“Over the Limit” directed by Marta Prus, is the big winner of the 58th Krakow Film Festival taking the Silver Horn for the best feature film in the International Documentary Film Competition and the Silver Hobby-Horse for the director of the best documentary film in the National Competition. The film about the remarkable Russian gymnast Margarita Mamun and the emotional costs of professional sports, received also the award for the best producer of Polish short and documentary films funded by the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce (KIPA) and the Best Cinematography Award under the patronage of The Polish Society of Cinematographers.
The winner of the International Documentary Film Competition is Talal Derki’s film “Of Fathers and Sons”. The 2014 winner of the Silver Horn once again confronted Krakow audience with the sheer terror of the Syrian war. Four years after the horrifying, successful and widely discussed “Return to Homs” – the opening film of the 54th KFF – the director visited a family of a radicalized ISIS member and followed the process of forming of jihadist fighters. In “Of Fathers and Sons” the camera focuses on little boys who are being prepared the join the ranks of ISIS by their beloved fathers, for whom family is especially important. The film received this year an award for best documentary at Sundance. Jury led by Péter Forgács (Hungary) handed out the prestigious Golden Horn award for “the director’s courageous penetration into the world of extremism”. The film was also awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics Jury (FIPRESCI).
The Silver Horn for the director of the best medium-length documentary went to Pablo Aparo and Martin Benchimol for their film “The Dread” (Argentina).
The winner of the oldest festival competition – International Short Film Competition – is Armelle Mercat for her film “Keep Your Hair On, Oliver” (France).
The jury, whose chairman was Iranian director and screenwriter Merhard Oskouei, gave the French director the Golden Dragon award emphasizing that the story presented in the film was only possible to tell through animation.
Silver Dragons are the awards given to the best short films representing all three competition genres. The Silver Dragon for the best documentary film went to Michał Hytroś for his film “The Sisters” (Poland). The film received also the special mention in the National Competition. The best animated film is “Obon” (dir. André Hörmann, Samo (Anna Bergmann)). Silver Dragon for the best short fiction went to Emmanuelle Fleytoux for her film “Release the Dogs” (France/Belgium). The Krakow Film Festival also gave this film the nomination for the European Film Award in the short film category (PRIX EFA KRAKOW 2018 for the best European film).
The best music documentary and the winner of the Golden Heynal award, chosen by the Jury led by Marcin Borchardt (Polska), is an American-Japanese documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” (dir. Stephen Nomura Schible). In this moving documentary a story about the roots of music turns into a film meditation, which talks about the human fight with inhibitions. The protagonist, an Academy Award winner for his original score for the film “The Last Emperor”, this time shows his other faces: as a music experimenter, an activist fighting against environmental degradation and a man struggling with serious illness. The film received also the Student Jury award.
The Golden Hobby-Horse in the National Competition went to “Unconditional Love” by Rafał Łysak (Poland). The Jury led by Tadeusz Sobolewski appreciated the film “for a story about an intimate reality of people from different generations, which escapes a stereotypical judgment. If we watch the world so closely it can actually be tolerant as love is unconditional”.
The best Polish animation is “III” by Marta Pajek (Poland). It is the second Silver Hobby-Horse in the artist’s career. After two years Pajek came back to the idea of an impossible figure, which this time in a sensual and full of eroticism way portrays relations between men and women.
The award for the best Polish short fiction was handed out “for an accurate, comedic attempt to encapsulate the madness of the contemporary world” to Maciej Kawalski for his film “Atlas” (Poland).
The special mention went to the last year’s winner Damian Kocur for his film “1410”.
The audience award went to the Polish director Marta Prus for her film “Over the limit”.
For the fourth time the Krakow Film Festival, being among Europe’s most important film festivals, recommends feature documentary films for the European Film Award. This year the official recommendation was given to “White Mama” (Zosya Rodkevich, Evgeniya Ostanina).
The 59th Krakow Film Festival will take place May 26th to June 2nd, 2019.
59th Krakow Film Festival AWARDS
DRAGON OF DRAGONS AWARD
for the contribution into development of the world documentary film: SERGEI LOZNITSA
RECOMMENDATION TO THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARD: WHITE MAMA, dir. Zosyia Rodkevich and Evgeniya Ostanina (Russia)
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
THE GOLDEN HORN for the director of the best film – Talal Derki for the film Of Fathers and Sons (Germany, Lebanon, Qatar, Syrian Arab Republic).
