"OF ANIMALS AND MEN" AWARDED IN CHINA
The documentary film by Łukasz Czajka was appreciated at the Chinese GZDOC 2019 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival. The production received the best arthouse film award.
The GZDOC Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival is the oldest Chinese festival, entirely dedicated to documentary cinema. The organisers promote local cinema, but are also open to other cinematographies. The GZDOC serves not only the viewers, but also the entire industry, thanks to the giant film market at which productions from all over the world are presented.
One of the highlights of the programme includes the competitions. This year, Polish documentary film was represented by the film by Łukasz Czajka. "Of Animals And Men" was nominated in as many as four categories (the best film, the best director, the best arthouse film and the Special Jury Award). Eventually, the film received the best arthouse film award. This is a huge success, because the production competed against 45 documentary films from all over the world.
The Polish documentary film tells the story of the famous zoo in Warsaw. The overarching objective of a zoo is to protect the endangered species. During the war, the most endangered species is human. During World War II, in the Warsaw zoo, under the very eyes of the Germans, 300 people were hiding, most of them Jews. Using staged scenes with animals, conversations with the survivors and the archival materials, we bring to life the surreal atmosphere of those events.
You can find more information about the festival on its official website.