THE DOC LAB POLAND AWARDS 2019

The second session of the 5th edition of DOC LAB POLAND has come to an end. During the festive closing gala of the 59th Krakow Film Festival, the film projects participating in this programme for professional documentary film-makers received awards and special mentions.

This year, the DOC LAB POLAND, founded by Adam and Katarzyna Ślesicki, celebrates its fifth anniversary. During the four previous editions, over 90 projects participated in the programme – almost 40 of them are already finished, many win awards all over the world, including the most important awards at the Krakow Film Festival, which were also given this year. The films developed within the frames of the DOC LAB POLAND have already been presented twice at the opening galas of the Festival.

In the 5th edition of the DOC LAB POLAND workshops, 21 Polish projects participated, another 37 producers from Poland and abroad took part in the international co-production market.

Within the frames of the DOC LAB POLAND during the KFF Industry in Krakow, ca. 700 individual meetings with producers, sales agents, festival selectors, representatives of television channels and film funds etc. were held; 200 in the section START, 180 in GO and 300 during the Doc Lab Poland Co-Production Market.

At this year's festival, 8 films developed during previous editions of the DOC LAB POLAND were shown – 4 in the competitions and 4 in the non-competing sections. In the National Competition, the Maciej Szumowski Award for remarkable social awareness funded by the National Broadcasting Council was given to Diana Kadłubowska and Krzysztof Kadłubowski for their film "Today, Tomorrow... Yesterday."

THE DOC LAB POLAND awards 2019:

for the presentations during the pitching DOCS TO START

The Special Mention of the Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation - the invitation to and coverage of the cost of the participation in the industry section at the IDFA festival: MISS POLONII / MISS OF POLAND

directed by: Jana Shostak, Jakub Jasiukiewicz, produced by: Katarzyna Drapała - The Documentary and Feature Film Studios

Jana (26), an ambitious artist from Belarus, to the general surprise, decides to become the Miss of Poland. This year is her last chance to win.

The Special Mention of the Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation - the invitation to and coverage of the cost of the participation in the  industry section  at the Sheffield Doc Fest: MOJA WIELKA BIBA / MY BIG BIBA

directed by: Judyta Fibiger, produced by: Robert Rhodin

A documentary film portraying the figure of Barbara Hulanicki, the founder of the legendary Biba. A fascinating biography of one of the most important figures in the world of fashion.

The Special Mention of the Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation - the invitation to and coverage of the cost of the participation in the industry section at the DOK Leipzig: BRACTWO / BROTHERHOOD

directed by: Hanna Maciąg, produced by: Maria Wachowiak, Anna Waligórska – No prob production house

A young traditionalist tries to live in accordance with his beliefs. Life confronts his theoretical views with practice.

The DOK Leipzig Special Mention – the invitation to the Co-pro Meetings in Leipzig and coverage of the participation costs: BLISCY /TOGETHER

directed by: Marek Kozakiewicz, produced by: Agnieszka Skalska, Koi Studio

After the death of his mother, 14-year-old Miłosz is looked after by his elder sister Agnieszka. A new family structure is built, based on unconventional principles.

The Uchostudio award – a voucher for sound post-production, worth 20 000 PLN: KIEDY UMILKNIE WIATR / WHEN THE WIND BECOMES SILENT

directed by: Mateusz Gołębiewski, produced by: Małgorzata Domin, Dominika Mandla, Kinga Mielnik - Domino Film

The Olympic Games Melbourne 1956 - Janusz Sidło is the front-runner in the javelin throw competition. At the decisive moment, he decides to lend his javelin to his most dangerous rival.

The ColorOffOn Award - a post-production voucher worth 25 000 PLN: I WANT IT ALL

directed by: Katarzyna Wiśniowska, Tomasz Morawski – HAKA Films

Yara is a ten-year-old who has already won the boxing championship and the children's beauty contest in Belgium. She is not used to losing. Failure, however, is a part of the bitter process of entering adulthood.

The HBO Award – 10 000 PLN: LILI

directed by: Sylwia Rosak, produced by: Tomasz Morawski – HAKA Films

Ever since Lili has been dividing her life into a week with her dad and a week with her mum, she would like to know as much as possible about the world of the adults. What would she wish for before her great journey on her eighth birthday?

 

for the presentations during the pitching DOCS TO START

The Institute of Documentary Film Special Mention – the invitation to the East Doc Platform: LOMBARD / THE PAWNSHOP

directed by: Łukasz Kowalski, produced by: Łukasz Kowalski, Anna Mazerant – 4:30 Picture

A couple of eccentric businesspeople runs the largest pawn shop in Silesia. When the financial situation becomes dramatic, and their love starts to die, they will fight the most difficult fight in their lives.

The ColorOffOn Award - a post-production voucher worth 25 000 PLN ANTYBOHATER / NO HERO AT ALL

directed by: Michał Kawecki, produced by: Maria Siniarska – Unlimited Film Operations

A documentary tale with some black humour about an unusual athlete, for whom the toxic relationship with his family is a bigger obstacle to winning an Olympic medal than the lack of arms and legs.

 

The DOC LAB POLAND has been cooperating with the Krakow Film Festival from the very beginning. Developed in the DOC LAB POLAND "The Wind. A Documentary Thriller," directed by Michał Bielawski was this year's opening film, and last year, the festival was opened by the documentary film by Tomasz Drozdowicz "Concerto for Two." In Krakow in 2018, "Unconditional Love" by Rafał Łysak won the Golden Hobby-Horse award, and "The Ugliest Car In the World" by Grzegorz Szczepaniak won the same award a year before – these three films also participated in the DOC LAB POLAND.

