9th Planete+ Doc FF Awards
Canon Cinematography Award for Tomasz Wolski. Photo by Marcin Kułakowski, Polish Film Institute
May 19 brought the awards gala of the 9th Planete+ Doc Film Festival in Warsaw. The winner of the Millennium Award was 5 Broken Cameras by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi. Special recognition went to Christian Holten Bonke and Andreas Koefoed, the creators of Ballroom Dancer.
The complete awards list:
- The Blogger Award – The Ambassador, directed by Mads Brügger;
- Doc Art Award (for best film about the arts)- Gerhard Richter, directed by Corinna Belz;
- Chopin’s Nose Award (for best musical film) – Cure for Pain. The Mark Sandman Story, directed by Robert G. Bralver and David Ferino;
- Arthouse Cinema Network Award – Urbanized, directed by Gary Hustwit;
- Green Warsaw – The Island President, directed by Jon Shenk. Special mention: Keep on Rolling (The Dream of the Automobile), directed by Oscar Clemente, and Surviving Progress, directed by Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks;
- Audience Award – Gnarr, directed by Gaukur Ulfarsson;
- Amnesty International Award – Back to the Square, directed by Petr Lom and Torstein Grude. Special mention: 5 Broken Cameras, directed by Emad Burnat andGuy Davidi, and Generation Kunduz – the War of the Others, directed by Martin Gerner;
- Canon Cinematography Award (for best director of photography) – Pałac (Palace), directed by Tomasz Wolski;
- Magic Hour Award – The Patron Saints, directed by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky. Special mention: 900 Days, directed by Jessica Gorter, and Hometown Boy, directed by Yao Hung-I;
- Millennium Award – 5 Broken Cameras, directed by Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi, Special mention: Ballroom Dancer, directed by Christian Holten Bonke andAndreas Koefoed
5 Broken Cameras Wins 9th Planete+ Doc Film Festival
The festival’s grand prize Millennium Award went to Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, directors of 5 Broken Cameras. Emad, a Palestinian farmer, uses five cameras to document the various aspects of his village’s struggle against Israeli oppression. Emad lives in Bil’in, located west of Ramallah on the West Bank. He used his first camera to record Israeli bulldozers as they entered the village and destroyed its olive trees in 2005.
The Millennium Award for Best Feature Documentary Film was awarded by an international jury: Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, Sam Green, and Rick Minnich. “We selected this film because we were amazed by the filmmaker’s total dedication to his project. He did everything in his power, despite the circumstances. We also found the film to be incredibly humane and emotional. This film is a unique example of non-violence in the fight for peace,” said Rick Minnich as he read the jury statement.
Polish Documentary Wins Canon Cinematography Award
The Canon Cinematography Award for best director of photography went to Tomasz Wolski, director of Pałac (Palace). The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. Palace is a modern-day look at the Palace of Science and Culture in Warsaw – a unique being, a city within a city, where recent history meets the present day. There is no other building that would be a source of such controversy, while being at the same time a symbol of Poland’s capital, if not the whole country. Palace was produced by Kijora.
Jury members Jacek Petrycki, Jacek Rosiński and Michał Bukojemski gave the award to Tomasz Wolski “for his consistent and raw portrayal of the degradation and perseverance of this symbolic construction.” “I’m glad that the jury recognized my film. It’s important that documentaries are good to watch, not just to listen to,” said Tomasz Wolski. Canon Poland provided Wolski with equipment support for the production of his next documentary project.
Planete+ Doc Supported by the Polish Film Institute
“I would like to thank all the organizations who allow our festival to develop and grow year by year: Millennium Bank – founder of the grand prize, the Planete television channel – founder of the audience award […] with whom we cooperate year-round, Canon Poland – founder of the award for best photography, and the Polish Film Institute – founder of the Magic Hour Award,” said festival director Artur Liebhart at the festival’s closing gala.
The 9th edition of the Planete+ Doc Film Festival was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
The festival website is available at planetedocff.pl.
Paulina Bez
Translated by Karolina Kołtun