"BLUE ROOM" BY TOMASZ SIWIŃSKI AWARDED IN PORTUGAL

22nd edition of Portuguese festival Curtas Vila de Conde finished yesterday evening. One of the main awards in the international short film competition went to a Pole - Tomasz Siwiński and his "Blue Room".

34 films produced around the world competed in this year's edition of the international competition. This year, Poland was represented by only one film - the animated "Blue Room" by Tomasz Siwiński. It was the film by Siwiński which was given the Best Animated Film award yesterday evening. This is the first award for the film, which was shown at a premiere screening at the Cannes festival in the prestigious section Critics' Week.

A man wakes up in a blue room.  He is in a trap from which he cannot escape. He is tormented by disturbing visions in which he is eye  to eye with his own fears and memories.  Trapped in a blue room, he must come to terms with his past on his own. Only then will he regain his freedom. The film is produced by the French studio Sacrebleu Productions and Se-ma-for from Lodz.

The Curtas Festival is one the most important short film festivals in Europe. Films which are awarded at the festival may apply for a nomination for the Academy Awards. Every year at the festival, the jury also gives nominations for European Film Awards. It is worth adding that in 2012 the festival's Grand Prix award went to Polish fiction film - "Without Snow" by Magnus von Horn.

You can read the interview with Tomasz Siwiński here

You can find the full list of this year's award-winners at the festival's official website