Short Film Set (Opening Gala)
Workers Leaving the Factory
(Salida de obreros)
Argentina 1902, 1’
Director: Eugenio Cardini
DCP, B&W, pos. nitr. orig., perf. Lumière, 17 m, 20 fps
Source: FINA/NCKF
Eugenio Cardini was an amateur photographer and film pioneer from Buenos Aires. His films from 1901-1902 are the only works from Argentina shot on the Lumière film. In his Workers Leaving the Factory, we see employees exiting the factory of metal furniture near San Cristobal, which had belonged to the Cardini family.
The digital restoration of the film was achieved through the joint effort of FINA, EC1 Łódź, and Pharos – The Post Group.
By Lorena Bordigoni
Street Scenes
(Escenas callejeras)
Argentina 1902, 2’
Director: Eugenio Cardini
DCP, B&W, neg. nitr. orig., perf. Lumière, 15 m, 22 fps
DCP, B&W, pos. nitr. orig., perf. Lumière, 10 m, 18 fps
Source: FINA/NCKF
The movie is made up of two gags involving a cyclist, a policeman, and a shoeshine. It is considered the oldest known example of both a comedy and a feature film in the region.
Both Cardini’s films shown at this year's festival had long been considered lost – the tapes traveled from Argentina to London, then to France and Germany, where they were sold at an auction house. They were finally discovered and identified in the EC1 archives in Łódź in 2020.
By Lorena Bordigoni
Advertisement for firelighters for wood and coal "One-Two-Five"
Poland, around 1927, 4'
Director: unknown
A DCP copy from 2025, B&W, 18 fps
Source: FINA
What is the meaning of the mysterious “1-2-5” signals coming from outer space? Why is there coal flaming up on the Moon? The reliable "One-Two-Five" firelighters for wood and coal are the answer! This is the oldest preserved Polish commercial film in FINA’s collection, which has been digitally restored. Unfortunately, both its production team and the cast remain anonymous.
music: T'ien Lai + Marek Pospieszalski
