Dominik Mirecki, the director of Kanaan, one of the two short-film productions by the Warsaw Film School nominated for the Student Academy Awards (see the news), talks about morality, survival and the importance of preserving one's sensitivity as a filmmaker.

Cineuropa: Kanaan has now earned a Student Academy Award nomination, bringing international attention to a film developed at the Warsaw Film School. Looking back, what was the first spark that led you to tell this story, and why did you feel it was one you had to recount?
Dominik Mirecki: I remember reading a sentence in a book: “Not everything that is evil is born of evil.” I thought this would be an ideal starting point for talking about human morality, humanity and the struggle for survival. It seems to me that we live in very difficult times. I wanted to tell a story about young people who are looking for their place on Earth. Kanaan means “the promised land”, and it seems that each of us is looking for such a place – somewhere where we can feel free, calm and safe. This is a story about morality and about what we are capable of doing simply in order to survive.

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Kanaan tackles difficult themes without losing sight of its characters’ humanity. How did you strike a balance between emotional authenticity and cinematic storytelling, particularly when working with your characters?
While writing, it was very important to me not to divide our characters into good and bad. This is particularly difficult in short-film dramaturgy, where there is little time and you are often required to have a clear antagonist – an enemy for your main characters. But here, the situation is a little different. Each character faces his or her own moral problem. Each is fighting for something, either for themselves or for someone else. We cannot clearly state that one character is 100% bad. I think this is how life and how people are. There are no people who are only bad.

I am immensely impressed by cinema that does not moralise, lecture or give ready-made answers; cinema that leaves space for interpretation and allows you to decide what you think. Krzysztof Kieślowski and Asghar Farhadi are filmmakers who tell stories so beautifully, leaving the viewer alone at the end, without imposing what they should think. This is the kind of cinema I would like to make.

The Student Academy Awards often recognise filmmakers who go on to shape the future of cinema. Has this nomination changed the way you think about your career, or has it simply reinforced the kind of filmmaker you already wanted to become?
This is a huge distinction. I am very glad that the Academy appreciated our film. For a young filmmaker, there is no more beautiful thing. I think this recognition has convinced me that the path I would like to follow is the right one, and that it has an audience. I believe the subjects I try to explore can touch people all over the world, regardless of where they live, who they are or what they look like. We are all humans, we all face problems, and we all share similar values in life. Film is an amazing tool for communication. That is what I love about it.

The Warsaw Film School has built a growing international reputation for nurturing emerging filmmakers. Looking back at your experience there, what opportunities, collaborations or lessons proved most decisive in helping Kanaan reach an international audience?
The Warsaw Film School gives you some amazing opportunities. I think learning to make a movie does not really take place in a classroom, but on the sets of graded projects and annual films. The school gives you this huge opportunity to practise, which is so important.

At school, you get the tools you need and the appropriate support from immensely experienced people. At the same time, it is important throughout all of this to always remember your sensitivity: what touches you, what moves you and what stories you want to tell. Your sensitivity is your greatest strength, and it is what will make you stand out from others. That was the best advice I could have received at school, and I am still guided by it today.