"The Magic Mountain" awarded in Karlovy Vary
The 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has come to an end. At this year’s closing ceremony, Czarodziejska góra (The Magic Mountain), a film directed by Anca Damian and made as a co-production between Poland, France and Romania, received Special Mention of the Jury. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
Czarodziejska góra (The Magic Mountain) Receives Special Mention of the Jury
Czarodziejska góra (The Magic Mountain), a film directed by Anca Damian and co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, received Special Mention of the Jury in Main Competition at the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Antonia, an Italian-Greek co-production directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino also received Special Mention of the Jury.
This year’s Main Competition jury members included Tim League, Angelina Nikonova, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Hengameh Panahi, and Ondřej Zach. The festival’s Crystal Globe Grand Prize for Best Film went to Bob and the Trees, a US indie production directed by Diego Ongaro.
International Co-Production Supported by the Polish Film Institute
Anca Damian’s animated documentary Czarodziejska góra (The Magic Mountain) was made as a co-production between Poland, France and Romania and tells the story of an exceptional man: Adam Jacek Winkler. He was a true individualist who believed that his guileless personality was not unlike that of Koziołek Matołek from the classic children’s book. With his firm belief in the anticommunist resistance movement, Winkler emigrated in 1965. He settled in Paris, where he became an active fighter against communism. Upon learning of the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, he joined the Afghan forces and fought under Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The film was produced by Aparte Films, co-produced by Filmograf, SMF, Krakow Festival Office, Krakow Film Commission and Arizona Productions. The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, Telewizja Polska, KFF, CNC France, CNC Romania, and HBO Romania.
Czerwony pająk (The Red Spider) and Czarodziejska góra (The Magic Mountain) in Main Competition
Two films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute screened in Main Competition at this year’s jubilee edition of the Karlovy Vary IFF: Czerwony pająk (The Red Spider), the feature debut by Marcin Koszałka, and Czarodziejska góra (The Magic Mountain) by Anca Damian. Both films had their world premiere in Karlovy Vary.
The Red Spider is one of the 5 films presented at 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival which has been recommended to watch by American magazine indieWIRE.
The review of The Red Spider in Variety.
The review of The Red Spider in CineCola.
Video from the press conference of The Red Spider which took place 6.07.2015.
Three Polish Debut Films in ‘East of the West’ Competition
The festival’s ‘East of the West’ competition, which showcases first by first- and second-time directors from Central and Eastern Europe, featured several Polish productions and co-productions in its lineup of a total of twelve films. The section’s opening film was Droga do Rzymu (The Journey to Rome), the feature debut by director Tomasz Mielnik. Karlovy Vary also marked the world premiere for Bartek Prokopowicz’s Chemia (Chemo), the directing debut of one of Poland’s most acclaimed cinematographers. The third Polish film in the ‘East of the West’ competition was Między nami dobrze jest (No Matter How Hard We Tried) by stage director Grzegorz Jarzyna.
The review of The Journey to Rome in Screen Daily.
The review of The Journey to Rome in Cineuropa.
The review of Chemo in Variety.
Winners of the 50th Karlovy Vary IFF
Main Competition
- Grand Prize — Crystal Globe — Bob and the Trees, directed by Diego Ongaro;
- Special Jury Prize — Jeder der fällt hat Flügel (Those Who Fall Have Wings), directed by Peter Brunner;
- Award for Best Director — Visar Morina for Babai;
- Award for Best Actress — Alena Mihulová for Domácí péče (Home Care);
- Award for Best Actor — Kryštof Hádek for Kobry a užovky (The Snake Brothers);
- Special Mention of the Jury — ex aequo Czarodziejska góra (The Magic Mountain), directed by Anca Damian, and Antonia, directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino.
East of the West Competition
- Grand Prize —Szerdai gyerek (The Wednesday Child), directed by Lili Horváth;
- Special Mention of the Jury — Lumea e a mea (The World Is Mine), directed by Nicolae Constantin Tănase.
Documentary Film Competition
- Grand Prize — Mallory, directed by Helena Třeštíková;
- Special Mention — Vaterfilm (The Father Tapes), directed by Albert Meisl;
- Best Documentary Under 30 Minutes —Muerte Blanca (White Death), directed by Roberto Collío;
- Special Mention — Women in Sink, directed by Iris Zaki.
- Audience Award — Youth, directed by Paolo Sorrentino.
Source: www.kviff.com
Translated by Karolina Kołtun