Polish Docs Awarded in Leipzig
Two Polish documentaries – Argentyńska lekcja (Argentinian Lesson) by Wojciech Staroń and Kołysanka z Phnom Penh (Phnom Penh Lullaby) by Paweł Kloc – received awards at the 54th DOK Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. Both films were co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Leipzig Awards for Films Co-Financed by the Polish Film Institute
The documentary Argentinian Lesson by Wojciech Staroń screened in International Competition for Feature Documentary Films, winning the Silver Dove award. The Golden Dove went to the Mexican film The Tiniest Place, directed by Tatiana Huezo. Phnom Penh Lullaby by Paweł Kloc received recognition in the Young Talents competition. Both documentaries were made with financial support from the Polish Film Institute.
Argentinian Lesson
The documentary focuses on the director’s 8-year-old son, Janek, who moves with his parents to Argentina for two years. Finding himself in a foreign country and a foreign culture, immersed in a language he never heard before, the boy slowly learns about the world around him. He becomes friends with 11-year-old Marcia, which brings him closer to the culture of his new country, but also brings him into a new social reality, where children often have to deal with very adult problems.
Phnom Penh Lullaby
The film by Paweł Kloc is an intimate story of a man looking for love and acceptance. Ilan Schickman left Israel, dreaming of a better life. He now lives i Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with a girl named Saran and her daughters – two-year-old Marie and six-month-old Jasmine. He tries to make ends meet by working the streets of Phnom Penh as a card reader. The cultural differences and difficult personality of his life partner make his life increasingly difficult.
Polish Films at DOK Leipzig
In addition to the two awarded documentaries, Decrescendo by Marta Minorowicz screened in Short Film Competition. The International Programme lineup also featured the documentaries Koniec lata (The Last Day of Summer) by Piotr Stasik, Lekarze (Doctors) by Tomasz Wolski, Vakha i Magomed (Vakha & Magomed) by Marta Prus, and Kiedyś będziemy szczęśliwi by Paweł Wysoczański. The animated film competition featured Noise by Przemysław Adamski and Galeria by Robert Proch.
DOK Leipzig Festival
DOK Leipzig is one of the leading events in the world of documentary and animated filmmaking. Every year, the festival screens a wide selection of the latest films from around the world, and features a number of industry events, including the DOK Market, the International DOK Leipzig Co-Production Meetings, and DOK Summit, which fosters networking in the world of documentary and animated filmmaking and sharing knowledge about film production.
Further details about the DOK Leipzig festival available at: www.dok-leipzig.de.
Translated by Karolina Kołtun