus sex machina. Will robots love us?” Ewa Stusinska looks at the relationship between man and robot, which, thanks to the extraordinary development of artificial intelligence, is now entering a new phase. Intelligent humanoid robots cease to be mere tools, they become something (someone?) much more. Or does someone really want us to think so?

[description is from the publisher]

Publishing partner of the meeting is W.A.B. Publishing House.

Room: BASEMENT HALL [-1]

Speakers:

Moderation:

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Crisis Management in Cities

Poland has been experiencing a number of crises recently. The migration following the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine and the September flooding have been major examples of large-scale crisis management in recent years. Both of these crises have highlighted to us how necessary proper cross-sectoral action is in such situations. What relationships, needs and expectations do the state, local government and NGOs have of each other? How to interact effectively in the face of a crisis? What legal solutions do we need to prepare for crisis situations in the future? We will try to find answers to these and other questions in a panel discussion on crisis management in cities and beyond.

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

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18:00

Michnik x Jażdżewski: About democracy

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Øistein Kristiansen: How to boost your creativity?

Expand your thinking with visual creative techniques!

This talk will expand your thinking about ideas and possibilities in your life, work and business. Øistein uses practical art exercises and visual creativity to show how you can create ideas, communicate ideas and tell your unique story. This talk is perfect if you want to refresh how you see yourself, your business and your brand, rethink old ideas and build originality.

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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European Civic Education: Utopia or a Necessity?

Do we need civic education with a European dimension in Poland and other countries today? How to combine the national (national) and European dimensions? What should such education cover and what skills should it develop? Is an appropriate provision in EU law necessary and possible? Or is support in the form of training, materials and joint projects sufficient?

Answers to these and other questions will be sought during a panel discussion entitled European Civic Education: Utopia or Necessity?

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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Blue-Green Cities

While more and more people live in cities (according to experts, by 2050 it will be up to 80% of the world’s population), the world is facing a triple planetary crisis: pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity. Cities, heavily polluted and concreted, are also the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Have decades of restricting access to green space and building up all available space made cities still livable? What role does blue-green infrastructure play in them? What can be done to adapt cities to climate change while ensuring a high standard of living for residents and citizens?

Room: BASEMENT HALL [-1]

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City, futbol, identity. Meeting with Tomasz Lapinski

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Bartłomiej Derdzikowski
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19:15

Edward Reynolds: “The idea of planetary defense system”

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Wave of lifestyle regulation. Why is the assault on personal freedoms growing?

Liberal ideas are in a battle with right-wing populism, which has read the signs of the times and is responding to the need for security and entrenchment. But liberalism is not losing on all fronts of this clash. In Western Europe, the right is slowly abandoning moral conservatism, giving up dictating morality to the people.

However, a new challenge awaits liberals. They will be forced to come into collision with the leftist woke movement and its model of social relations. The pressure to dictate lifestyles may now come from this side.

After years of discrimination against various groups by the right, liberals propose non-discrimination. Woke prefers counter-discrimination, of which cancel culture is a tool, for example.

Room: ODEON HALL [+3] | ENG/PL

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Resilient Society

A resilient society is a society of people who are free, autonomous, but also in solidarity and concerned about the common good. How, in the era of the dominance of the culture of violence and disinformation, the use of new information technologies against individuals and entire social groups, to take care of the conditions for human and social subjectivity? What are the duties of public institutions and what can an individual do? Do we need a right to truth and a new EU Charter of Fundamental Rights today?

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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Thierry Wolton: “The History of World Communism”

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

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Creative Cities

Introduction: Charles Landry

The concept of the “creative city” is central to urban development, influencing talent attraction, innovation, and cultural life. This session will bring together distinguished experts: Charles Landry, a pioneer of the creative city concept, Carolina Pietyra from the Krakow Festival Office, and Adam Pustelnik, Deputy Mayor of Łódź. They will discuss how to integrate creativity into urban planning to create dynamic and sustainable spaces. What challenges and opportunities do creative cities face in a rapidly changing world?

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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Music in the Service of Propaganda and Ideology

Every authoritarian power dreams of managing the souls of its subjects not only through a system of orders and bans, a suitably tailored education, but also the entertainment and art of obedient artists, including musicians. How is it, however, that in spite of infinite expense, we always remember those songs which had a vector directed against this power, whether it was the PZPR or the United Right?

