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ARACHE. NOT A SPIDER STORY

POLISH TITLE: ARACHNE. NIE O PAJĄKACH

The picture is the screen adaptation of the myth about Arachne. However, it does not present the history in a traditional way, but rather puts a new face to the myth that brings deep content that can help young people in a different perception of
the world. The myth of Arachne is not just a simple story about spiders, but an image showing an important social problem of excessive competition called the "rat race" that is often observed among young people. It often leads to an irreversible tragedy.

GENRE:
animation
COUNTRY:
Poland
RUNNING TIME:
5'
YEAR:
COLOUR:
colour
DIRECTING:
Gabi Bania
SCRIPT:
Gabi Bania
ANIMATION:
Gabi Bania
PRODUCTION:
Liceum Filmowe - Warszawska Szkoła Filmowa

Gabi Bania »

Gabi Bania is a director and screenwriter of short independent animated films, a character  animator in various techniques, and a lecturer in film animation. 

Since 2018, Gabi Bania's animated films and screenplays have been presented at over 330 film  festivals in 37 countries, winning over 70 awards, including the prestigious British Royal Television  Society Award in 2025 for her stop motion puppet animation "Nibbling of the Night". 

In her animated films, Gabi explores important social issues of the modern world – e.g.: hate and  excessive competition, ecology, trauma related to a difficult past, loneliness and longing,  transience, reconciling passion with work, women's emancipation and independence, domestic  violence, and disability. 

She also often presents Polish native culture, referring to works of the Romantic era. 

Gabi Bania graduated with Distinction from her MA and BA animation courses at the University of  South Wales in the UK, specializing in Directing and Character Animation. 

She also graduated with First Class Honors from the "Directing and Cinematography" profile at  the Film High School with Bilingual Departments at the Warsaw Film School in Warsaw. 

In 2024, she started teaching as a visiting lecturer at the University of South Wales, conducting  English classes in screenwriting for students of the BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing faculty. 

Currently, Gabi Bania works as an animation lecturer at the STEP IT Computer Academy, the  Cosinus Post-Secondary School, and the KinoSzkoła Foundation in Warsaw. 

Gabi Bania worked as a 3D animator of a dragon character on the Polish live-action feature film  "Dziadku, wiejemy!" ("Grandpa, Let's Go!") which was screened nationwide in Polish cinemas in  2025. 

Since 2020, Gabi has been conducting educational presentations and workshops on animation,  screenwriting, literature, film, and art education for students in high schools, primary schools,  and adult participants in other institutions. She is also a frequent speaker at film festivals and a  juror in youth film competitions.  

Gabi Bania's additional achievements include winning the "MentorME" competition at the  "Animoon" studio (2025), becoming a Media Grants Cymru scholarship holder in Wales (2023),  winning the national "Young Polish Woman" competition in the "Culture and Art" category (2023),  and becoming a laureate of the "Hothouse" program organized by the Irish "Fresh International  Film Festival" (2021).

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