We talk to Paula Rettinger-Wietoszko about whether it is worth being a sensitive person in the modern world, what results from being empathetic towards other people and why being active and developing a passion for helping gives you the strength to overcome all difficulties.

Monika Bogdanowicz (Communication and External Relations Expert at Olivia Business Centre): How did the idea for the festival come about and what are the main goals of this event and the entire initiative that you have brought to life under the banner of the Sensitive Festival?

Paula Rettinger-Wietoszko, director of the Sensitive Festival, president of the LEAVE YOUR MARK Foundation: Helping requires sensitivity. Creativity as well. Especially the work of reporters who see and tell people’s true stories. We wanted to help our pupils by giving something in return. More than just gratitude to those who support our causes. Giving inspiration, development, a broader view of what is happening around us. Because taking and giving well coexist in balance.

This is how the idea for the Sensitive Festival was born – a festival of creativity sensitive to others. An idea to collect true stories in the form of documentaries and reportages. And rewarding those creators who look around them with particular sensitivity, who are able to talk with respect and attention to their characters. And they tell us stories that can change our view of the world.

This is a great value – this is what we want to share and repay people who change the world through their creativity and by supporting noble ideas in every other way.

MB: Do we have time to look deeper into the affairs of this world? To see people in beautiful and difficult moments, to be able to admire the strength of character and the goodness of the heart?

PR-W.: The festival shows us that if someone shows us the path, takes us a shortcut through the maze of information – we find time for values. Our job is to pick out these valuable, true stories from the multitude of publications. We invite reporters and documentary filmmakers who are particularly attentive to the festival to show their works to the participants of the festival through the “sensitivity filter”. And to reward them, to distinguish them not only for their technique, the ability to tell stories, but also for their sensitivity to other people.

The fact that the festival is growing so much from year to year, the quality of the works submitted to the competition is so high, and the viewers and readers leave the screenings and discussion panels moved and inspired – indicates that we have space for a different human being. And this is the essence of our work.

When helping terminally ill children and their families, we know that in addition to financial support, which is unfortunately extremely important, kindness, time, a kind word or a simple gesture are also needed. But first, there must be awareness.

M.B.: What does it mean to be a sensitive person today?

PR-W.: The members of our Honorary Chapter speak beautifully about it. When asked about sensitivity in today’s reality, Ewa Ewart said: “I have the impression that today sensitivity is seen as a character defect that should be ashamed of. For many, it is a sign of weakness and helplessness in life. For me, it is a beautiful skill of mindfulness and openness towards other people, regardless of who they are and what they represent. In our constant rush forward, it is sensitivity that allows us to stop next to him and devote a moment to him. So little, yet it can mean so much. How good it is that there are such initiatives as the Festival of Socially Sensitive Creativity!”

Agnieszka Holland says about sensitivity: “Sensitivity is empathy for me. Because it is possible to have sensitive skin, to perceive pain and suffering in depth if it concerns ourselves. It is possible to have a sensitivity to beauty – to experience pleasure while watching or listening to something beautiful. But empathy is something else: it is the activation of such sensitivity through empathy with others, even those as different from us as animals. So vulnerability is empathy, and empathy is imagination.”

For me, sensitivity is the seventh sense. It allows you to see, feel and act.

M.B.: Why is it worth making an effort to educate and develop people’s feelings of empathy and sensitivity?

PR-W.: As Anna Dymna says – “Sensitivity is a treasure that is said to be given to every human being at birth, thanks to which a person’s life becomes extraordinary. Sensitivity sharpens all the senses. Man sees much deeper, much wider, much more. He sees more colors in this world. He hears and understands many more words and intonations. And man’s life takes on the value of a journey that has many paths. And in these meanders, he experiences extraordinary adventures – thanks to his sensitivity.”

I think that the best proof of the importance of discussion about it is what happened during the discussion panels with children and young people at the Gdynia Film Centre. After the screening of each film, the host, Beata Szewczyk, talked to the young audience. A forest of hands, passion, emotions and a great need to express one’s opinion in a discussion. Yes – that’s why it’s worth it.

