"HORSE RIDERS" AWARDED AT THE WINTER APRICOTS
The documentary film by Anna Gawlita won the award for the best sound at the Winter Apricots festival in Macedonia.
Winter Apricots: Prilep International Film Festival is an event which has been taking place for several years in the small Macedonian town of Prilep. The festival presents the most interesting short films from all over the world. In the programme, there are also various kinds of workshops, concerts, exhibitions and special screenings.
The film awarded for the best sound, "Horse Riders," is set in a certain village near Opole, where Easter Sunday is being celebrated. People gather in front of the church, but horses also crowd here. This is a traditional element of celebrating the holidays, which consist of prayers, a tour of the nearby buildings on horseback and passionate singing under the influence of alcohol. Enigmatic editing and black and white cinematography capture the solemn atmosphere of the celebration, in which the sacred joins the profane in a weird chase. It is held under the patronage of a small statue of the Resurrected Christ. The ceremony of Krzyżoki (Horse Riders), celebrated in this way, is a custom typical for the south of Poland. During the thirty-five-kilometre long route, the inhabitants pray and sing religious songs. During the stops, they rest, eat and drink vodka. Fatigue and alcohol intoxication are mixed with religious rapture. The sacred and the profane.
You can find more information about the festival on its website.