WINNERS OF THE 66TH KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL!
A great celebration of documentary and short cinema has come to an end – the 66th Krakow Film Festival. Over the course of a week, audiences took part in screenings, meetings, concerts and conversations with filmmakers from around the world. The official closing gala, held in a packed Kino Kijów, brought the cinema part of this year’s edition to a close, with the announcement of the jury verdicts as its culminating moment. Among the award-winning titles were both feature-length documentaries and short forms – documentaries, fiction films and animations – recognised for their courage, sensitivity, narrative precision and artistic power.
One of the most awarded films of this year’s edition was “Igrając z diabłem” by Piotr Małecki and Maciek Nabrdalik. The Jury of the Polish Competition for feature-length documentaries, composed of Katarzyna Boniecka, Natalia Koniarz and Wojciech Staroń, after watching all the competition films, decided to award the filmmakers the Golden Hobby-Horse for the directors of the best feature-length documentary film.
The jury statement reads: “We wanted to award a film that becomes an opportunity for dialogue with what is difficult, for speaking about one’s pain for the first time. The authors created a safe space for the protagonists to confront the demons of the past. There are no famous photographs from 28 wars, no images behind which one can hide. What remains is a human being and a close relationship with them.”
The film also received the Human Rights in Motion Award – the award of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for a film addressing contemporary challenges to democracy and human rights. This was not the end of the film’s accolades. Among the awards presented jointly by the Polish Competition juries – for short films and documentaries – was also the Polish Filmmakers Association Award for Editing, presented to Ilona Urbańska-Grzyb.
The jury statement reads: “The jury awards editing that has many layers, revealed gradually. Editing that, with its sensitivity, harmoniously interweaves the humour and tragedy of the main protagonists, creating an intimate story about overcoming oneself, about family and the dangers of the contemporary world. This tenderly told story allowed us to see ourselves reflected in it and moved us deeply.”
The Best Cinematography Award under the patronage of The Polish Society of Cinematographers, funded by InfoCenter, the developer of the mPupil.pl app, went to Mateusz Czuchnowski for the film Steps in Silence. The jury offered the following justification: The jury commends not only the courage and discipline on display, but above all the sensitivity. The cinematography never shouts or dominates; rather, it follows the female protagonists with quiet attentiveness. It transports us into a world where the view of a minefield becomes a metaphor for life itself.
The Maciej Szumowski Award for remarkable social awareness, under the patronage of the Society of Authors ZAiKS, was presented to Katarzyna Kultys for the film House of Ants. The jury justified its decision as follows: The jury awards a film full of light and humour, one that is unafraid to show conflict, helplessness, and love. It is close, intimate, and honest in observing a mother and son as they learn to understand one another. Meanwhile, the prestigious KFF Recommendation for the European Film Award in the documentary category was awarded to Magic Hour, directed by Marcin Borchardt.
The Award for the Best Producer of Polish Documentary and Short Films, funded by KFF Sales, was presented to Joanna Zielińska from Big Wave Films for “Notes from a Besieged City”, directed by Mateusz Mularski.
The jury emphasised in its statement: Producing a documentary film is always a journey into the unknown. This time, the journey is exceptionally dangerous and requires courage, perseverance and responsibility. It is the determination and support of the producer that gives the director the freedom to create and follow his own instinct.
The Golden Hobby-Horse for Best Short Documentary was awarded to Jakub Piątek for Bacewicz x Bomsori. The verdict reads: Once we fall in love with the protagonist, all theoretical justifications become irrelevant. For a simple and beautiful portrait in which one artist is reflected in another across the boundaries of time and space.
The Silver Dragon for the Director of the Best Documentary Film went to Paweł Chorzępa for The Tuners. The jury offered the following justification: Discovering tension and suspense in the most unexpected of places, the film draws our attention to people who usually work in the shadows. This documentary elevates craftspeople to the status of key workers, while keeping the audience on the edge of their seats until the very end.