Comments on Krakow Film Festival 2011 awards

JURY VERDICTS

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Having seen all the competition films, the International Documentary Competition Jury of the 51st Krakow Film Festival consisting of: Tue Steen Müller – the chairman (Denmark), Dušan Hudec (Slovakia), Marcin Koszałka (Poland), Kaleo La Belle (Switzerland), and Annamaria Percavassi (Italy) have decided to award:

GOLDEN HORN for the Director of the Best Film: for Wojciech Staroń, the director of THE ARGENTINIAN LESSON (Poland). The film maintains its form and story from beginning to end, a story not only about different cultures but much more about the beauty of a young boy and a young girl getting closer to each other, a growing friendship. The jury finds the film a true piece of art.

SILVER HORN for the Director of the Best Medium-Length Documentary: for Marcus Lindeen,
the director of REGRETTERS (Sweden). The film has found a perfect solution to self-analysis performed by two human beings, who have undergone sex changes in search of their identity and the gender of their personality. The dialogue carries the touching story in a perfect arc.

SILVER HORN for the Director of the Best Feature-Length Documentary: for Paweł Kloc, the director of PHNOM PENH
LULLABY (Poland). The film uses a strong cinematic language to depict a very unconventional struggle for love and acceptance in a devastating family environment under hard existential conditions. A very strong character development kept the jury on the edge of our seats.

THE AWARD OF THE POLISH ASSOCIATION OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS (PSC) for the best cinematography in the documentary film, founded by Lightcraft: for Wojciech Staroń (Poland) for cinematography to THE ARGENTINIAN LESSON,


SPECIAL MENTIONS:

AGNUS DEI: THE LAMB OF GOD, directed by Alejandra Sanchez (France/Mexico). The film follows the bravery of the main character’s decision to challenge the institution of the church.

DOCTORS, directed by Tomasz Wolski (Poland). The film is taking its audience to an important public institution and tells the story through amazing imagery and sparse and sometimes humoristic dialogue in serious moments of life and death.



The Student Jury for Documentary Competition consisting of: Michał Lesiak, Małgorzata Steciak, and Daniel Stopa have decided to award the film DOCTORS directed by Tomasz Wolski (Poland) for surgical precision in his style and successful operating on characters’ open hearts.



INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Having seen all the competition films, the International Short Film Competition Jury of the 51st Krakow Film Festival consisting of: Lech Kowalski – the chairman (USA), João Garção Borges (Portugal), Bartek Konopka (Poland), Delphine Lyner (Switzerland), Ülo Pikkov (Estonia) have decided to award the following prizes:

GOLDEN DRAGON for the Director of the Best Film for Kaveh Tehrani (Norway), the director of 1994. The themes and characters presented in the Norwegian film 1994 beg an essential question in contemporary film making, “What is fiction and what is non fiction?’ The film challenges the viewer to consider the role of immigrants in European society as it blurs the lines between two cinematic storytelling techniques. It is serious, humorous, bold yet delicate, all at the same time.


SILVER DRAGON for the Director of the Best Documentary Film for José Miguel Ribeiro (Portugal), the director of A JOURNEY TO CAPE VERDE. Utilizing hand drawn animation, the Portugese film, a Trip To Cape Verde tells a story as real and as unique as any documentary using traditional camera images. The director’s sensual technique and his firm personal point of view, capture the hot and primitive island environment off the coast of Africa. No other documentary in the short film competition was as evocative of a filmmaker’s journey.

SILVER DRAGON for the Director of the Best Animated Film for Thor Ochsner (Denmark), the director of 1989 (WHEN I WAS 5 YEARS OLD). The Danish film, 1989 takes us on a journey that is both personal and tragic. This personal story wears it’s artistic style extremely well. The filmmaker shares with us his intimate life story, rarely seen in films.

SILVER DRAGON for the Director of the Best Feature Film for Daniel Mulloy (UK), the director of BABY. The British Baby shows us that in today’s world danger may come from the least expected place. The very involving story and sharp cinematography keeps the audience close to the main characters. This well crafted film and uses a tight directing style, which plays with the usual stereotypes.


SPECIAL MENTIONS:

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S WIFE, directed by Karsten Krause and Philip Widmann (Germany),
DECRESCENDO, directed by Marta Minorowicz (Poland).
The jury has decided to give a special mention to two documentary shorts; the German, The Photographers Wife and the Polish film, Decrescendo. Both films are outstanding because of unexpected and unusual main characters, shown in a common situation and surrounding. Both films are very subtle and touch the audience with a poetic and intelligent form, letting them be part of the main characters lives.



EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY AWARD for the Best European Film (nomination to the European Film Award 2011 in the short film category) for PAPARAZZI, directed by Piotr Bernaś (Poland). The Polish film, Paparazzi, follows the work of a professional doing the dirty job of tabloid press photographer and at the same time deals with the soul of a man facing both the cruel and contemporary reality of history and the minor facts of life. After this film there is a good chance that Polanski will allow the photographer to take his picture.


The FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Jury at the 51st Krakow Film Festival, consisting of: Andrzej Fogler (Poland), Dominique Martinez (France), and Simon Weaving (Australia), after watching all the competition films, have decided unanimously to award the film 1994, directed by Kaveh Tehrani (Norway),


The FICC (International Federation of Film Societies) Jury at the 51st Krakow Film Festival, consisting of: Line Klungseth Johansen (Norway), Kata Kovács (Hungary), Grzegorz Szklarczuk (Poland) have decided to give the Don Quichote Award for the film A JOURNEY TO CAPE VERDE, directed by José Miguel Ribeiro (Portugal),
Special Mentions:
THE BIRTHDAY CIRCLE directed by Philip Lepherd (UK)
RAÚL’S WORLD directed by Jessica Rodríguez Sánchez and Zoe G. Miranda (Cuba)


The Student Jury for Short Film Competition, consisting of: Anna Grądowska, Ewa Popowska, and Tomasz Rachwald
have decided to award the film CZECH POST-WAR HISTORY directed by Jaroslav Kratochvíl (Czech Republic) for a skilful combination of parody and the criticism of an ailing educational system.


NATIONAL COMPETITION

Having watched all the competition films, the National Competition Jury of the 51st Krakow Film Festival, consisting of: Jerzy Kapuściński – the chairman, Anna Kazejak-Dawid, Tomasz Kozak, Tadeusz Słobodzianek, and Marcin Wrona, have decided to award:

GOLDEN HOBBY-HORSE for the Director of the Best Film
For Marcel Łoziński, the director of TONIA AND HER CHILDREN, in recognition of creating masterpiece that combines best traditions of Polish documentary films with intellectual courage and critical acuity,

SILVER HOBBY-HORSE for the Director of the Best Documentary Film
for Paweł Kloc, the director of PHNOM PENH LULLABY,

SILVER HOBBY-HORSE for the Director of the Best Animated Film
for Kamil Polak, the director of THE LOST TOWN OF ŚWITEŹ,

SILVER HOBBY-HORSE for the Director of the Best Feature Film
for Magnus von Horn, the director of WITHOUT SNOW,


SPECIAL MENTIONS:

SHIVERING TRUNKS, directed by Natalia Brożyńska, for an innovative approach to narrative structure and for her sense of humour,
KWIEKULIK, directed by Joanna Turowicz and Anna Zakrzewska for the reference to the tradition of the Polish avant-garde,

The President of the Association of Polish Filmmakers Award for Wojciech Staroń for THE ARGENTINIAN LESSON,

The President of the Association of Polish Filmmakers Award for the Best Film Editing for Tomasz Wolski, the editor of the film DOCTORS,

The President of TVP S.A. (Polish Television) Award for the Best Director for Marcel Łoziński, the director of
TONIA AND HER CHILDREN

The President of TVP S.A (Polish Television) Award for the Best Cinematography for Wojciech Staroń, the director
of THE ARGENTINIAN LESSON.

Maciej Szumowski Award for remarkable social awareness founded by Kino Polska TV for Kuba Maciejko for BON
APPETIT,

Bronisław Chromy Sculpture for the Best Producer of Polish Short and Documentary Films for STUDIO FILMOWE KRONIKA (KRONIKA FILM STUDIO), the producer of TONIA AND HER CHILDREN, directed by Marcel Łoziński.

The Student Jury for National Competition, consisting of: Jolanta Rydel, Miłosz Stelmach, and Krzysztof Siwoń have decided to award THE ARGENTINIAN LESSON directed by Wojciech Staroń (Poland) for creative and personal approach to the documentary form and for great visual sensitivity.


AUDIENCE AWARD
LIFE IN A DAY directed by Kevin Macdonald

HBO Development Award for the film project EVIL IN US directed by Daria Lipko

DRAGON FORUM AWARD for the film project NUSRAT. THE LAST PROPHET OF MUSIC directed by Tomek Wysokiński and Armand Urbaniak