For the director’s courageous penetration into this world of extremism that digs under the surface of a world we talk about but never have access to. With extraordinary cinematic language, it shows the tragedy of being raised in a situation where hate, violence and killing are the norm. We witness it as it is being transferred from generation to generation, from father to son.
THE SILVER HORN for the director of the best medium-length documentary film – Pablo Aparo i Martin Benchimol for the film The Dread (Argentina).
This delicately composed film portrays the remote village of El Dorado where local healers appear to have far more authority than normal doctors. Their hard-working daily life is saturated with mystical happenings and hopes.
THE SILVER HORN for the director of the best feature-length documentary film – Marta Prus for the film Over the Limit (Finland, Germany, Poland).
For a self-assured and consistent first feature that shows – with a calm observational eye – the complex relationships between three highly-strung characters all of whom are at the edge of their limits. With notable sensitivity, this films approaches these personal dilemmas and the extreme high price of winning.
SPECIAL MENTION – Anastasiya Miroshnichenko for the film Debut (Belarus)
By creating engaging visuals this first feature gives a sensitive insight into the convicts’ daily routines, the pains, the dreams and the hopes.
The FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Jury awarded the International Film Critics Prize to Talal Derki for the film Of Fathers and Sons (Germany, Lebanon, Qatar, Syrian Arab Republic), for the powerful, complex and nuanced depiction of the poisonous legacy of patriarchy and for the director’s remarkably courageous approach to filmmaking.
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
GOLDEN DRAGON for the director of the best film – Armelle Mercat, for the film Keep Your Hair On, Oliver (France). With a childlike drawing the film paints an adult love and its shame. Like a poem, using only few words, it tells the story of subtle and complex emotions which would take a whole novel to express. It could only be made as an animation.
SILVER DRAGON for the director of the best documentary film – Michał Hytroś, for the film The Sisters (Poland)
A young filmmaker looks at an old world, and in the process shows a keen eye for the little things of everyday life. The film is very funny, but never at the expense of its fundamental seriousness about the fact that we may well be watching an endangered species. It invites us to visit a world that most of us will never experience, in the process revealing a common humanity.
SILVER DRAGON for the directors of the best animated film – André Hörmann, Samo (Anna Bergman), for the film Obon (Germany). With the images as beautiful as traditional woodcuts, in a very contemporary way, an old woman recollects her youth and the difficult relationship with her father, for whose love she had to wait for a very long time.
SPECIAL MENTION for Fundamental by ShihChieh Chiu (Taiwan)
SILVER DRAGON for the director of the best short fiction film – Emmanuelle Fleytoux, for the film Release the Dogs (France/Belgium)
At times we have to let go of things, in order to build something new. In this surprising and touching film, characters visibly change, and we never know where each passionate and sometimes violent encounter is going to lead. The suspense is maintained to the very end when the female power and with it the literal and metaphorical dogs are finally released.
SPECIAL MENTION for Users by Jakub Piątek (Poland)
PRIX EFA KRAKOW 2018 for the Best European Film (nomination to the European Film Award in the short film category) – Emmanuelle Fleytoux (France/Belgium) for the film Release the Dogs
The International Federation of Film Societies (FICC) Jury granted the Don Quixote Award to the film Detainment directed by Vincent Lambre (Ireland). A well-known crime story we have read about for 25 years. The brutal murder of a baby boy affects us all, and this film was emotionally stressing to watch. Based on the original tapes from the police questioning, and without showing any graphic details, the horror of the crime hits you like a sledgehammer. The audience is like a fly on the wall when the truth is revealed. Despite the awful crime, we feel the director has managed to bring humanity into the portrait of the young killers, which were brilliantly played by Ely Solan and Leon Hughes. It is a heartbreaking story and it has changed the life of so many people in a very sad way.
The Special Mention to the film: Joe Boots directed by Florian Baron (Germany, USA). The narrative is plain and simple, but it went straight to our hearts. It’s just one guy telling his story, but it is the story of every soldier coming home from war. He is changed but nobody can see it and most of us don’t care. The film is a tribute to every veteran.
