During today's festival closing ceremony, we learned about the winning films. This year, the Main Competition jury decided to award two special mentions and the WATCH DOCS Award.

MAIN COMPETITION

The WATCH DOCS Special Jury Mention for Directing goes to Alessandra Celesia for The Flats.

"This special jury prize for directing is a testament to the filmmaker's deep respect for the participants in her film. Her singular choices of cinematic language craft a visceral narrative that illuminates the complexity of place and the intimate lives shaped by it. She guides us through a community on the margins, revealing a seemingly ordinary neighborhood into a space replete with haunting memories and collective trauma. 
 
She captures life's rawness while uncovering the broader and historical forces at play through beautifully lensed observational footage, tinted archival material, and bold reenactments."

The second Special Mention in the Main Competition goest to Agnieszka Zwiefka for Silent Trees.

"We decided to distinguish a film that tells stories about people - not about masses, not about an anonymous wave, nameless, but - as populists say, stoking unrest, real and created. Its director - Agnieszka Zwiefka, because we are talking about the film "Silent Trees" - opposes this narrative with an individual, intimate story. About a family that crossed the Polish-Belarusian border, about their suffering, but also the strength that allowed them to survive the unnameable: loss, trauma, fear. Watching this film confronts us with the price that those who we refuse entry to our world pay for political decisions and for what we are responsible for. But Zwiefka's film also reminds us of how much we ourselves, by barricading Fortress Europe, lose. This is the great power of this image - thanks to it, the story of Runa and her family becomes our story."

The 2024 WATCH DOCS Award in the Main Competition goes to Intercepted by Oksana Karpovych. 

"This year’s winning documentary offers a unique perspective on the war in Ukraine, juxtaposing meticulous tableaus of shattered landscapes, destroyed houses and ruined interiors with the raw audio of intercepted phone calls between Russian soldiers and their families. Without depicting a single battle, the film captures the devastating cruelty, absurdity and humanity of conflict, exposing the deep scars it leaves on both the aggressors and the victims. Through its bold yet sober cinematic approach, it shows a society fractured by violence and propaganda and confronts the moral disintegration wrought by war, making it both a striking artistic achievement and a vital historical record."

NEW POLISH FILM COMPETITION

Special Mention: Flowers of Ukraine by Adelina Borets

"A film captivating in its simplicity and optimism, it is simultaneously a universal tale of humanity and the things that matter in life. An extraordinary film, seemingly banal, yet profoundly humanistic. A documentary that delves into the mystery of human existence, but does not define it in any specific way. Ms. Natalia is the most beautiful flower on screen, blooming despite the surrounding turmoil and enduring, giving hope for tomorrow.".

Special Mention: Silent Trees by Agnieszka Zwiefka

"Runa, the protagonist of 'Silent Trees', carries not only the entire film on her shoulders but also a family of four. The camera captures her accelerated maturation - grief, fear, doubt. But over time, also hope and joy. Her immense strength, dignity, and will to fight, for herself and her loved ones, command great respect and are deeply moving. Runa refuses to be defined solely by pain or brutal politics. She is herself - the head of her family, a sensitive teenager, a talented artist, and a fan of Billie Eilish."

The winner of the New Polish Film Competition is the film Being Mikołaj by Aurelia Frydrych-Zdanowska.​​​​

"We were captivated by the film, in which not only the main character but also a loved one undertakes a symbolic journey. We meet Mikołaj, who, while going through the process of transition, seeks support from his father, who finds it difficult to come to terms with this change. However, thanks to the director's sensitivity, who looks beyond the frame, we witness not one transformation, but two.

As adults, we often find ourselves surprised to discover that our perception of a child is very different from the truth about them. The awarded film shows that the most important task of a parent is to stand by their child, to be on their side no matter how difficult and incomprehensible the circumstances may be.

There are no textbooks or training courses on this topic - but today we have a film that will undoubtedly be a support for many families. We hope that this moving, yet not sentimental film by Aurelia Frydrych-Zdanowska will reach a wider audience. It should be seen by everyone who wants the most basic, yet often still impossible things for their loved ones, including their children: health and happiness.

This is a film for all those who love their children and want them to live long and happy lives. Unconditional love is both a privilege and a duty of parents. This is what the awarded film is also about. Congratulations!"

GREEN COMPETITION

Special Mention - The Falling Sky

"The Falling Sky is a poetic tale about the indigenous tribes of the Amazon and their inevitable collision with modernity. The big world, capitalist greed, and the ruthless dictate of money, which destroys this touching utopia, is not shown here. The film's great strength lies in its artistic understatement and its use of detailed imagery. The Yanomami's rebellion is a desire to live in harmony with nature, among ancient myths and rituals. It is particularly noteworthy that this is a film built on stories, immersed in the culture of its characters, and taking place without wide shots or spectacular drone footage. We thank you for the privilege of entering the world of the Yanomami and participating in their simple and beautiful lives."

GREEN DOG AWARD - The Battle for Laikipia

“The Battle for Laikipia is a film that proves the climate crisis is not an abstract environmental problem detached from our reality, but a stressor that exacerbates existing inequalities and tensions. It does so in the form of a masterful, thorough documentary that does not shy away from difficult questions and nuances, while at the same time not stating everything outright and leaving room for the voices of its protagonists. This is the kind of engaged, raw, and timely cinema we need at a human rights film festival."

NEW POLISH FILM COMPETITION -  Arthouse Cinema Association Award

Special Mention - A Year in the Life of a Country

"From seemingly unnecessary materials, something absolutely fascinating has been created. The fantastic editing, which involved meticulous work in the archives, demythologizes the rigid image of one of the darkest periods in the history of Poland in the second half of the 20th century, as it is ingrained in the public consciousness. Thanks to the filmmakers, we get a literal behind-the-scenes look at the emblematic images of that era. Such a portrayal of martial law has never existed before."

ARTHOUSE CINEMA ASSOCIATION AWARD - Flowers of Ukraine 

"Adelina Borets' 'Flowers of Ukraine' is a captivating film that, despite its simplicity and optimism, is a universal tale of humanity and the things that truly matter in life. This extraordinary film, seemingly mundane, is deeply humanistic. The documentary delves into the mystery of human existence without defining it in any specific way. Ms. Natalia is the most beautiful flower on screen, blooming amidst the surrounding turmoil and enduring, offering hope for tomorrow."