Polish films awarded at ZagrebDox 2018





The filmmakers behind the films Over the Limit, Call Me Tony and Symphony of the Ursus Factory all awarded at the 14th ZagrebDox Film Festival.

Marta Prus Wins Award for Over the Limit

Over the Limit, photo: press materials

The Little Stamp Award for the best film made by a young artist up to 35 years of age was awarded to Marta Prus for her full-length documentary debut Over the Limit.

The film by Marta Prus received the award “for its masterful portrayal of strong archetypal characters in a powerful classical conflict using only the inherent tools of documentary observation”.

Over the Limit is the story of Russian gymnast Margarita Mamun who, on the way to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, had to face not only her rivals, but also her own limitations. The film is also a rare opportunity to have a behind-the-scenes look at rhythmic gymnastics in a country which is home to some of the world’s most talented gymnasts. The director successfully managed to penetrate this closeted world and portray the difficult relations between the gymnasts and their trainers.

The director of the film is Marta Prus, and the producers are Maciej Kubicki and Anna Kępińska from the Warsaw-based Telemark company. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.

Honorable Mention for the Movie Call Me Tony

Call Me Tony, photo: press materials

In the Teen Dox section, a special award went to Klaudiusz Chrostowski’s Call Me Tony. The jury’s justification reads: “The film outstandingly depicts the problems Konrad encounters while trying to find his path in life, and his relationship with his environment and family. It reminds us of the fear of failure and uncertainty, which is something all young people in the world can relate to.”

The documentary is about an eighteen-year-old bodybuilder who wants to become an actor and is continually striving for his absent father’s attention. Konrad lives in a mining town in the south of Poland. When trying to create his own image, he is inspired by movie action heroes and spends hours at the gym, even signing up for a bodybuilding competition. All this leads to a breakdown caused by the internal conflict between his real self and the version of himself which he tries to create in order to gain the acceptance of the world around him. Cinematographer on the film was Michał Łuka.

Last year, this documentary film by Lodz Film School student Klaudiusz Chrostowski was chosen as the best student film during the 30th edition of the IDFA festival in Amsterdam.

Symphony of the Ursus Factory Wins Award in Zagreb

In the industry section, the ZagrebDox Pro DCP award went to the Polish project “Symphony of the Ursus Factory”, directed by Jaśmina Wójcik. The award went to the director and also the production manager Joanna Tatko, who jointly presented the project during the pitching. The producer is the Wajda Studio and the film was co-financed by the PFI – Polish Film Institute.

Polish Women on Two Juries

It is noteworthy that two Polish documentary filmmakers were present on the festival juries: Anna Zamecka (International Competition Jury) and Zofia Kowalewska (Young Jury).

The 14th ZagrebDox International Documentary Film Festival took place from 2-4 March 2018.

For more information, please visit: zagrebdox.net/en/2018/news/14th_zagrebdox_awards.

 


05.03.2018