SUCCESS OF POLISH DOCUMENTARIES IN ITALY
"Charcoal Burners" by Piotr Złotorowicz and "The Dog Hill" by Grzegorz Zariczny were awarded at Italian Lessinia Film Festival, which focuses on the topic of mountains.
The Lessinia Film Festival is the only Italian cinematographic competition dedicated exclusively to short films, documentaries, and full length features about the life, history and traditions of the mountains. The festival, initiated in 1995 by the Cimbri Association of the Lessinia as a video exhibition dedicated to the Veronese mountains, gradually expanded to encompass the mountains of the entire world.
Apart from exhibitions, concerts, meetings, discussions, and other events related to mountains, the main point of the festival are, naturally, screenings among them the competitions.
This year during the festival there were Polish productions as well. The audience in Bosco Chiesanuova had the opportunity to take a short trip to the Polish Tatra and Bieszczady Mountains thanks to "The Dog Hill" by Grzegorz Zariczny spinning a tale about the life of four shepherds grazing sheep, "Charcoal Burners", directed by Piotr Złotorowicz, a film about people making charcoal in Bieszczady Mountains, and "A Piece of Summer" by Marta Minorowicz, who portrayed the relationship between two close people against a background of a picturesque nature of Bieszczady Mountains.
What is more, two of these films climbed the festival podium. "Charcoal Burners" was awarded with the first prize, while "The Dog Hill" received the Honorary Mention.
The documental etude, "Charcoal Burners" directed by Piotr Złotorowicz, a student of the Polish National Film, Television and Theater School in Łódź, is a short story about Marek and Janina, who every summer work in the Bieszczady Mountains making charcoal. We can observe them at their everyday duties from early morning hours till dusk. The protagonists live a simple, unhurried life far from civilization where nature dictates the rhythm.
"The Dog Hill" was produced by Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing. The film directed by Grzegorz Zariczny talks about four shepherds of different age who six months each year work away from their families and civilization. They spend many months living in a hut, carrying out their duties. Nothing brings the lonely men together like discussions, in particular those about women. They open their hearts, exchanging views and experiences, supporting each other and quarrelling. Their lives depend on the four seasons and the rhythm of nature.
The 17th editio of Lessinia Film Festival in Bosco Chiesanuova began on the 20th August, the award ceremony took place on 27th of August.
Find more on the festival here: www.filmfestivallessinia.it.
(Translation by Olga Brawańska)