 

The tutors preparing the participants of the DOC LAB POLAND for public presentations and providing valuable advice about developed projects are recognised experts. This year, the workshops were conducted by: Leena Pasanen, the director of the International Documentary and Animated Film Festival Leipzig (DOK Leipzig), Rada Šešić, film critic, director, lecturer and festival selector, connected with these festivals: IDFA, IFFR, the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Kerala Film Festival and the Dutch Film Institute NIF, Debra Zimmerman, director of Women Make Movies (WMM films won Academy Awards or were nominated many times for these awards), Paul Pauwels, the director of the Belgian production company Congoo bvba , who was the head of the European Documentary Network for 6 years, and Daniel Saltzwedel, financial advisor to the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg fund.

An important event organised during the KFF Industry is also the DOC LAB POLAND CO-PRODUCTION MARKET, the only Polish co-production meeting for documentary film producers looking for Polish and foreign partners. This year, 28 projects qualified for participation in the DOC LAB POLAND Co-Production Market: 19 international and 9 Polish ones. Special guests took part in it, among others, Jonathan Taylor (Netflix Original Documentaries), Mehdi Bekkar (Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, Qatar), Lisa Kleiner Chanoff (Catapult Fund, the USA) as well as award-winning documentary film producers: Peter Kerekes, Alex Tondowski, and Jesper Jack from House of Real. Once again, Hanka Kastelicova from HBO Europe and Debra Zimmerman, the director of Women Make Movies (the USA) participated in the market.

 
 

The documentary film projects at the DOC LAB POLAND 2019

START 2019

BROTHERHOOD - directed by: Hanna Maciąg, produced by: Maria Wachowiak, Anna Waligórska – No prob production house

TOGETHER - directed by: Marek Kozakiewicz, produced by: Agnieszka Skalska, Koi Studio

DO I STILL GET ON YOUR NERVES? - directed by: Michał Szcześniak, produced by: Joanna Banach – Kosmos Production

I WANT IT ALL - directed by: Katarzyna Wiśniowska, produced by: Tomasz Morawski – HAKA Films

CANDIDATES OF DEATH - directed by: Maciej Cuske, produced by: Ewa Hoffmann – Fundacja Bydgoska Kronika Filmowa

WHEN THE WIND BECOMES SILENT - directed by: Mateusz Gołębiewski, produced by: Małgorzata Domin, Dominika Mandla, Kinga Mielnik - Domino Film

LILI - directed by: Sylwia Rosak, produced by: Tomasz Morawski – HAKA Films

MISS OF POLAND - directed by: Jana Shostak, Jakub Jasiukiewicz, produced by: Katarzyna Drapała - The Documentary and Feature Film Studios

MY BIG BIBA - directed by: Judyta Fibiger, produced by: Robert Rhodin

CHILDREN OF PARADISE - directed by: Filip Drożdż, produced by: Agnieszka Skalska – Koi Studio

DREAMERS FOREVER - directed by: Maria Magriel, produced by: Katarzyna Gontarczyk - Innovation Institute

 

THE PROJECTS GO 2019

NO HERO AT ALL - directed by: Michał Kawecki, produced by: Maria Siniarska – Unlimited Film Operations

BUTTERFLY CHILD EFFECT - directed by: Jarosław Szmidt, produced by: Kamil Przełęcki – Cineo Studio

HERBERT, DESPITE EVERYTHING! - directed by: Rafael Lewandowski, produced by: Maria Blicharska – Donten & Lacroix Film

THE PAWNSHOP - directed by: Łukasz Kowalski, produced by: Łukasz Kowalski, Anna Mazerant – 4:30 Picture

UNDERAGE ASTRONAUT - directed by: Aleksandra Skowron, produced by: Mirosław Skowron – Mediolia

MY BOY - directed by: Paweł Chorzępa, produced by: Dominika Mandla - the Polish Filmmakers Association, Joanna Dobrzańska, "The Young and the Cinema" Studio Munk Studio

THE ANTARCTIC SYNDROME - directed by: Piotr Jaworski, production: Janusz Skałkowski, Kamil Skałkowski – Kalejdoskop Film

IN VOLTA - directed by: Monika Kotecka, Karolina Poryzała, production: Agnieszka Wasiak – Lava Films

DANCE WITH ME, DAD - directed by: Małgorzata Goździk, produced by: Joanna Zielińska, Magdalena Puzmujźniak – Big Wave Films

ZLOTA - directed by: Tomasz Knittel , produced by: Tomasz Knittel, Maciej Puczyński – STRIKTFILM, OMPRODUCTIONS

 

The organiser of DOC LAB POLAND is Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation, and the co-organiser - the Krakow Film Festival.

The programme is organised in co-operation with the DOK Leipzig, the most important German documentary film festival, the EDN – the European Documentary Network, the Czech  Institute of Documentary Film and the Warsaw Film Festival.

The partners of the 2019 edition are: the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Polish Film Institute, the National Film Archive the National Audiovisual Institute, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the City of Warsaw, the City of Krakow, the Masovia Warsaw Film Commission, the Masovia Institute of Culture, the Krakow Film Commission, the Krakow Festival Office, the National Film Archive the National Audiovisual Institute, the HBO Europe, the Creative Europe Desk Poland, the Centrum Łowicka, the Krakow Film Cluster, the ColorOffOn, the Uchostudio, the Michalak Kosicka Zawolski & Partners Legal Counsel Law Firm, the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce.

The Media Partners are: Film&TV Kamera, FilmPro, Polish Docs, Magazyn Filmowy, VOGUE, TVP Kultura

More on the website: www.doclab.pl

 

Photo: Kamila Szatan