polski
Winners of the 19th ŻUBROFFKA International Short Film Festival
The Jury consisting of: Laura Moss, Andrej Kolenčík and Jan Bujnowski decided to grant the following awards:
THE GRAND PRIX of Bialystok Cultural Centre’s Director (PLN 15.000): THE SPECTACLE, dir. Bálint Kenyeres, Hungary, France
Jury’s reasons:
Blending magical realism with authentic, grounded performance and setting, this film unsentimentally explores the internal experience of a child who is exploited inside a society that is often overlooked.
1st Prize in the EASTWARD WINDOW Competition (PLN 3.500): PES A VLK / DOG AND WOLF, dir. Terézia Halamová, Czech Republic
Jury’s reasons:
This moving portrait unfolded in unexpected directions, supported by outstanding acting performances, bold and confident directing, told in a sophisticated audiovisual language. It wove together the past and present, bringing us close to its subject in his feeling of longing, loss and regret.
Honorable Mention in the EASTWARD WINDOW Competition: PANAŠI / ALIKE, dir. Adas Burksaitis, Lithuania
Jury’s reasons:
The director of this film constantly plays with the audience, carefully choosing what to show us and what to hide. In a seemingly simple story he manages to create mounting tension and sustain it to the end.
1st Prize in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD Competition (PLN 3.500): 1:10, dir. Sinan Taner, Switzerland
Jury’s reasons:
This film managed to refract the story of a society through the lens of one event, one location, one afternoon. For its humor, insight and keen observational style, we award our main prize for Whole Wide World to “1:10”.
Honorable Mention in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD Competition: MAN NUMBER 4, dir. Miranda Pennell, United Kingdom
Jury’s reasons:
As devastating as it is matter-of-fact, this film made a tremendous impact in its brief runtime. It articulated an experience we all have wrestled with — of trying to make sense of an atrocity unfolding in real time — in the comfort of home, in front of a computer screen.
1st Prize in the ANIMATION.PL Competition (PLN 3.500): ROZDARCIA / TEARS, dir. Paulina Ziółkowska, Germany, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
Layered, textured, constantly moving, this outstanding, richly crafted animation overwhelmed our senses and ripped us outside the ordinary world.
Honorable Mention in the ANIMATION.PL Competition: CZY TY MNIE SŁYSZYSZ? / CAN YOU HEAR ME?, dir. Anastazja Naumenko, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
This film is a timely and touching meditation on family separation and denial, under the growing shadow of a brutal international conflict. Supported by minimalistic yet colorful animation, it depicts a highly specific experience that in our digital era is also universally relatable.
1st Prize in the FICTION.PL Competition (PLN 3.500): SLAP!!, dir. Mikołaj Piszczan, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
With its clear directorial vision, supported by powerful performances, this film pulled us into a raw, brutal world. Its impact was so vivid that we could almost feel the slap ourselves. The award for best Fiction.PL goes to “Slap!!”.
Honorable Mention in the FICTION.PL Competition: ZZA SZYBY PODGLĄDAM JAK UMIERA SARNA, MŁODA / DYING OF THE YOUNG DEER, dir. Angelika Cygal, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
This striking film could only be made by a director who really knows the community she is portraying onscreen. Stripped back and without artifice, she is able to convey such a strong sense of place that reality itself becomes magical.
1st Prize in the DOCUMENTARY.PL Competition (PLN 3.500): CASTING, dir. Rafał Łysak, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
This documentary unfolded in unexpected ways, bringing us close to multiple characters with whom we almost instantly fell in love. It allowed its subjects to have agency over their own stories, crafted with respect, patience and a deep listening ear. The award for best documentary goes to “Casting”.
Honorable Mention in the DOCUMENTARY.PL Competition: OSTATNI KOLOR TO ŻÓŁTY / YELLOW IS THE LAST COLOUR, dir. Agata Majcherowicz, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
This intimate film invites us into the daily life of a couple caring for each other, while exploring the subjective experience of re-learning to live in the world after losing one of your senses.
The Best Documentary Award (PLN 3.500): LIFT LADY, dir. Marcin Modzelewski, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
This sensitive, artful documentary seamlessly weaves us into the fabric of post-soviet society, placing us in the shoes of a woman who is tirelessly protective of her community.
The Best Fiction Award (PLN 3.500): ASTRO, dir. Tim Ewalts, Netherlands
Jury’s reasons:
A skillfully told story that keeps us doubting if we believe in the events on the screen. All the ingredients of this film — set design, costumes, music and virtuosic lead performance — combine to create a strong feeling of realism, only to make us begin to question whether the story is real. The award for the best fiction goes to “Astro”.
The Best Animation Award (PLN 3.500): NA KRZYWE ŁBY / THE CROOKED HEADS, dir. Jakub Krzyszpin, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
This film paints a vivid picture of a young man hanging onto stability by a fingernail. The grounded vocal performances, the harrowing soundscape, and the expressionistic visual style work together to give us a feeling of existential dread we share with its protagonist.
The Best Cinematography Award (PLN 3.500): Thimios Bakatakis / THE SPECTACLE, dir. Bálint Kenyeres, Hungary, France
Jury’s reasons:
The camera in this film is always in the right place, telling the story with true precision, showing us only what is necessary to be shown. It doesn’t try to emphasize anything, making space for the viewer’s own experience, supporting the subtlety of the storytelling.
