2012 - A YEAR AT THE FESTIVALS IN NUMBERS
Year 2012 surpassed all of our expectations and the statistics broke last year’s frequency records. Between January and December Polish short films were screened abroad more than 1170 times. Short documentaries, fictions and animations were chosen to screen at more than 540 film festivals. However what is mostly important, throughout the year our films received 129 awards and special mentions.
In the genre rating it was animation that won the year round marathon with the outcome of 413 festival screenings. There were five top films that got the invitations from more than 20 festivals each. The leader of the animation group - “Noise” by Przemysław Adamski (prod. Polish Filmmakers Association – Munk Studio) made it to the top selection of 35 film festivals. Another two – “What happens when children don’t eat soup” by Paweł Prewencki and “Afternoon” by Izabela Plucińska – traced its footsteps by scoring 22 festivals each. Also the following three animations were frequently screened - “The Game” by Marcin Janiec (that received great feedback mainly in US), “Once there was a king” by Tytus Majerski and “Paper box” by Zbigniew Czapla. Polish animated films were also awarded several times to name just the awards for puppet “Danny boy” by Marek Skrobecki , “Gallery” by Robert Proch, above mentioned “Noise” by Przemysław Adamski and "Bear me" by Kasia Wilk.Last year fiction films kept up with the animated ones. The leader of the category - “Frozen stories” by Grzegorz Jaroszuk was screened at 48 international festivals and awarded 16 times. Right after, there are Piotr Złotorowicz and his „Normal people” with 40 festivals, „Vanishing” by Bartosz Kruhlik (30 festivals) and „Without snow” by Magnus von Horn (20 festivals). All four films were produced by Polish National Film School in Łódź. Another fiction short - “Glasgow” by Piotr Subbotko produced in frames of 30 minutes programme by Polish Filmmakers Association - Munk Studio and Wajda Studio - reached the level of 19 international festivals. Yet there are not just numbers that speak for themselves. Poles can be proud of many other successes as well. In May “Drawn from Memory” by Marcin Bortkiewicz made it to the prestigious top selection of Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes while in August “Battleheart” by Tomasz Matuszczak was screened and received a Special Mention in Locarno.
In 2012, Polish short documentaries were screened abroad 350 times. Indisputable winner among them was Martin Rath and his 11-minutes long “Written in ink”, screened at nearly 80 festivals both in Europe and US. The second one on the list - “The conversation” by Piotr Sułkowski – received the invitation from 20 international festivals. Two documentaries produced by Wajda Studio – “Decrescendo” by Marta Minorowicz and “3 Days of freedom” by Łukasz Borowski were also well recognized abroad – each of them was screened at around 15 festivals. Polish documentaries were not missing at the top documentary festivals - at the turn of April and May “Written in ink” was screened in the competitive lineup of Hot Docs, in summer “Kichot” by Jagoda Szelc was invited to Karlove Vary while in November “Rogalik” was screened at Dutch IDFA.
Throughout the whole year, Polish short films were also present at the biggest events aimed at short film. In February 2012, for the sixth time, Krakow Film Foundation with the support of PFI organized the Polish stand at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market. The representatives of such institutions as Polish National Film School in Łódź, New Europe Film Sales, Krakow Film Festival, Wajda Studio and Valium4Kids attended the market. For five years now Krakow Film Foundation is the Polish partner of Euro Connection pitching that takes place in frame of the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival. In 2012 Poland was represented by the project “Milky Brother” produced by Wajda Studio (coproduction with Munk Studio). During the Short Film Corner, taking place in May 2012, Polish programme composed of 14 films by Krakow Film Foundation, was included in the market among many other Polish films. In June another edition of MIFA animation market was held in French Annecy. This year fifteen Polish producers representing such studios as Human Ark, GS Animation and Se-Ma-For to name just a few, attended the market – which is the biggest and the most prominent in Europe. At the end of June Polish documentaries and their producers went to French La Rochelle and took part in the Sunny Side of the Doc Market. Both stands were organized by Krakow Film Foundation. Concurrently Polish short film programmes screened at the festivals in Belgrade, Nijmegen (GO Short), Rome (Archipelago), Kumrovec (Tabor FF), Nancy (Aye Aye), Balchik (In the Palace) and Cologne (Unlimited Shorts FF) to name just a few.