However, also in democratic realities, musicians can still (but should they?) fight with ‘’guitar and pen‘’, because there is still something to fight for. How to do it so that, while supporting free ideas and ideologies, one does not become a propagandist oneself?

 

 

Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury – państwowego funduszu celowego, w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca.

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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20:30

O! IMPRO – improvised performance

 

 

Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury – państwowego funduszu celowego, w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca.

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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21:00

Networking evening of speakers and VIPs

Location: CNiT. Entrance only for speakers, partners and by invitation.

Room: Centrum Nauki i Techniki EC1

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FESTIVAL CLUB: 6. DZIELNICA

FESTIVAL CLUB: 6. DZIELNICA

We cordially invite you to an unofficial afterparty every day of the festival (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) after the end of the festival program at the EC1.
ENTRY: upon presentation of ID or appropriate Freedom Games wristband.
ADDRESS: 6. Dzielnica Club & café (102 Piotrkowska Street, II floor, entrance from the gate)
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22:00

Concert: Kosmos

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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09:00

Related Event: „The Future of Ukraine”, Collection for FNF x Fine Acts

The collection of illustrations “The Future of Ukraine” aims to highlight hope, resilience, courage, and solidarity in the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The goal is to imagine the future of Ukraine and Europe, tapping into the potential of artists’ creativity and visionary talent, while using hope-based communications for human rights.

 

15 talented artists from 10 European countries, including Ukraine, created these illustrations as part of SPRINTS – an art bootcamp by the global creative studio for social impact, Fine Acts, where they had only 48 hours to create the art after a topic’s briefing.

 

The full collection of captivating illustrations in English and Ukrainian can be found on TheGreats.co, a unique global platform by Fine Acts for open-licensed socially engaged visuals.

 

All the illustrations are available under a Creative Commons open license, empowering activists, organizations, and educators globally to not only freely download, but as well adapt them for non-commercial use.

 

The collection is a partnership between Fine Acts and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) as part of FNF’s global campaign #ReshapeEurope on strengthening Europe’s democracy and resilience.

Room: MACHINE HALL (at the end of the hall) [0]

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Registration

Registration for the Freedom Games lasts all day. You can come just before the session you are interested in. Parking for participants is located by the Łódź Fabryczna station.

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10:00

Related event: film section

Screening program:

 

BE SOMEBODY / BE SOMEBODY, dir. by Michal Toczek, feature, 27’21”

WARSZAWA, HOLAND / WARSZAWA, HOLAND, dir. by Ming-Wei Chiang, narrative, 17’30”

IN THE LES ARE PEOPLE / THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE FOREST, dir. by Szymon Ruczynski, animated, 9’53”

TAKIE CUDA SIĘ ZDARZAJĄ / SUCH MIRACLES DO HAPPEN, dir. by Barbara Rupik, animated, 13’48”

GARSTKA ZIEMI / HANDFUL OF DIRT, dir. by Izabela Zubrycka, documentary, 13’04”

Total duration: 81’17”

 

The films will be played in a loop.

Room: URANIA CINEMA [+3]

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Related event: “Engaged Animation,” Piotr Kardas

URBAN SPHINX (Spain 2019, 05:00), María Lorenzo

ARCHITECTS’ CRUISE (United Kingdom 2022, 02:36), Simon Hamlyn, Kingston School of Art

HOME, (UK 2019, 07:51), Anita Brūvere, Nodachi LTD

FASHION VICTIMS 2.0 (Spain 2023, 02:10), María Lorenzo

THE CHILDREN OF CONCRETE (France 2017, 06:42), Jonathan Phanhsay-Chamson

EX TERRAT, (Austria/France 2016, 05:45), Reinhold Bidner

BREXICUTED France 2018, 06:00), Chris Shepherd, Autour de Minuit

OPEN WATER (Austria 2021, 11:18), Georg Eckmayr

IN A LINE OF TWO, MEETING ALIOU AND AFIF (Italy 2020, 06:51), Elisabetta Bosco, Margherita Giusti, Viola Mancini

PLSTC (France 2022, 01:37), Laen Sanches

MARIUPOL. A HUNDRED NIGHTS (Ukraine 2022, 07:26), Sofiia Melnyk

 

 

Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury – państwowego funduszu celowego, w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca.

