Polish Films Win in Vilnius

Gwizdek (The Whistle) / Miłość (Loving)

Two films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Miłość (Loving) by Sławomir Fabicki and Gwizdek (The Whistle) by Grzegorz Zariczny, have won in their respective sections at the 18th ‘Kino Pavasaris’ International Film Festival in Vilnius, which closed on March 28.

Miłość (Loving) Wins Best Film

Miłość (Loving), directed by Sławomir Fabicki and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, won the top prize in ‘New Europe – New Names’, the festival’s main competition, which showcases films from Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. This competition also featured Bejbi Blues (Baby Blues) by Katarzyna Rosłaniec. Last year, the festival’s grand prize went to Wymyk (Courage) by Greg Zgliński.

Complicated Relationships

Miłość (Loving) is the story of the complicated relationship of a thirty-year-old married couple who appear to have everything they need to be happy. Maria has a successful career, Tomek is also satisfied with his job. They are decorating their new home and expecting a baby. It feels like nothing could shake their relationship. But Maria’s secret is a traumatic experience that changes not only her, but also the relationship with her husband. The love between these two people is put to a long and straining test.

Film Supported by the Polish Film Institute

The film was produced by Odeon Rybarczyk Productions and co-produced by Anagram Film. The script was written by Sławomir Fabicki and Marek Pruchniewski, while the director of photography was Piotr Szczepański. The lead parts were played by Julia Kijowska and Marcin Dorociński, with supporting performances by Adam Woronowicz, Agata Kulesza, Dorota Kolak, and Marian Dziędziel. Miłość (Loving) was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The film was released in Polish cinemas on March 15, 2013. Distribution in Poland is handled by Forum Film Poland.

Another International Award

The award at the Kino Pavasaris festival is another in a string of awards for Miłość (Loving). For her performance as Maria, Julia Kijowska received the Best Actress Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The film also received the Golden Prometheus Award – the Grand Prize of the Tbilisi film festival.

Gwizdek (The Whistle) Wins Best Short Film Award

The winner of the festival’s international short film competition was Gwizdek (The Whistle) by Grzegorz Zariczny, a film also co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. Made within the framework of the ‘First Documentary’ programme of the Polish Filmmakers Association’s Munk Studio, The Whistle is the story of a young man from a small town near Krakow, whose day job is focused on manual labour, but on the weekends he becomes a low league football referee. The film also won the short film competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The 18th edition of the Kino Pavasaris IFF ran from March 14 through March 28, 2013.

Further details about the Vilnius IFF are available at www.kinopavasaris.lt.

One of the partners of the festival was the Polish Institute in Vilnius: www.lenkukultura.lt.

Paulina Bez

Translated by Karolina Kołtun