Idea

Multimedia and popculture festival of films, animations, music videos and video games. About the youth, by the youth and for the youth. Under the Black Horse flag - a symbol of an unexpected winner, a reference to the protofilm experiment of madman Eadweard Muybridge, a ironic commentary on the golden fauna of film awards, or a reference to the mining heritage of Upper Silesia. Movie screenings, digital games exhibitions, concerts and live acts, meetups and discussions - Ars Independent is a open-formula festival.

The festival has a formula of four editions in the year: spring (March), summer (June), autumn (September) and winter (December).

The event is organized by the culture institution Katowice the City of Gardens and the City of Katowice.

Katowice City of Gardens

The Cultural Institution of the City of Katowice. The organizer of the “Kocham Katowice” (“I Love Katowice”) City Anniversary, Katowice JazzArt Festival, the Gardens of Sounds World Music Festival, Street Art AiR or the “Interpretacje” (“Interpretations”) Festival. It earned Katowice’s title of the UNESCO City of Music and by realizing the membership programme of Creative Cities Network, it supports the development of the musical creative industry, giving young artists the ability to grow at the MusicHub incubator, promoting them as part of the Dzielnica Brzmi Dobrze (The District Sounds Good), widening the expertise of industry people during meetings of the Katowice Music Radar or co-funding the best projects with Muzykogranty.

City of Katowice

Katowice is a city full of surprises for everyone who has not visited Silesia in a while. Forget about coal – this remarkable city welcomes us with contemporary architecture blending into secession, modernism and brutalism, alternative culture in post-industrial buildings, green parks and the extraodinary hospitality of its citizens, stretching from Nikiszowiec and Murcki to Ligota and the Tauzen. Before our eyes, the city is dynamically changing its character and image – transforming from Poland’s industrial centre into the cultural heart of the 1,5 million agglomeration. Here, culture is joined with the academic and business pillars of the region. On one hand, the city is full of large investments – the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the International Congress Centre, the Silesian Museum – and giant events – OFF Festival, Nowa Muzyka, Rawa Blues, Extreme Masters. On the other: the vivid, youthful energy of its citizens, pulsating daily through its streets.

Katowice City of Gardens Crew

Director
Piotr Zaczkowski

Programme Department Management
Magdalena Szczepocka

with teams

Ars Independent Crew

Festival Director
Przemek Mateusz Sołtysik

Festival Manager
Matylda Badera

Festival Producer
Sebastian Łąkas

Spokesperson
Bartek Sołtysik