Mateusz Banasiuk Awarded in Croatia

August 31 brought the closing of the 4th Avvantura International Film Festival in Zadar, Croatia. The festival’s award for Best Actor went to Mateusz Banasiuk, who played the lead in Płynące wieżowce (Floating Skyscrapers), a feature film directed by Tomasz Wasilewski and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Award for Polish Actor Mateusz Banasiuk

Jury members Arta Dobroshi, Krzysztof Zanussi, Dean Šoša, and Christian Jeune selected Tango Libre, a film directed by Frédéric Fonteyne and filmed in Poland, as Best Film of the festival. Mateusz Banasiuk received the award for Best Actor ex aequo with young Thai actor Sitthiphon Disamoe, who starred in The Rocket, a Thai-Australian co-production directed by Kim Mordaunt. The Best Actress award in Zadar was also shared by two thespians: Nermina Lukač was recognized for her performance in Eat Sleep Die by Gabriele Pichler, while Sharareh Pashy received acclaim for her role in Mourning by Mortez Farshbaf.

How Was Wasilewski’s Film Received in Croatia?

“In Zadar, Płynące wieżowce (Floating Skyscrapers) continued its successful festival streak. The Croatian audience praised not only the award-winning performance by Mateusz Banasiuk, but also the overall quality of the film. At the Q&A session after the screening, viewers were curious about the director’s inspiration in the making of this film. Wasilewski mentioned Ulrich Seidl and Michael Haneke among his favourite filmmakers,” said critic Piotr Czerkawski, jury member of the short film competition, in an interview for the Polish Film Institute. “Jury member Krzysztof Zanussi, received in Zadar with the highest honours, was also among those who complimented Banasiuk’s performance,” added Czerkawski.

Other Screenings of Płynące wieżowce (Floating Skyscrapers)

Tomasz Wasilewski’s feature Płynące wieżowce (Floating Skyscrapers) had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The film later received the Crystal Globe award for Best Film in the East of the West competition at the 48th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Płynące wieżowce (Floating Skyscrapers) will screen in Main Competition at the 38th Gdynia Film Festival later this September, and is scheduled for a theatrical release in Poland on November 15.

Marta Sikorska

Translated by Karolina Kołtun