From October 23 to 25, 2015, for the third time, the Emigrant Film Festival EMIGRA took place in Warsaw. The festival is unique, combining work of Poles around the world – those living in Poland and those beyond its eastern and western borders.
This year the screenings took place in the Orangery in Wilanów, and, for the first time, at Kino Kultura, on Krakowskie Przedmieście. Viewers had a chance to see documentaries, shorts, animations and feature films, created by both professionals and amateurs since January 1, 2010.
The jury for EMIGRA 2015 was composed of: Janusz Zaorski (director/Poland), Małgorzata Pieczyńska (actress/Sweden), Bożena Intrator (scenarist/USA), Piotr Latałło (director/USA), Janusz Tylman (composer/Poland), Romuald Mieczkowski (writer/ Lithuania), Bogusława Furga (editor/Poland) and Alicja Zawadzka (photographer/France). They awarded the following prizes:
Grand Prix: Counterpoint (Kontrapunkt) – dir. Andrew Papuziński (Poland 2014)
Award in the Plot category: Homeless (Bezdom) – dir. Alexander Panisko (Poland, 2015)
Award in the New Generation of Poles Abroad category: Made In Poland, Extraordinary Emigrants (Niezwykli Emigrancji) – dir. Witalis Szumiło Kulczycki (Poland 2012)
Award in the Debut Documentary category: Tableciarze – dir. Bartosz Straszewski (Sweden, 2014)
The jury also made seven awards for:
- Hour W (Godzina W) – dir. Joanna Gypser (Germany, 2014)
- In The Dressing Room Of Life (W garderobie życia) – dir. Mitch Bochnak (US, 2014)
- O Mother Where Is It?! ( O matko gdzie to jest?!) – Dir. Anahita Rezaei (Poland, 2015)
- That’s Life (Samo życie) – dir. Brygida Dworok-Mich (Poland / Germany, 2015)
- With You Without You – dir. Francesca Ragusa (France, 2011)
- Brothers – dir. Aleksandra Czenczek (UK, 2014)
A special mention was awarded for the film Between Worlds (Między światami) – dir. Katarzyna Dąbkowska-Kułacz (Poland, 2014)
Prizes include study tours in Poland and abroad. The winners also received statuettes in the shape of a suitcase by Jacek Malinowski.
Foundation Aid for Poles in the East awarded an additional prize to Elżbieta Lewak for the film We Do Not Want War – We Want Peace (Nie chcemy wojny – chcemy Pokoju) (Ukraine).
The Festival Honorary Award went to the editors of Kurier Galicyjski.
Photo © Grzegorz Chęć