POLISH FILMS TRIUMPH AT HUNGARIAN FESTIVAL
Forest by Lidia Duda claims a major award, In Limbo by Alina Maksimenko receives special mention, and Fakir by Roman Ďuriš wins the youth jury award at BIDF – Budapest International Documentary Festival.
BIDF - Budapest International Documentary Festival – is a prestigious film event celebrating the finest documentaries from across the globe. Its organisers place particular emphasis on holding meetings with filmmakers, debates, and engaging audiences in conversations about contemporary issues.
This year's edition of the Hungarian festival went exceptionally well for Polish productions and co-productions. One of the major accolades went to Lidia Duda's Forest. The film tells the story of Asia and Marek, a couple who bought an old house near Poland's eastern border in the Białowieża Forest, Europe's oldest forest. It’s their little paradise – a place for their children to grow up far away from the troubles of the modern world. For Marysia, Ignacy, and Franek the forest is like a second home – familiar and safe. But one day their forest changes. Strangers show up. Outsiders… refugees. Unwanted both in Poland and in Belarus. Against the law, the family starts helping them. You can’t leave other human beings without help, can you? The children’s world changes drastically. They no longer play knights and princesses, but refugees and border patrols. Big politics knocks at their door, and nothing is the same as it was before.
In Limbo by Alina Maksimenko received a special mention. The Russian invasion of Ukraine finds Alina in Irpin, near Kyiv. Bombed and cut off from the world, the city becomes a trap from which she manages to escape with one of the last evacuation groups. She reaches a cottage in a nearby village where her parents are stranded. For the first few weeks, they try to live a normal life. Her mother conducts online classes, her father looks after his cats and local animals, and Alina films current events. However, the front line is drawing ever closer. A decision must be made – stay or flee?
Awarded by the Junior Jury, Fakir by Roman Ďuriš tells the story of Dalibor, a 23-year-old who is released from prison after serving a two-year sentence. Missing from his welcome home is his 12-year-old brother Kevin, who lives with their abusive, alcoholic father. Dalibor confronts their father and helps his mother fight for Kevin's custody to save the boy from further harm. Entangled in a vicious cycle of suffering, the protagonist finds refuge in a destitute, travelling circus. He becomes a fakir in an attempt to heal his wounds.
The complete list of awarded films can be found here.