The award for "Beyond Words" honours its high artistic quality. The performance of the two principle actors and the impressive use of black and white photography stand out. The film creatively reflects on the global issue of migration and the complex relationship between Poland and Germany. It underlines the value of human dignity, and specifically the Christian concept of forgiveness.
33rd Warsaw International Film Festival
13.10.2017 to 22.10.2017
Warsaw
Eröffnungsfilm: Once Upon a Time in November
The Ecumenical Jury at the 33rd Warsaw Film Festival awarded its Prize to "Beyond Words" by Urszula Antoniak (Poland, Netherlands, 2017) and a Commendation to "The Miner" by Hanna Slak (Slovenia, Croatia, 2017). The Chinese production "To Kill a Watermelon" by Zehao Gao (Zha gua) won the Prize of the International Jury. The Best Director award went to Joan Chemla for "If You Saw His Heart" (France, 2017). The Prize of the International Film Critics' Jury (Fipresci) for the Best Debut Film from Eastern Europe went to "Nina" (Slovakia, Czechia, 2017) by Juraj Lehotský which was screened in the festival section "Discoveries".
The 33rd International Film Festival Warsaw opened on October 13. An Ecumenical Jury awarded prizes to films from the international competition for the 8th time. The festival has four other competition sections - for first and second films, the "Free Spirit" competition for "innovative, independent and rebellious" films, a documentary and a short film competition. The opening film was "Pewnego razu w listopadzie ..." (Once Upon a Time in November) by Andrzej Jakimowski.
Link: Festival website
Awards
Directed by:
2017
The Miner
Directed by:
2017
The Miner is a multilayered story with great historic relevance. The script is well-developed and through its dramatic moments allows the viewer to identify deeply with the hero. It thrusts a strong take-away message at the audience that sometimes the right thing to do is to go against what is accepted; sometimes the right thing to do is to disobey.
