ASC Spotlight Award for "Ida"

“Ida”, Fot. Solopan

Ida, a film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, received the ASC Spotlight Award for cinematography. The film was lensed by Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski.

Award for Żal and Lenczewski

The ASC Spotlight Award of the American Society of Cinematographers went to Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski for their work on Ida, a film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The Spotlight Award was created by the ASC to recognize outstanding cinematography in films that play a significant part in developing the art of filmmaking and yet have limited theatrical release in the United States. Other nominees for the Spotlight Award included Ping Bin Lee for Renoir and Camille Cottagnoud for Winter Nomads.

Ida

A novice nun learns that she is in fact Jewish and had been christened as a child in an effort to save her from the Holocaust. Along with her only surviving relative, a Communist activist removed from power, Ida travels to her hometown. It is a journey in search of identity, love, and forgiveness. Though the story is set in 1961, the film is not meant to be accusatory; Pawlikowski’s focus was not history, but rather the human condition.

The Latest Film by Paweł Pawlikowski

Ida is the latest project by director Paweł Pawlikowski and his first work to be produced entirely in Poland. The script was awarded a MEDIA European Talent Prize. Lensed by Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski, the film features performances by Agata Kulesza and first-time actress Agata Trzebuchowska, with supporting roles by Dawid Ogrodnik, Joanna Kulig, Jerzy Trela, and Adam Szyszkowski.

A Polish-Danish Co-Production Co-Financed by the Polish Film Institute

Ida was made as a co-production between Poland and Denmark, produced by Opus Film and Phoenix Film in co-operation with Portobello Pictures, Phoenix Film Polska, and Canal+ Polska. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Eurimages, the Danish Film Institute, and the Łódź Film Fund.

Awards in Poland and Abroad

To date, Ida has received recognition at film festivals in Poland and abroad. The film received the FIPRESCI Prize in the Special Presentations section of the 38th Toronto International Film Festival and four awards at the 38th Gdynia Film Festival: the Golden Lions Award for Best Film and the awards for Best Photography, Best Actress (Agata Kulesza) and Best Production Design (Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński). Ida went on to win top laurels at the 29th Warsaw Film Festival and the 57th London Film Festival. Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski also won the Golden Frog Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography. The film was released theatrically in Poland on October 25, 2013. Distribution in Poland is handled by Solopan.

Further details about the ASC Spotlight Award are available at www.theasc.com.

Paulina Bez

Translated by Karolina Kołtun