Lights, camera, action: Warsaw Film Festival begins

Festival director Stefan Laudyn (left) with Martin Katz, producer of "Maps to the Stars", which opened the 30th edition of the Warsaw Film Festival: photo - PAP/Leszek Szymański

Martin Katz is a long-time collaborator of David Cronenberg's, producing 'Spider', 'A Dangerous Method' and 'Cosmopolis' for the Canadian director.

Cronenberg's latest, Maps of the Stars, is a “dark and merciless satire on Hollywood,” starring John Cusack, says the festival brochure.

Also in attendance at the opening gala was Poland's culture minister Małgorzata Omilanowska.

Around 200 film-makers from over 50 countries will be showing their work over the ten days of the festival in the Polish capital.

Close to 100,000 film fans attended last year's festival. (pg)