11/03/2025 - Magnus von Horn’s Oscar-nominated film, co-produced with Poland, has won a whopping 11 of the Polish prizes, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay

“Fast-paced”, “non-controversial” and “unsurprising” would be some good adjectives to describe the 27th Polish Film Awards, held on 10 March in Warsaw. The crown of Best Film and the highest number of awards (11) went to an international co-production between Denmark, Poland and Sweden – The Girl with the Needle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Besir Zeciri
interview: Directors Talks @ European …
interview: Magnus von Horn
film profile] by Magnus von Horn. It’s only the second film in the history of the Polish Film Awards to have bagged so many Eagles, the first being Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bartosz Bielenia
interview: Jan Komasa
film profile], also an Oscar-nominated flick, back in 2019.

Von Horn, who graduated from the Łódź Film School and is based in Poland, also secured Best Director and Best Screenplay, the latter shared with Line Langebek. The result was warmly welcomed – unlike in 2022, when Quo Vadis, Aida? [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jasmila Žbanić
film profile] by Jasmila Zbanić, also a co-production with Poland, emerged triumphant, winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Editing. Back then, the industry and the press had a long discussion about whether films with relatively minor artistic Polish input should be considered in all of the categories.

Von Horn’s third film, shot mainly in Poland, also pocketed Best Cinematography (for Michał Dymek), Best Editing (Agnieszka Glińska), Best Production Design (Jagna Dobesz), Best Costumes (Małgorzata Fudala), Best Music (Frederikke Hoffmeier), Best Actress (Vic Carmen Sonne), Best Supporting Actress (Trine Dyrholm) and Best Make-up (Anne Cathrine Sauerberg).

The two remaining acting awards went to thesps from Marcin Koszałka’s White Courage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marcin Koszałka
film profile]: Filip Pławiak (Best Actor) and Julian Świeżewski (Best Supporting Actor). Xavery Żuławski’s Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold, a biopic on a famous communist-era boxer, pocketed the Audience Award. Maria Zbąska was named Discovery of the Year for her debut feature, It’s Not My Film, while The Last Expedition [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Eliza Kubarska’s creative investigation of legendary climber Wanda Rutkiewicz, who went missing in 1992, got the Best Documentary gong. The Mothers of Penguins by Klara Kochańska-Bajon and Jagoda Szelc, revolving around a group of parents of children with disabilities, bagged Best TV Series. Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a minority co-production with Poland, this time with the UK and the USA, won Best Sound (for Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers). The Best European Film Award, presented by European Film Academy director Matthijs Wouter Knol, went to Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
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interview: Justine Triet
film profile] by Justine Triet.

The gala turned even more international when veteran production designer Allan Starski (Schindler’s List, The Pianist [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Oliver Twist [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award and when pre-recorded videos with messages from Agnieszka Holland, Roman Polański, Steven Spielberg and Janusz Kamiński were shown. For another year in a row, the Polish Film Academy also showed its unwavering support for Ukraine, and the guests watched a moving video message from filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who has joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Army. “We will fight until we are victorious, regardless of negotiations or a pause on the front. Everyone understands that this would be just for a moment. This is a fight for survival – us or Putin. That is why I believe that neither Europe nor Poland will abandon us,” he concluded.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Best Film
The Girl with the Needle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Besir Zeciri
interview: Directors Talks @ European …
interview: Magnus von Horn
film profile] – Magnus von Horn (Denmark/Poland/Sweden)

Best Director
Magnus von Horn – The Girl with the Needle

Best Screenplay
Magnus von Horn, Line Langebek – The Girl with the Needle

Best Actress 
Vic Carmen Sonne – The Girl with the Needle

Best Actor
Filip Pławiak – White Courage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marcin Koszałka
film profile]

Best Supporting Actress
Trine Dyrholm – The Girl with the Needle

Best Supporting Actor 
Julian Świeżewski – White Courage

Best Sound 
Johnnie Burn, Tarn Willers – The Zone of Interest [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (UK/Poland/USA)

Best Cinematography
Michał Dymek – The Girl with the Needle

Best Editing
Agnieszka Glińska – The Girl with the Needle

Best Music 
Frederikke Hoffmeier – The Girl with the Needle

Best Costumes
Małgorzata Fudala – The Girl with the Needle

Best Make-up
Anne Cathrine Sauerberg – The Girl with the Needle

Best Production Design 
Jagna Dobesz – The Girl with the Needle

Best Documentary 
The Last Expedition [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] – Eliza Kubarska (Poland/Switzerland/Nepal/India/Italy/Austria)

Best European Film ​
Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] – Justine Triet (France)

Best TV Series
The Mothers of Penguins – Klara Kochańska-Bajon, Jagoda Szelc

Audience Award 
Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold - Xawery Zuławski

Discovery of the Year
Maria Zbąska – director of It’s Not My Film

Lifetime Achievement Award
Allan Starski