THE LIST OF AWARDS FOR POLISH SHORT FILMS IN 2012
Normal people by Piotr Złotorowicz
Award for the Best Actor, 12th Un festival c'est trop court, France
Best Directing, KINOKI International Student Film Festival 2012, Mexico
Best International Short, Shorts Shorts Mexico, Mexico
Best Short Film, 2nd Lume International Film Festival, Brazil
Best Student Short, 7th Kenya International Short Film Festival, Kenya
Grand Prix, 12th International Student Film Festival Pisek, Czech Republic
Grand Prix, Flicks Fest International Film Festival, The Netherlands
Special Mention, Stuttgarter Filmwinter Festival, Germany
2nd Best Digital View South East Europe, 9th Naoussa International Film Festival, Greece
3 days of freedom by Łukasz Borowski
Special Diploma of the Student Jury, 22 Message to Man International Film Festival, Russia
Jury Special Prize, Batumi International Art-House Film Festival, Georgia
Special Mention - Huesca International Film Festival, Spain
38,5 by Grzegorz Dębowski
Special Mention, Go short International Short Film Festival, The Netherlands
Afternoon by Izabela Plucińska
Best Artistic Contibution Award, 14th International Short Film Festival Ciudad de Soria, Spain
Watermelon by Tato Kotetishvili
Best Short Film, Batumi International Art-House Film Festival, Georgia
Jury Special Prize, Cinemaiubit Student Film Festival, Romania
Paradżanov Award for the Best Short Film, Tbilisi International Film Festival, Georgia
Grandma is leaving by Tomasz Jurkiewicz
Audience Award, Visegrad Shorts On Tour, travelling festival
Barbican by Bartłomiej Żmuda
Audience Award, Flicks Fest International Film Festival, The Netherlands
Best Short Film, Best Actor, Cinemaiubit Student Film Festival, Romania
Critic's Choice Award, 2012 International Film And Music Festival Küstendorf 2012, Serbia
The Fairy-Tale Cookery Chronicle, dir. Kamil Jaworek
Best International Student/Graduate Film, Blackrock Animation Film Festival 2012, Ireland
Bear me by Kasia Wilk
Best Student Animation, Palm Springs International Shortfest, USA
International Award, Bayside Film Festival's Jump Cut, Australia
Best Animation, Pentedattilo Film Festival 2012, Italy
Best Student Animation, European Animated Film Festival BALKANIMA 2012, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Junior Jury Award for the Best Film, ReAnimania, Yerevan International Animation Film Festival, Armenia
First Prize, Best student animation, Festival of European Student Animation, Belgrade
Best Animation, Filmschau Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Without snow by Magnus von Horn
Grand Prix, Barbakan Film Festival, Slovakia
Grand Prize Fiction, 20th Curtas Vila do Conde Short Film Festival, Portugal
Special Mention, 42nd Molodist International Film Festival, Ukraine
Written in ink by Martin Rath
Best Documentary Short, I've seen films International Film Festival, Italy
Best Documentary Short, Reel Independent Film Extravaganza, USA
Best Short Film, Cornwall Film Festival, UK
Best Short Shorts Award, 7th Annual Harlem International Film Festival, USA
What happens when children don’t want to eat soup by Paweł Prewencki
Best Animation, Fest-International Film Festival, Portugal
Best Visual, 10th Fantoche Animated Film Festival, Switzerland
Maestro® Jury Grand Prix, 9th Animateka, Slovenia
What happened on Pam Island by Eliza Kubarska
Jade Kunlun Award for the Best Photography, World Mountain Doucumentary Festival of Quinghai, China
The Fourth Man by Krzysztof Kasior
Best International Documentary Award, Curtocircuito International Short Film Festival, Spain
Danny Boy by Marek Skrobecki
Audience Award, Be there Corfu Animation Festival, Greece
Audience Award, MEDIAWAVE International Film and Music Festival, Hungary
Belgrade Golden Medal for the Best Film, 59th Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival, Serbia
Special Diploma, Animaevka International Animated Film Festival, Belarus
Declaration of Immortality by Marcin Koszałka
Best Climbing Film Award, 6th Mountain Film Festival Domžale, Slovenia
Best Rock Climbing Film Award, 15th Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Canada
Grand Prix, International Mountain Film Festival in Poprad, Slovakia
Main Award, Mezinárodní horolezecký filmový festival - MHFF Teplice nad Metují, Czech Republic
Railway watchman by Piotr Szczepanowicz
Best 3D Animation, Banjaluka International Animated Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Lunberjack by Paweł Dębski
Special Mention, UFO 0110 International Digital Film Festival, India
Doktor Character presents, reż. Piotr Dumała
Jury Prize (Tv series), 8th World Festival of Animated Film Varna, Bulgaria
Everything will be ok by Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen
Special Mention, Nordisk Panorama 2012, Norway
Gallery by Robert Proch
Best animated short film from students, Anifestrozafa 2012, Albania
Special Mention, 3rd Roanne Animation Festival, France
If fish could talk by Tomasz Jurkiewicz
Special Mention, Patras International Film Festival, Greece
Glasgow by Piotr Subbotko
Audience Award, 11th International Student and Video Festival of Beijing Film Academy, China
Bronze Egg, 2012 International Film And Music Festival Küstendorf 2012, Serbia
