Paulina Ziółkowska’s film “Tears” has been awarded at this year’s Guanajuato International Film Festival in Mexico. The animation received the award for Best Animated Short Film (“Mejor Cortometraje de Animación”). GIFF is an Academy Award-qualifying festival.

The Guanajuato International Film Festival is one of the most important film festivals in Mexico. For years, the event has supported emerging filmmakers – directors, screenwriters, producers, actors, and professionals working across different areas of audiovisual production. The festival’s programme includes an international competition, special screenings of films from around the world, industry events, concerts, and numerous initiatives promoting the culture and arts of the cities in the Guanajuato region.

“Tears”, produced by Letko and Wait a Second!, had its world premiere at the 65th Krakow Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention in the National Competition. Since then, the film has continued its international festival journey, screening at, among others, the Bucheon International Animation Festival in South Korea, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film in Germany, and Animafest Zagreb in Croatia.

Ziółkowska’s film is a collage animation about the titual feeling of being torn. In this world, countless possibilities intersect like tangled city streets, while the protagonist is faced with an overwhelming number of choices that make it difficult to decide: questions waiting for answers and paths waiting for a first step. “Tears” explores the impossibility of making one final decision and the experience of feeling lost among an infinite number of possible paths.

AUGUST 2026