“What impressed me the most at the Sensitive Festival? Meeting with children. – says Łukasz Pilip, a reporter for Duży Format and Wysokie Obcasy – The older and the younger came. They watched the documentaries in the cinema and discussed them afterwards. No, they weren’t interested in cells. Instead, they were eager to answer. They wanted to share who is most important to them, whether they have friends when they are sad. I was touched. I’ve never had a class like this at school. I could see that the children felt taken seriously, they could talk. Their disabled colleagues were also in the audience. After one of the screenings, a boy with Down syndrome stood up from the audience and said that he was sorry when others laughed at him. What courage! But what a reaction from the room, which listened in silence and treated the boy like a friend. That’s what I liked the most. That the Festival teaches acceptance, understanding, treats everyone equally, and above all – listens to children.”

^{Opening of the Sensitive Festival in Olivia Business Centre}

M.B.: What distinguishes this project from other cultural initiatives related to the charitable area?

PR-W.: Vulnerability is a privilege, but it can also be difficult. Because we see more and we have to do something about it. For a reporter, documentary filmmaker or artist, it is one of the most important tools in their work. The sensitive festival was created to recognise, find and appreciate it. To distinguish those journalists who, thanks to it, see what is easy to overlook in everyday life. And who, faithful to this sensitivity, tell other people’s stories with respect, sensitivity and honesty. During the Festival, we watch, read and discuss. We sometimes ask ourselves difficult questions about truth, reliability, intuition and temptations related to the profession of a journalist, reporter or filmmaker. But most of all, we touch on difficult, beautiful and inspiring stories that are really happening around us. We do not want to be indifferent to them.

And by the way, we help – the total income from the Sensitive Festival is intended to help terminally ill children and their families. We all work on it for charity. Every year, one of the Pomeranian children’s hospices is a partner of the festival. We also learn from them. True life, awareness of death, acting with devotion, wisdom, talking about taboo topics.

Parents of sick children under the care of our foundation also work at the festival. They can realize themselves by participating in something special, to return to the “normal world” for a while, to the community. And earn YOUR money or support your kids in a slightly different way. This – as we can see today during the protests in the parliament – is neither simple nor obvious in today’s reality of carers of disabled children. And this is also one of the important goals of our activities. To show what kind of silent heroes they are.

Restore dignity and normalcy to families affected by illness or disability. We combine art, communication and helping.

M.B.: What is the most difficult part of organizing the Sensitive Festival, and what allows you to move mountains?

PR-W.: The most difficult things are the mundane ones – the lack of money and manpower. The three of us are organizing the festival, with Durga Szymańska and Magda Kampowska. Completely charitable, so “after hours”. Anyone who has ever organized such an event knows what it means. Unfortunately, with the development of the festival, it is becoming more and more difficult for us to combine all of this. Of course, we are also supported by many people, companies and friends. However, because we want to donate as much money as possible to help, we carry out most of the tasks on our own and without a budget.

The fact that there are people and institutions that support us, and the festival is developing so wonderfully – this gives us wings! We learn a lot – also from our own mistakes, but we feel that it is really worth it. If only because we have someone to do it for, and there are so many excellent reportages in Poland that we want to show to the world.

Very personally – why do I want to move these mountains? The participants of this year’s edition of the festival were Kuba Płaziński – a ward of the Pomeranian Hospice for Children in Gdańsk and his healthy friend Kacper Berendt. They participated in a discussion panel for young people and were also at the entire festival. They even made a trailer for their own film, which they want to submit to the competition next year. I watched them get involved, how they talked on the forum about such difficult topics as rejection, disability, death. How it opens them up and develops them. After the festival, Kuba wrote: “It was great at the festival, it’s the best part of my life.” For me, that’s reason enough to keep doing the festival.

M.B.: The festival is only one element of your activity. Could you please tell us what connects you with the sea and why did you decide to connect people around important ideas here in Gdańsk?

PR-W.: These mountains and the sea merged 23 years ago, while climbing in the Tatra Mountains. That’s where I met Eliza Kugler. To this day, we are like sisters. She lives in Sopot. I’m in the Ojców National Park near Krakow. Friendship is not harmed by distance – so we have been working together in many areas and for many years. It was Eliza who came up with the name of the festival. Today, our most important project is HospiCare – an application for medical teams and caregivers of Children’s Home Hospices. The idea for it was born in the home of Eliza, who has been taking care of her terminally ill daughter Ala for 17 years. It was her experiences and ideas that became the beginning of HospiCare – a social project that we want to give to all Children’s Home Hospices in Poland. The project has been appreciated at several prestigious competitions in Poland and abroad, it has been supported by many people and it has been successfully implemented. Today, we are raising funds for the implementation of the application throughout Poland and its maintenance. There is also a place for hospice parents to work here.