Room: URANIA CINEMA [+3]

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Meeting with Marcin Gortat

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Robert Whitaker: Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America

A conversation between a psychiatrist and a journalist and author of books on mental health. Who is served and who is not served by the modern world. How communication between medics and patients can be streamlined and improved, and how to help with mental disorders and mental health crises to do no harm.

Why is the number of people facing serious mental health crises increasing, instead of decreasing, and at an alarming rate?

Is it due to a change in diagnostic approach? Have we started to pathologise – and treat – every dissent? What should be the goal of psychiatric treatment – the complete removal of the symptoms of the illness, regardless of the side effects, or rather to create the conditions for the patient to live a satisfying life, sometimes in spite of the symptoms?

A Confused Picture was published in 2010 and was controversial reading at the time. Today, although the results of successive studies published in major scientific journals confirm the accuracy of Whitaker’s insights, the book continues to stir emotions. This makes it all the more worthwhile to face the questions it raises.

[description from the website of Wydawnictwo Czarne]

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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Social and Economic Resilience of Ukraine

An important source of Ukraine’s resilience appears to be a strong civil society, with the added experience of living in armed conflict as early as 2024. Instead, there are many indications that Ukrainian authorities and institutions were initially less prepared, not believing until the last minute that Putin would launch a full-scale war. The current situation in Europe seems to be the opposite – EU societies still do not believe that war is possible, while EU governments and institutions recognize the threat as real, and in trying to prepare for it are facing resistance from voters. Nor would Ukrainian resistance and eventual victory be possible without effective alliance building. Here, too, seems to lie an important lesson for Europe, which, after all, has difficulties both in transatlantic cooperation and in building relationships with the so-called middle powers of the Global South. How to use the Ukrainian experience to create an EU model of resilience and crisis response capabilities?

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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Related event: PWSFTviT photography exhibition

“Urban Legends” is a photographic project created on the phantasmagorias of second- and fourth-year students of the Department of Photography at the Film School in Lodz. The stories depicted go straight back to examples of the 20th century avant-garde, only to take a turn towards afterimages from horror films. The base for creating stories is the city of Lodz, the inspiration is gossip, memes and fake news, and everything is connected by the world of everlasting renovation and construction works.

Artistic persons Łukasz Biernat, Paulina Byczek, Ewa Januszewska, Monika Jóźwicka, Mikołaj Marciniak, Benedykt Rogala, Wojtek Serowik, Eryk Siemianowicz, Karolina Smołka, Krzysiek Szpryngiel, Jeremiasz Wesołek, Ania Zegar. The project is the result of cooperation between the studios of Szymon Kobusinski and Bownik, lecturers at the PWSFTviT.

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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Łukasz Orbitowski: The Enemy

The meeting with Łukasz Orbitowski will be a journey through his known and unknown books and short stories. We will go back to the beginnings of his work, we will reach into his passions and the world of games, we will look into the penitentiary, where he conducts meetings devoted to poetry, we will talk about… cats, and finally, we will reveal the secret of Orbitowski’s latest novel, whose premiere is coming soon.

Room: BASEMENT HALL [-1]

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Welcome to Barbieland: European sentiment in the year of wars and elections

In the movie “Barbie” the titular character comes to realise that Barbieland is not the utopia she assumed it to be.

In the past 12 months, many “pro-Europeans” might have experienced the equivalent of Barbie’s shock. The European Parliament election and the aftermath of the war in Gaza exposed the ‘under-participation’ in Europe of groups such as non-white and Muslim Europeans, central and eastern Europeans, and young EU citizens. At the same time, developments concerning each of these groups pointed to one joint danger – which is about the bloc’s xenophobic drift.

Are we drifting inexorably towards an ethnic understanding of Europeanness? Is another way possible?

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

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11:15

Can EU Defend Itself?

Russia’s armed attack on Ukraine and the war that has been going on for over two and a half years have confronted the EU with the need to answer questions about its military security. It has forced governments to support the fighting Ukraine, but also to take a closer look at their own equipment resources, armies and the social resilience that each state should provide to its citizens. The war has said “check!” to our alliances, both European and global. Would we emerge from such a “game” unscathed? Is the EU able to defend itself, and if not, where should it seek support, what alliances should it develop, how should it try to meet the military challenges of today?

