An Interview with the Creators of "Our Curse"

“Even the worst moments of your life can turn into something positive,” say the creators of Nasza klątwa (Our Curse), the Oscar-nominated short documentary that tells the story of parents coming to terms with the fear of Ondine’s Curse – a disease with which their newborn son is afflicted. Those suffering from Ondine’s Curse stop breathing in their sleep and thus require a lifetime of breathing support through a respirator.

We interviewed director Tomasz Śliwiński, his wife Magdalena Hueckel, and producer Maciej Ślesicki, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of pointing the camera at yourself, about how a student film is able to compete with the high-budget film industry, and about their reactions to being nominated for an Oscar.

Nasza klątwa (Our Curse), a film co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and produced at the Warsaw Film School, is competing for the Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award. Joanna, a film by Aneta Kopacz, is also nominated in this category.

Academy Award winners will be announced on February 22.

Translated by Karolina Kołtun