FIRST AWARD FOR „MERCY”

18-minutes long fiction by Eliza Subotowicz has been travelling through the festivals for one year and a half now. It took it a while though to score its first award. At the end of July “Mercy” received an award the African Durban Film Festival.

 Durban Film Festival is one of the biggest film events in Africa. Apart from more than 250 screenings  each year the festival hosts a film market and a talent campus helping young, African filmmakers to make their first steps in the professional film business. This year the programme listed 72 full-length features, 48 documentaries and 45 short films. 

Two Polish short films made it to the competition this year – an awarded “Mercy” by Eliza Subotowicz and “All souls’ day” by Aleksandra Terpińska. Finally it was Subotowicz’s film that was acclaimed the Best Short Film by the jury. This is the first award for “Mercy” that from its premiere in Norwegian Grimstad in June last year was screened at nearly 15 film festivals. 

 “Mercy” was produced as a part of 30 minutes programme launched by Munk Studio operating within the structures of Polish Filmmakers Association. A film tells a story of Veronica  who with her daughter arrives in a small town. Veronica has a plan but first she needs to ask someone for help – someone she hasn't seen for a while. This person is Thomas, a priest in a local church. Their meeting however will take an unexpected turn.

 The 34th edition of Durban Film Festival was held between 18 and 28th July. 

 To learn more on the festival visit its official website