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FESTIVALS Poland

Komornik wins the prize

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All generations were represented on the podium of the 30th Gdynia Polish Film Festival. The decision of the jury, presided over by Andrzej Wajda, matched most expectations. Indeed, Komornik (the usher – news 9/16 ), first film after ten years for Feliks Falk, one of the great masters of Polish cinema, won the Golden Lion. This feature tells the story of a public usher who gradually shifts from total intransigence to compassion.
The final ceremony was in fact a triumph for the whole crew of Komornik, since Grzegorz Łoszewski's was elected Best Script, while DoP Bartek Prokopowicz won (ex aequo with Artur Reinhart (DoP for Jestem, by Dorota Kędzierzawska)), Kinga Preis was awarded Best actress in a supporting role, and Andrzej Chyra, one of the most brilliant young actors in Polish, was suitably acknowledged, winning the prize as Best Actor in a lead role.

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Krzysztof Zanussi, whose film Persona non grata [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
was left prize-less after Venice, got the Jury's Prize.
This year's Jury seemed to appreciate foreign input, granting Nikita Mikhalkov (the Russian ambassador in Zanussi's movies) a prize as Best Actor in a supporting role, while Michael Nyman was praised for the music for Jestem (I am), by Dorota Kędzierzawska, a film which also won the public's votes.

Amongst the other winners, there was Rozdroże cafe (Crossroads Cafe), by Leszek Wosiewicz, distinguished for the quality of the direction and the editing (Krzysztof Raczyński).
The Jury also granted a Special Prize to the real discovery of this 30th edition: Oda do radości (An ode to joy), the self-portrait of a generation directed by three students from the Łódź Film school (Maciej Migas, Jan Komasa, and Anna Kazejak-Dawid).

Another special prize, the Platinum Lion, was granted to 79-year-old Andrzej Wajda, spiritual mentor and irreplaceable professor for dozens of contemporary Polish directors, for his entire career.

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(Translated from French)

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