The famous Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, one of the icons of modern film, is the guest of the Philips Cinema Mundi Festival in Łódź.

The programme of the three-day event includes forty non-English language films which won Oscar nominations and prestigious awards in 2010.

The festival is dedicated to the late Polish film critic Zygmunt Kałużynski, who died in 2004.

The Italian star will unveil a commemorative plaque in tribute to Kaluzynski in the city’s Bałtyk Cinema, have meetings with fans and students of the Łódz Film School and attend a party to honour her 73rd birthday later this month.

Known for his controversial views, Zygmunt Kałuzyński was one of the most colourful personalities on the Polish film scene for several decades.

During the festival, the ‘Kałużyński Razor’ will be awarded to the American critic Roger Ebert, in recognition of his independent opinions, professional honesty, and sarcasm full of wit and intelligence.

Pulitzer-winning Ebert has contributed for Chicago Sun Times for 44 years and has over a dozen books on film to his credit. (mk)