Winners of the 42nd Polish Film Festival

Winners of the 42nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia were announced on September 23.

Golden Lions for Cicha noc (Silent Night)

“Thank you for all your efforts thanks to which public spending on Polish cinema is effective. We stand by our commitment to support Polish cinema. As we reach the end of this awards ceremony, allow me to mention two individuals, two great artists, who passed away recently. The festival screened films by both these artists. Both Krzysztof Krauze and Grzegorz Królikiewicz were unique and full-fledged artists — bold, uncompromising, one of a kind. At the same time they were filmmakers who addressed important issues. They were very different, both in terms of their artistic approach and their themes, but it was important and I think this can also be dedicated to the young generation of filmmakers who have come to the forefront at the 42nd Polish Film Festival to keep in mind these two dimensions; true artists need to complement their work with wisdom in the choice of interesting and important subjects. The winning film is an excellent example of continuing this tradition — a film that is exquisite in terms of its artistry, as well as being a film on an important subject,” said Piotr Gliński, Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

Silver Lions for Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali (Birds Are Singing in Kigali)

“Last time we met in this theatre with Andrzej Wajda, who is no longer with us, but who said something wonderful: he told us to stay together. Over the past year, you have all proven that you remember those words. This year has been exceptional for Polish cinema, and the awarded films are truly outstanding. Nothing can stop you, nothing can stop Polish cinema in talking about who we are and being a stellar example of humanism, but also tells the world how to deal with trauma, emotions, foreigners in our space, as well as how to answer questions that the whole world poses to itself,” said Magdalena Sroka, General Director of the Polish Film Institute, while presenting the Silver Lions award to the winning film.

Winners of the 42nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia

  • Golden Lions Grand Prize of the 42nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia for Best Film — Cicha Noc (Silent Night), directed by Piotr Domalewski;
  • Golden Lions Grand Prize of the 42nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia for Best Film — Cicha Noc (Silent Night), produced by Jerzy Kapuściński, Ewa Jastrzębska, Jacek Bromski;
  • Silver Lions — Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali (Birds Are Singing in Kigali), directed by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze;
  • Silver Lions — Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali (Birds Are Singing in Kigali), produced by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze

Individual Awards:

  • Award for Best Directing — Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik for Pokot (Spoor);
  • Award for Best Screenplay — Jagoda Szelc for Wieża. Jasny dzień (Tower. A Bright Day);
  • Award for Best Leading Actress — Eliane Umuhire and Jowita Budnik for Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali (Birds Are Singing in Kigali);
  • Award for Best Leading Actor — Dawid Ogrodnik for Cicha noc (Silent Night);
  • Award for Best Directing Debut — Jagoda Szelc for Wieża. Jasny dzień (Tower. A Bright Day);
  • Award for Best Professional Acting Debut — Kamila Kamińska for Najlepszy (Breaking the Limits);
  • Award for Best Cinematography — Lennert Hillege for Pomiędzy słowami (Beyond Words);
  • Award for Best Music — Sandro Di Stefano for Człowiek z magicznym pudełkiem (The Man with the Magic Box);
  • Award for Best Production Design — Marek Warszewski for Najlepszy (Breaking the Limits);
  • Award for Best Supporting Actress — Magdalena Popławska for Atak paniki (Panic Attack);
  • Award for Best Supporting Actor — Łukasz Simlat for Amok;
  • Award for Best Sound — Jan Schermer, Mirosław Makowski and Maciej Pawłowski for Pomiędzy słowami (Beyond Words);
  • Award for Best Editing — Katarzyna Leśniak for Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali (Birds Are Singing in Kigali);
  • Award for Best Make-Up — Janusz Kaleja for Pokot (Spoor);
  • Award for Best Costume Design — Agata Culak for Zgoda (Reconciliation)

Visions Apart Competition:

  • Golden Claw Award for Best Film in the Visions Apart Competition — Photon, directed by Norman Leto;

Other Awards:

  • Platinum Lions Award for Lifetime Achievement for director Jerzy Gruza;
  • Audience Award — Najlepszy (Breaking the Limits), directed by Łukasz Palkowski

Translated by Karolina Kołtun

23.09.2017