On Friday evening, 2nd of June, in the Malopolska Garden of Arts we learned the recipients of the industry awards presented during the Krakow Film Festival under the KFF Industry program. The ceremony was preceded by a concert by the Masecki/Młynarski/Markowicz trio, co-organised by the FINA National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute. We still eagerly anticipate the Festival Awards gala, set to take place on Saturday at the Kijów Cinema.

KFF Industry comprises industry events aimed at film professionals attending the Krakow Film Festival. For several days, creators and producers of documentaries, animated and short films met with experts, programmers from international film festivals, foreign sales agents, distributors, representatives of film funds, TV stations, online and VOD platforms, and other decision-makers in the international film industry.

DOC LAB POLAND is Poland's largest and most comprehensive program directed towards documentary filmmakers, focusing on the supporting of auteur, creative documentary cinema while emphasising a producer-oriented approach. It encompasses a comprehensive film project development program that involves workshops, individual consultations and panel discussions, along with workshops leading to a presentation (pitch) aimed at initiating co-productions by projects participating in the programme or supporting the promotion and distribution of the films currently being made.

As every year at KFF Industry, there were three pitch sessions – presentations of film projects at various stages of completion: ANIMATED IN POLAND for Polish animated projects in production; and – co-organised with DOC LAB POLAND – DOCS TO START and DOCS TO GO for Polish documentary projects in development and post-production. The winners of the best projects were announced during yesterday's industry award ceremony.

The evening was hosted by Katarzyna Wilk and Marta Świętek from the Krakow Film Foundation, as well as Katarzyna and Adam Ślesicki from the Władysław Ślesicki Film Foundation.

Animated in Poland

The animated projects participating in the Animated in Poland pitch sessions received two main awards and two special mentions:

The SOUND MIND STUDIO Award – a voucher to Sound Mind Studio for 10 days of sound post-production for a film – was awarded to Joko (dir. Izabela Plucińska, prod. Piotr Szczepanowicz, Grzegorz Wacławek / Animoon).

The project Hair Story (dir. Dominika Wyrobek, prod. Paulina Ratajczak / Las Sztuki Foundation, Munk Studio – Polish Filmmakers Association) received the FIXAFILM Award – a voucher for image post-production services worth PLN 10,000 and the CREW UNITED special mention – a five-year subscription to Crew United's Premium Tier – for the director and producer of the distinguished project.

The CeTA – CENTRE FOR AUDIOVISUAL TECHNOLOGY – Special Mention was an in-kind contribution: lending of equipment and infrastructure and the performance of selected services worth PLN 30,000 – was awarded to the project There Is Such A Blue (dir. Zofia Snarska, prod. Przemysław Adamski / Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw).

Docs to Go

Three main awards and one special mention were presented to Polish documentary films in post-production:

The SMAKJAM Award – image post-production service worth PLN 25,000 – went to the project Aria Di Bravura (dir. Małgorzata Goliszewska, prod. Wojciech Karubin / Movie Mates).

The FIXAFILM Award – image post-production service worth PLN 15,000 – was granted to the project Runa (dir. Agnieszka Zwiefka, prod. Agnieszka Zwiefka, Zofia Kujawska / Chilli Productions).

The project Do Painters Die Elsewhere (dir. Michał Pietrak prod. Wiesław Łysakowski / Orient Film) received the CAFE OLE Award – a sound post-production service worth PLN 10,000 and a special mention from the Institute of Documentary Film – an invitation to East Silver during the East Doc Platform.

Docs to Start

Polish documentary film projects in development participating in the Docs to Start pitching received a total of four main awards and three special mentions:

The CANAL+ Award – PLN 10,000 in cash – went to the project Home Movie (dir. Anu Czerwiński, prod. Anna Stylińska / Film Frame, My Way Studio).

The project "December" (dir. Grzegorz Paprzycki, prod. Piotr Śmiechowski / Telemark) received the ORKA Award – an image post-production service worth PLN 20,000, and a Polish Docs Pro mention, which includes support for international promotion and an invitation to one of the international industry documentary events.

The MX35 Award – an equipment rental service worth PLN 10,000 – was presented to Baltic (dir. Iga Lis, prod. Patrycja Przygoda, Stanisław Zaborowski / Silver Frame).

The CAFE OLE Award – a sound post-production service worth PLN 10,000 – was granted to the project What The… Hen! (dir. Joanna Deja, prod. Justyna Kluczewska, Maciej Ostatek / Raban Foundation).

The DOK Leipzig Special Mention – an invitation to Co‐pro Meetings in Leipzig – was awarded to Omelko’s House or Guests from Kharkiv (dir. Halyna Lavrinets, prod. Alexandra Bratyshchenko / Eleron Pictures).

The IDFA Special Mention – an invitation to the IDFA Forum as an observer – went to Second Line (dir. Olga Stuga, prod. Olga Stuga / EP Olga Stuga).

A Meeting with Jewish Culture

The Młynarski / Masecki / Markowicz trio transported the gala participants to the theatres and revues of interwar Warsaw. We heard a repertoire by the greatest creators of interwar Polish entertainment music, such as Henryk Wars, Zygmunt Białostocki, Marian Hemar, and Emmanuel Schlechter. This time, they were songs from the lost world of Polish Jews. Humorous jokes, touching ballads, and klezmer jazz revived the memory of both people and a world that is no longer here, but which came to life for a moment during the concert.

The in-person edition of the 63rd Krakow Film Festival will conclude on Sunday, 4th of June. Festival films will still be available online on the KFF VOD platform until 18th of June.

JUNE 2023