Room: ODEON HALL [+3] | ENG/PL

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Competition or Complementarity: Public and Private Health Care

According to the Central Statistical Office, in 2022 private health care spending amounted to more than PLN 51 billion, of which 37 billion was money spent directly by families. In contrast, according to the Polish Insurance Association, the number of people with private health insurance in 2023 increased by 14% year-on-year to 4.8 million, and their spending on these policies reached PLN 1.7 billion. Are we facing a “two-speed” health care system? Will the less well-off only rely on the National Health Service, while the wealthier will rely entirely on private care? Are the public and private sectors in health care doomed to compete, or do they complement each other for the benefit of patients?

Threads:

  • The interplay and advantages (from the patient’s point of view) of the public and private sectors;
  • What customers expect from private health care and to what extent the companies are able to meet this. Is the fairly common view that private companies offer only simple and profitable tests/treatments true?
  • the skyrocketing cost of medical services and the problem of availability of medical personnel – are the traditional problems of the public health sector starting to weigh increasingly on the private one as well?
  • what solutions, especially legal regulations, are missing in Poland to properly arrange the relationship between the public and private sectors;
  • telemedicine, healthtech innovations – how the use of medical care is changing and how open patients are to new solutions.

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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Inga Iwasiów: Views from the Window on a Business Trip

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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Who Will Win the Presidential Election in Poland?

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

Moderation:

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12:30

What Kind of Cinema Do We Need Today?

Room: ODEON HALL [+3] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

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Projecting Soft Power by Means of Culture

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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Revitalization in the City of Łódź

The new face of Łódź. How is revitalisation changing former factories, villas and tenements, streets, parks and backyards, and above all – the people of Łódź?

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

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Opportunities and Challenges for Waste Policy: The Scandinavian Model

During the panel, we will discuss the important problem of the waste crisis and possible solutions. A number of innovative solutions have been introduced in the Scandinavian countries. Is this possible in Poland?

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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Cezary Łazarewicz: On Szewska Street: the case of Stanisław Pyjas

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

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13:45

Readership as a Democratic Weapon

Introduction: Robert Piaskowski

Huntington’s next wave of democratization has long since drifted away leaving nearly three-quarters of the world’s population under autocratic rule. The democratic progress achieved over the past 35 years has disappeared. Tellingly, at the same time, literacy has declined.

Today we already know that authoritarian regimes feed on disinformation, thus reading automatically becomes a viable weapon in the context of the struggle for freedom and democracy.

An informed citizen is a reading citizen. Thus, the key question becomes: how to improve the declining reading trend in Europe and thus defend our democracy?

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Reclaiming or Rebuilding the Ivory Tower? Challenging the Alleged Death of Academia

In recent years, the debate on the role and future of universities seems to have sharpened, on the one hand emphasising their importance as bastions of independent thought and innovation, and on the other criticising them as ‘ivory towers’ separated from reality.

We would like to invite you to a discussion with representatives of Łódź universities, who will attempt to answer questions about the future of higher education and its role in society.

During the session, panellists will attempt to define to what extent universities can and should be linked to current social, economic and technological issues, and to what extent they should be guided by a fully autonomous agenda.

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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Is Business a “Hostage” of the Z & Zalfa Generations?

In an era of rapid social and technological change and evolving labour standards, young people bring new challenges and opportunities to companies around the world. In this panel, we will look at the dynamic (and sometimes strained) relationships and mechanisms operating between young talent and corporate structures. We will discuss how younger generations are influencing the shaping of employee policies, expectations of work-life balance and their growing need for meaningful and valuable work. We will also consider how these changes are affecting leaders and business strategies, posing the question: who has to align with whom here?

Room: BASEMENT HALL [-1]

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15:00

How Will We Buy in the Future? | PART I

The rapid development of technology, new marketing techniques, innovative products and services, changing expectations of consumers (on the one hand, Generation Z is entering the market, on the other, the share of seniors in the age structure of society is growing) – all this is significantly changing the way we buy (consumers) and sell (companies) – and at every stage of these processes. There are areas where we still have something to learn from the U.S. or Western Europe, but there are also areas where Poland can be set as a model, such as in the case of banking services. It is no coincidence that in many surveys where we are asked what in Poland we are proud of or what works better in Poland than elsewhere, BLIK, online banking, inPost parcel machines, etc. reign supreme in the leading answers. Where is all this going?