Grand Prix, Kharkov Siren Film Festival, Ukraine
Second Award for the Short Film, Eregli International Film Festival, Turkey
Second Prize for the Best Short Film, Pentedattilo Film Festival International Short Film Festival, Italy
http:// by Bartosz Kruhlik
Special Mention, Skepto Film Festival, Italy
I won’t be here tomorrow by Julia Kolberger
Special Mention, 24th International Short Film Festival FILMFEST DRESDEN, Germany
Maska by Quay Brothers
Crystal Pencil in the Best Experimental Film Cathegory, Animaevka International Animated Film Festival, Belarus
Boo! by Kordian Kądziela
Best Debut, Ann Arbor Polish Film Festival, USA
The best chicks on the train by Jakub Pączek
4th Award, The European Railroad Movie Festival, Austria
Heaven by Jan P. Matuszyński
Special Mention, DOCSDF, Mexico
Noise by Przemysław Adamski
Canal+ TV Award For the Best Very Short Film, 27th Brest European Short Film, France
Méliès d’Argent, Lund International Fantastic Film Festival, Sweden
Frozen stories by Grzegorz Jaroszuk
Audience Award, Cineast, Luxembourg
Audience Award, Eastsider International Film Festival, Slovakia
Best International Short, 6th Villa de Leyva International and Independent Film Festival, Colombia
Best Short Film, "ONE SHOT" International Short Film Festival, Armenia
Golden Horseman Award, 24th International Short Film Festival FILMFEST DRESDEN, Germany
Grand Prix, 53rd Brno 16 International Short Fiction Film Festival, Czech Republic
Grand Prix, Audience Award, 30th Festival Tous Courts Aix-en-Provence, France
Plaster Anna Award, International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS, Latvia
Special Mention, GO SHORT International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Special Mention, 26th Leeds International Film Festival, UK
Special Mention, Dokufest, Kosovo
Special Mention, Lisbon and Estoril Film Festival, Portugal
Diploma of International Competition of Short Fiction Films, DeboshirFilm, Russia
Youth Jury Special Mention, Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival, France
Best Dramatic Film, International Student Film AMIRANI, Georgia
Best Film, VGIK International Student Festival, Russia
The Last Train by Weronika Tofilska
Grand Prix, Northern Wave International Film Festival, Iceland
Paper box by Zbigniew Czapla
Special Prize "For an innovative approach to filmmaking" - 22nd International Film Festival MESSAGE TO MAN, Russia
Paprazzi by Piotr Bernaś
Best short-lenght documentary film, LISTAPAD Film Festival, Belarus
Special Mention, Zagreb Dox, Croatia
The Stain by Igor Chojna
Best Scenario, 4th International Youth Festival of Short and Animated Films METERS, Russia
Drawn from memory by Marcin Bortkiewicz
International ShortWork Award, Whistler Film Festival, Canada
Out of reach by Jakub Stożek
Best Documentary Award, China International KingBonn New Media Shorts Festival, China
Connection dir. Maciej Twardowski
Best Cinematography, Wordless International Film Festival, Australia
Reception by Maciej Bochniak
Special Mention, Open City London Docs Fest, UK
Exit point by Jagoda Szelc
Notre Dame University Lebanon Award, 7th Monaco Charity Film Festival, Monaco
Conversation by Piotr Sułkowski
Best Film of the On Video competition, exground filmfest wiesbaden, Germany
Best film of the Young Documentary Film Competition, LISTAPAD Film Festival, Belarus
Ritual by Zbigniew Czapla
Best Animation, Sardinia International Short Film Festival, Italy
Battle heart by Tomasz Matuszczak
Special Mention of the Cinema & Gioventù, Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland
Charcoal burners Piotr Złotorowicz
2nd Place Documentary Award, Next Frame International Student Film and Video Festival, USA
Best Sound, Watersprite Student Film Festival, UK
Sleepincord by Marta Pajek
Grand Prix, 5th International Animation Festival, Slovakia
Steven and the Beatle by Piotr Hoang Ngoc
Special Mention, 9th Naoussa International Film Festival, Greece
Substitute by Maciej Wiktor
Best Short Film, Watch Out! Tetovo Film Festival 2012, Macedonia
Swedish job by Paweł Ziemilski
Audience Award, Barbakan Film Festival, Slovakia
Blue Angel for the best Short Film, ArtFilm Fest, Slovakia
All Souls’ day by Aleksandra Terpińska
Best Short Film, 22nd Cottbus Film Festival, Germany
Cinema Without Borders Award, 13th Annual Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, USA
The Mystery of the Malakka Mountain by Jakub Wroński
Best 2D Animation, Banjaluka International Animated Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Twist and Blood by Kuba Czekaj
2nd Place Narrative Award, Next Frame International Student Film and Video Festival, USA
Best Short Film, Euganea Film Festival, Italy
Underlife by Jarosław Konopka
Crystal Pencil in Best Visual Images Cathegory, Animaevka International Animated Film Festival, Belarus
Wine by Krzysztof Szafraniec
Best Animation, Cinemaiubit Student Film Festival, Romania
Trip by Bartosz Kruhlik
Second Prize, UFO 0110 Digital Film Festival New Dehli, India
Special Mention, Northern Wave International Film Festival, Iceland
Vanishing by Bartosz Kruhlik
Award for the Best Actress, Imphal Film Festival, India
Best Directing, Kharkov Siren Film Festival, Ukraine