The Best Music Award (PLN 3.500): Sjeng Muermans, Tim Ewalts / ASTRO, dir. Tim Ewalts, Netherlands
Jury’s reasons:
The music in this film doesn’t fight for the viewer’s attention, but at the same time it is an integral element in creating this film’s atmosphere. For its discreet, subliminal yet strong composition the award for the best music goes to “Astro”.
The jury consisting of Anne Gaschutz, Fiona Armour and Vítězslav Chovanec decided to grant the following awards in the ON THE EDGE competition:
Main Award in the ON THE EDGE Competition (PLN 3.500): WATER SPORTS, dir. Whammy Alcazaren, Phillippines
Jury’s reasons:
Two schoolboys navigate love amid the trials of a crumbling world decayed by climate crisis. Energetic, youthful, political, queer, heartbreaking and hilarious, this sensory cinematic experience generates significant, palpable heat, morphing genre into something fresh, strange and exceptional. To put it more simply: this film is like nothing we’ve seen, and imprints deeply onto the psyche with its wild mix of pop culture, memes, and disaster movie.
Honorable Mention in the ON THE EDGE Competition: A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY FOR THE LADY AVENGERS, dir. Birdy Wei-Ting Hung, Taiwan, USA
Jury’s reasons:
A love letter to the power of cinema, this film drew us in with its sensuality and unapologetic female gaze, which definitely got our juices running – pun intended. For its unconventional storytelling, masterful editing and gorgeous cinematography, the special mention goes to “A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers” by Birdy Wei-Ting Hung.
The Wild Bison Award (Audience Award) funded by DrTusz (PLN 8.000): JOEY EARNS REWARDS USING THE MCDONALD’S MOBILE APP & MEGH AND CLEV DISCUSS THEIR FUTURE TOGETHER, dir. Brad Roelandt, USA
Main Award in the Kids 6+ Competition (PLN 3.500): DER STACHEL IM PO / A PAIN IN THE BUTT, dir. Elena Walf, Germany
Main Award in the Kids 10+ Competition (PLN 3.500): KUTYAFÜL / DOG EAR, dir. Péter Vácz, Hungary
Main Award in the YOUTH Competition (PLN 3.500): KOLOROWY FILM O MŁODYCH LUDZIACH / ALL THE COLORS OF YOUTH, dir. Agnieszka Kalińska, Poland
Main Award in the MUSIC VIDEO Competition (PLN 3.500): CERO ISMAEL: DRIVING ROUND LOOKING FOR UNKNOWN, dir. Folkert Verdoorn & Simon Becks, Netherlands
Main Award in the MIDNIGHT SHORTS Competition (PLN 3.500): IN JEFF WE TRUST, dir. Blake Jarvis, USA
Award of the Young Jury: Patrycja Mucha-Smolińska (the jury president), Helena Jastrzębska, Jakub Brodowski and Paula Olszańska (PLN 3.500): ŚWIEŻAK / FRESHMAN, dir. Michał Edelman, Tomasz Pawlik, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
For the ability to capture the dramaturgy of everyday life, while avoiding narrative clichés that forcefully end up in the basket (for three points!). For the longing gaze in boyish realities and the subtlety in shattering the facade of masculinity.
Young Jury Honorable Mention: BLOODLINE, dir. Wojciech Węglarz, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
For the bison’s perspective on the ruthless human reality, which creates a breach in silence and allows us to see the absurdity of building walls.
The international journalist jury consisting of Dora Leu, Emel-Elizabeth Tuulik and Olivia Popp: decided to award the best Polish film (among the films participating in the Animation.pl, Fiction.pl and Documentary.pl competitions).
Award of the International Journalists (PLN 3.500): TAMA / THE DAM, dir. Giovanni Pierangeli, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
We were impressed by the film’s striking visual concept crafted through precise composition, tense camerawork, and stoic performances. The filmmaker achieves a balance between familiarity and detachment, cultivating a work that sinks deep into the viewer’s psyche. Its immersive soundscapes give life to a chilling experience about a family in crisis within the framework of a courtroom drama.
Honorable Mention of the International Journalists: RAJSKIE PTAKI / BIRDS OF PARADISE, dir. Tomek Ducki, Poland
Jury’s reasons:
This playful animation is not afraid to elevate shits and giggles into an existential comedy. Ta zabawna animacja nie boi się podnieść gówna i chichotów do rangi komedii egzystencjalnej.
The polish journalist jury consisting of: Alicja Nowacka, Klara Cykorz and Piotr Czerkawski decided to award the best foreign film (entered into the Eastward Window and the Whole Wide World competitions).
Award of the Polish Journalists (PLN 3.500): JOEY EARNS REWARDS USING THE MCDONALD’S MOBILE APP & MEGH AND CLEV DISCUSS THEIR FUTURE TOGETHER, dir. Brad Roelandt, USA
Jury’s reasons:
The award goes to a film full of cheerful wonder at reality, in which the comedy of life unfolds in a fast-food parking lot. A prize worth 350 McFlurries goes to Brad Roelandt for “Joey Earns Rewards Using the McDonald’s Mobile App & Megh and Clev Discuss Their Future Together.”
Honorable Mention of the Polish Journalists: THE SPECTACLE, dir. Bálint Kenyeres, Hungary, France
Jury’s reasons:
We award a special mention to a film that deludes and plays with the conventions of festival arthouse to finally leave them behind.
NEW EUROPE TALENT AWARD – trip to the Berlin Film Festival for the most promising artist from Central and Eastern Europe taking part in ŻUBROFFKA competitions funded by New Europe Film Sales: AUTOKAR, dir. Sylwia Szkiłądź, Belgium, France
Congratulations to all the winners!
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