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Dawid Karpiuk
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15:30

EU Enlargement: Problematic Areas and Polish Interests

What role can Poland play in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU – in its entirety, but also in the near future of the Polish presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2025? Is the attempt to make Poland the main advocate of the Ukrainian cause in the EU surely a good idea in light of the inevitable conflicts of interest between our countries against the background of the integration of the Ukrainian economy into the EU common market? On the other hand, what other country if not Poland could take on this role. Which economic interests of Poland and Ukraine are really divergent, and which have only been so portrayed as a result of manipulation and dissemination of unverified information? To what extent do and can the internal policies of EU countries affect the integration process of Ukraine and Polish-Ukrainian relations? Ukrainians are rightly convinced that the reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the EU will be a multilateral, reality-changing process, which will be not so much about the reconstruction of the state as about its renewal. Are the EU countries, which are themselves looking for ideas for their own modernization in the face of the challenges of the future, really ready to engage in this process on a partnership basis?

Room: ODEON HALL [+3] | ENG/PL

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Polarization and Sharp Rise of Extremism

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

Speakers:

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The State That Works Well: The Educational Policy of Finland

Education is an important element influencing the way societies function. It touches many areas of life and is the subject of public discussion. There are a lot of concepts, solutions and systems in the world, the analysis of which can result in the development and improvement of education. An example of a role model could be the Finnish view of education, which has been setting standards for years and is a worldwide example of a well-run state education policy. It is not only about systemic solutions, but also about the country’s particular way of thinking and philosophy. The panel’s theme is inspired by the publication ‘A State that Works. On Finnish public policies’ by Dr. Wojciech Woźniak.

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Marta Szymczyk
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Paweł Potoroczyn: The human thing – the anti-trilogy

What it is like, everyone can see. This Poland. Pieces of the Polish jigsaw puzzle, in which various elements fit together. There is no ‘one to one’ or ‘never any other way’, although ‘that’s the way it’s always been’ comes to mind. Pieces of the puzzle that Paweł Potoroczyn, in his novels Ludzka rzecz and A to było tak (And That Was So), not without bitterness, puts together. This ‘combinatorial’ writer does not shy away from difficult issues, does not treat Polishness like a kitchen doodle with an aphorism, he sees the steps taken on the way to discovering/understanding that it is a ‘human thing’… , that ‘it was so’. Together with the author, we will embark on a literary journey, because it is impossible to get lost between words in this Poland of Piórkowska, but it is easy to find oneself there.

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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Health in Democracy: A Hot Potato in the Hands of Politicians or a Recipe for Happiness?

Room: OFF STAGE [0]

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15:40

How Will We Buy in the Future? | PART II

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

Moderation:

  • Moderators: 
  • Maria Belka
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16:45

Maciej Samcik: Finances of the Future

Room: BASEMENT RING [-1]

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18:00

Dorota Masłowska: The Magic Wound

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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Kész Zoltán: Bloodgold

Room: PLANETARIUM [-2] | ENG/PL

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Free Market Solutions to Boost the Health of Europeans

Room: SKY ROOM [+2] | ENG/PL

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Tatiana Tibuleac: The Glass Garden

Event organized as part of the Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025.
This event is part of the Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025.

Room: NCKF SPOT [+2] | ENG/PL

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19:15

Wałęsa x Kazoń: Danuta receives the Nobel Prize

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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21:00

Concert: Hańba

 

Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury – państwowego funduszu celowego, w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca.

Room: MACHINE HALL [0] | ENG/PL

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FESTIVAL CLUB: 6. DZIELNICA

FESTIVAL CLUB: 6. DZIELNICA

We cordially invite you to an unofficial afterparty every day of the festival (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) after the end of the festival program at the EC1.
ENTRY: upon presentation of ID or appropriate Freedom Games wristband.
ADDRESS: 6. Dzielnica Club & café (102 Piotrkowska Street, II floor, entrance from the gate)
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    Project carried out in cooperation with the Narodowe Centrum Kultury

    Subsidized by funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture - a state earmarked fund, within the framework of the “Music” program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.

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