Thanks to the participation of the Gdańsk Enterprise Foundation, we have established AppiCare sp z o.o., which, in order to ensure the development and functioning of HospiCare, also creates other commercial medical projects to support, for example, oncoWay oncological patients or sanaCare sanatorium patients.

M.B.: What are your feelings after the festival, do you manage to effectively connect and engage people to help children in need of support during events and projects?

PR-W.: The truth is that without the support of the Tri-City business, the festival would not have taken place. This commitment of companies and individuals is absolutely priceless. This is true for all charitable organizations. Without you, there would be nothing. Neither a festival nor help for sick children. Here I must especially thank the Gdynia Film Centre and the Gdańsk Lodge of the Business Centre Club for their active participation in the organisation of the festival events, the Polish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce and, of course, the Olivia Business Centre. Mr. Michał Guć, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia, also helped us a lot and next year we are planning to move the Final Gala of the festival to Gdynia.

We also do not forget about our ambassadors, musicians, hosts and panelists, including: Beata Szewczyk, Igor Michalski, Janusz Daszczyński, Magdalena Rigamonti, Ewa Żarska, Anna Śmigulec, Katarzyna Włodkowska, Łukasz Pilip, Kuba Zuckerman – all of them performed for us for charity. On the other hand, we operate on the market. We know marketing, business, and organizing events and we want those who support our initiatives to feel not only satisfaction but also a concrete benefit.

That’s fair – it’s sound rules. That is why every company that participates in the organization of the festival receives, in addition to gratitude, a rich media and marketing package, and our support where we can give it. Of course, we need such cooperation. Partners. Sponsors. Media. Today we know that we have a specific value to offer – not only human, emotional, but also marketable. We invite you to such cooperation – to combine business and social responsibility. With the right resources, you can also do a lot of things better and on a grander scale. Inspire more people, attract more viewers, educate young people, expand the festival program and help more effectively. Everything is ahead of us!

M.B.: And is business interested in being active and helping in projects like yours: combining art and passion?

PR-W.: Everywhere there are people who are completely selfless. They give their money, and sometimes even more valuable – time! Without them, many social initiatives would not exist. For this we are extremely grateful, not only as the Leave Your Trace Foundation, but as representatives of social organizations in general. I would have to mention a lot of names to thank everyone.

Entrepreneurs often approach such cooperation from a business point of view. And rightly so. I’ll come back to this exchange of benefits again. That’s the way it should be. The currency here is sometimes co-creation of important projects, other times promotion, sometimes satisfaction, or a specific valuable item. Just like during the charity auction that took place at your place during the opening of the festival. We auctioned on the graphics of the best Polish artists. Perhaps not all of them were easy to perceive for people who do not have close ties to art, but we know that they have a specific artistic and market value that will grow. They are a good investment given in exchange for help. We try to approach it that way and learn art at the same time.

^{Charity auction for the Leave Your Trace Foundation at Olivia Business Centre}

M.B.: What can we wish you for the future?

PR-W.: We already have excellent press and film reporters gathered around the festival. We have a wonderful, young audience from Tri-City schools and the support of the Gdynia Film Centre, Polish film schools and universities, our role models and patrons. We have a group of selfless people who create the quality, value and brand of the festival. We have someone to help. And we have a passion to make and develop the festival further. We need business partners who will appreciate the values we can give them. And viewers and readers from all over the Polish – because sensitivity is worth learning from the best.

^–/–

^{Paula Rettinger-Wietoszko, director of the Sensitive Festival, president of the LEAVE YOUR TRACE FOUNDATION. The Sensitive Festival was created to combine art, emotions and sensitivity with helping terminally ill children and Children’s Home Hospices in an interesting and inspiring way. The total income from the festival is donated to help them – the charges and partners of the Leave Your Trace Foundation, which is also the organizer of the festival.}