“THE BALCONY MOVIE” WINS AN EAGLE
Last night, the documentary by Paweł Łoziński won the Polish Film Award.
The “Eagles” Polish Film Awards, the annual awards of the Polish Film Academy, have been organised for the Polish Film Academy by the Independent Film Foundation since 1999. The idea came from Dariusz Jabłoński, film director and producer, current President of the Polish Film Academy.
Paweł Łoziński's winning documentary competed with 1970 by Tomasz Wolski, Polański, Horowitz. Hometown by Mateusz Kudła and Anna Kokoszka-Romer, Judges Under Pressure by Kacper Lisowski, and Escape to the Silver Globe by Kuba Mikurda.
Can anyone be a film protagonist? Can you fit the entire world in a single frame? Director Paweł Łoziński watches people from his balcony. Both young and old, they walk by smiling, sad, thoughtful, staring at their phones. Residents of the neighbourhood, or casual visitors, ordinary passers-by. The author approaches them, asks questions, talks about their life and how they're doing. Standing there with his camera for over 2 years, he created a place for dialogue, a secular confessional where everyone can stop and tell others about themselves. Every person carries their own riddles and secrets. They can't be easily labelled. Life can't be imagined. The Balcony Movie is a radical return to the early days of cinema, when it was people who approached the camera. Perhaps one just needs to stop and stay a while to see more?
A list of all winners can be found here (in Polish).