INTERNATIONAL DocFilmMusic COMPETITION
GOLDEN HEYNAL for the director of the best film – Stephen Nomura Schible for the film Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (USA, Japan)
For a skillfully crafted an intimate portrait of an unique and outstanding composer
SPECIAL MENTION – Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi for the film Punk Voyage (Finland)
For a life story bigger than music – Keep on rocking guys because PUNK’S NOT DEAD!
NATIONAL COMPETITION
GOLDEN HOBBY-HORSE for the director of the best film funded by the President of the Polish Filmmakers Association – Rafał Łysak for the film Unconditional Love (Poland). For a story about an intimate reality of people from different generations, which escapes a stereotypical judgment. If we watch the world so closely it can actually be tolerant as love is unconditional.
SILVER HOBBY-HORSE for the director of the best documentary film – Marta Prus for the film Over the Limit (Poland, Germany, Finland). In a suggestive way the film brings the viewer deep into to the world of dramatic choices made by a sportswoman and an artist.
SILVER HOBBY-HORSE for the director of the best animated film – Marta Pajek for the film III (Poland). For spectacular drawing of the living shapes portraying an intimate experience of a woman and a man.
SILVER HOBBY-HORSE for the director of the best fiction film – Maciej Kawalski for the film Atlas (Poland). For an accurate, comedic attempt to encapsulate the madness of the contemporary world.
SPECIAL MENTION in the documentary category for Michał Hytroś for the film The Sisters (Poland). For presenting the comedic potential of the world behind the monastery walls.
SPECIAL MENTION in the feature film category – Damian Kocur for the film 1410 (Poland). For the courage to ask naive questions and laugh at important matters.
The Award of the Polish Filmmakers Association for the best film editing – Grażyna Gradoń for the film Notes on Life. A Movie about Edward Żebrowski (dir. Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz)
Maciej Szumowski Award for remarkable social awareness funded by the National Broadcasting Council – Tomasz Knittel for the film Universam Grochów (Poland).
The Award for the best short and documentary films producer in Poland funded by the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce (KIPA) – Anna Kępińska and Maciej Kubicki (Telemark) for the film Over the Limit (Poland, Germany, Finland).
Best Cinematography Award under the patronage of The Polish Society of Cinematographers funded by Coloroffon Film – Adam Suzin for the film Over the Limit.
THE AWARD OF THE STUDENT JURY
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (USA, Japan) directed by Stephen Nomura Schible. For showing how the most destructive forces can inspire the clearest sounds.
THE AUDIENCE AWARD
Marta Prus for her film “Over the limit”.
KFF INDUSTRY AND DOC LAB POLAND AWARDS
ANIMATED IN POLAND:
SOUND MIND AWARD – for the project of the film “The land of Whim”, dir. Betina Bożek, prod. Animation Film Studio, Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow
AUDIOVISUAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER SPECIAL MENTION – “Red light train”, dir. Alicja Kot, prod. Animation Film Studio, Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow
DOCS TO START:
HBO AWARD – for the project of the film “Scandal!”, dir. Bartosz Paduch, prod. Maciek Ostatek, Kacper Jaroszyński / „W To Mi Graj” Foundation
KRAKOW FILM KLASTER AWARD – for the project of the film “Walk with Angels”, dir. Tomasz Wysokiński, prod. Tomasz Wysokiński /Ayahuasca Project
LIGHTCRAFT AWARD – for the project of the film “The Last Expedition”, dir. Eliza Kubarska, prod. Monika Braid /Braidmade Films
EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY NETWORK SPECIAL MENTION (EDN) – project of the film “Lessons in Democracy”, dir. Michał Helwak, prod. Marcin Wierzchosławski / Metro Films
DOK LEIPZIG SPECIAL MENTION – for the project of the film “Ambulance Poland – Syria”, dir. Aleksander Zalewski, prod. Anna Kubik Sobala / Aksamit
DOCS TO GO!:
COLOROFFON AWARD – for the project “Lessons of Love”, dir. Małgorzata Goliszewska, Katarzyna Mateja, prod. Anna Stylińska / Fundacja Widok
INSTITUTE OF DOCUMENTARY FILM SPECIAL MENTION – for the project of the film “An Ordinary Country”, dir. Tomasz Wolski, prod. Anna Gawlita / Kijora Film