"Ida" Awarded in Toronto

Ida, a film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, received the FIPRESCI Jury Prize in the Special Presentations section of the 38th Toronto International FIlm Festival, which closed on September 15.

Ida

The latest feature by Paweł Pawlikowski (winner of multiple awards, including the European Film Award and BAFTA), co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, is the first film by this director to be produced entirely in Poland. The screenplay has been awarded the MEDIA European Talent Prize. Ida is set in early 1960s Poland, and tells the story of an encounter between two women: a young novitiate nun who learns of her Jewish heritage, and a communist activist who is the sole survivor in her family. The film stars Agata Kulesza and first-time actress Agata Trzebuchowska, and features supporting roles by Joanna Kulig and Dawid Ogrodnik. Ida was lensed by Łukasz Żal. The film was made in co-production between Poland and Denmark, with Opus Film acting as producer on the Polish side.

Winner of the Golden Lions Award in Gdynia

Paweł Pawlikowski’s feature Ida was also the top winner at the 38th Gdynia Film Festival, receiving the Golden Lions grand prize and three other awards: best photography (Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski), best actress (Agata Kulesza), and best production design (Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński).

TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)

In 2010, Indiewire named the Toronto International Film Festival the third best film festival in the world (after Cannes and Sundance). Organized annually since 1976, TIFF is an event that showcases the latest trends in world cinema; the only awards at this festival are those awarded by the audience. Recent editions of the festival have featured a number of Polish films, including Galerianki (Mall Girls) and Bejbi Blues (Baby Blues) by Katarzyna Rosłaniec, Sponsoring (Elles) by Małgorzata Szumowska, W ciemności (In Darkness) by Agnieszka Holland, Róża (Rosa) by Wojciech Smarzowski, Imagine by Andrzej Jakimowski, Essential Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski, and Chrzest (The Christening) by Marcin Wrona.

Further details are available at: www.tiff.net.

Paulina Bez, Marta Sikorska

Translated by Karolina Kołtun