"LOVING VINCENT" AND "MOOMINS AND THE WINTER WONDERLAND" IN THE RUNNING FOR OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Two films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute — Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) and Magiczna zima Muminków (Moomins and the Winter Wonderland) are among 26 productions in the running for an Academy Award nomination in the Best Animated Feature Film category.

Two Animations Supported by the Polish Film Institute Shortlisted by the Academy

On November 9, 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a list of 26 animated feature films from around the world submitted for consideration in the Best Animated Feature Film category. Among these films are two productions co-financed by the Polish Film Institute: Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, and Magiczna zima Muminków (Moomins and the Winter Wonderland), directed by Jakub Wroński and Ira Carpelan. 

The complete list of 26 films is available on the Academy website: www.oscars.org/news/26-animated-features-submitted-2017-oscar-race.

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on January 23, 2018.

Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent)

Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent). Photo courtesy of Next Film 

Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) is the world’s first painted feature film, made by Polish director and painter Dorota Kobiela and by Hugh Welchman (winner of the Academy Award for Peter & the Wolf). The film is produced by Oscar-winning Breakthru Films and Trademark Films. Partners on the project include CETA, Odra Film, Silver Reel, Cinema and Management Group, European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016, and MEDIA. The film is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) was produced by Oscar-winning Breakthru Films and Trademark Films. Partners of the project include CETA, Odra Film, Silver Reel, the Cinema and Management Group, the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016, and the MEDIA programme. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Through 65,000 hand-painted frames, Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) tells the story of the life and death of Vincent van Gogh, one of the world’s most acclaimed painters. Told as an investigation into the death of the artist, the story brings to life over 100 of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings.

The film has sold to over 130 territories to date, including France, China, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Portugal, Japan, Thailand, Colombia, India, Russia, and Brazil.

Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) had its world premiere in Main Competition at the Annecy Animated Film Festival, winning the Audience Award. The film went on to receive accolades at the Shanghai IFF, winning the award for Best Animated Film. The film was also shown at the opening ceremony of the 42nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, screening in Main Competition.

The film was released theatrically in Poland on October 6, 2017. Distribution in Poland is handled by Next Film.

To date, Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) has also been released theatrically in multiple territories, including the United States, the UK, France, Italy, Canada, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, and Japan.
Twój Vincent (Loving Vincent) has been nominated for the 2017 European Film Awards in the European Animated Feature Film category.

Magiczna zima Muminków (Moomins and the Winter Wonderland)

Magiczna zima Muminków (Moomins and the Winter Wonderland). Photo courtesy of Animoon

Magiczna zima Muminków (Moomins and the Winter Wonderland) is a story about a very special time in Moominvalley. The film’s main protagonist Moomintroll decides to stay awake instead of having his winter slumber as Moomins have done for generations. He wants to find out what the world looks like when his family is asleep. This winter, he will discover snow and frost and will learn a lot about Moominvalley in winter time. Moomintroll is also anxiously awaiting the arrival of a mysterious guest called Christmas who is soon to visit the Moomins’ home.

The script was written by Małgorzata Więckowicz-Żyła, Piotra Szczepanowicz and Ira Carpelan, based on the works of Tove Jansson. The film was created from existing vintage footage from original stop-motion Moomins productions made by Film Polski and Jupiter Film in the 1980s.

Magiczna zima Muminków (Moomins and the Winter Wonderland) was produced by Grzegorz Wacławek, Piotr Szczepanowicz and Zofia Jaroszuk of Animoon on the Polish side, and by Ira Carpelan and Tom Carpelan of Filmkompaniet on the Finnish side. The film was made with support from the Polish Film Institute and the Finnish Film Foundation.

In the Polish version, the film features voices by Piotr Fronczewski, who narrates this winter tale, as well as Maciej Musiał as Moomintroll, Natalia Kukulska as Moominmamma, and Maciej Stuhr as Moominpappa.
The film will be released theatrically in Poland on December 22, 2017.

Wszystkie Nieprzespane Noce (All These Sleepless Nights) in the Running for Oscars Shortlist

Another film in consideration for being shortlisted for the Oscars is Wszystkie Nieprzespane Noce (All These Sleepless Nights), a film directed by Michał Marczak and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The film is one of 170 films submitted for Academy Awards consideration in the Documentary Feature category: www.oscars.org/news/170-documentary-features-submitted-2017-oscarr-race. 

Four Features Supported by the Polish Film Institute in the Running for Oscar Nods in Best Foreign Language Film Category

This year, a total of four feature films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute are in consideration for Oscar nominations in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Poland’s Oscar candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film category is Pokot (Spoor), a film directed by Agnieszka Holland.

Lithuania’s candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film category is Szron (Frost), a French-Lithuanian-Ukrainian-Polish co-production directed by Sharunas Bartas.

Estonia’s candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film category is Listopad (Novembri/November), an Estonian-Polish-Dutch co-production directed by Rainer Sarnet.

Iceland’s candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film category is W cieniu drzewa (Under the Tree / Undir Trenu), a film made as a co-production between Iceland, Denmark, and Poland.

Paulina Bez

Translated by Karolina Kołtun