THE ECHO – THE RECORD-BREAKER AMONG POLISH SHORT FEATURE FILMS – WINS AGAIN
The screening at Alpinale Shortfilmfestival Nenzing, which took place from 10th to 14th August, and the award won at this Austrian festival is yet another proof that the film “The Echo” by Magnus von Horn, made by Leon Schiller’s National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Lodz, can be described as the most frequently shown at foreign festivals from among Polish short feature films produced during last two years.
„The Echo” by Magnus von Horn is a story about two teenage boys, who brutally murder their friend, and during the investigation, they reconstruct the events to a police psychologist. The viewer is not only the witness of the attempt to reconstruct the crime, but most of all of the slow process of the characters’ becoming aware of the scale of the deed they have committed and the strong emotions, which torment the protagonists.
The dramatic story told in film language by Magnus von Horn became incredibly popular at foreign film festivals. From the moment of its making, “The Echo” (2009) has been shown at over forty festivals, including the most important film events dedicated to short films – among others, in 2009: Festival Tous Courts, Aix-en-Provence, (France), Munich International Festival of Film Schools, Festival du Nouveau Cinema Montreal (Canada), Odense Film Festival (Denmark), Short Film Corner at Festival de Cannes (France), and in 2010: Sundance Film Festival (USA), Worldwide Short Film Festival (Canada), Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Japan), Curtas Vila do Conde (Portugal), Melbourne International Film Festival (Australia).
Without a doubt it can be concluded that it is a record-breaking festival achievement among Polish short feature films in recent time. Even more, the number of the screenings of “The Echo” abroad is still growing. Later this year, the feature film by Magnus von Horn will appear at French Aye Aye Film Festival and Best Of Short Films Festival, at Ourense International Film Festival in Spain, Manhattan Short and Hamptons International Film Festival in USA, as well as in Hong Kong at Fresh Wave 2010.
Among the most recent successes of “The Echo”, there is the main award of the jury at Alpinale Shortfilmfestival in Nenzing, Austria. In addition, Magnus von Horn is Grand Prix winner at Festival Tous Courts, Aix-en-Provence in France (2009), Open St. Petersburg Student Film Festival “Beginning” in Russia, and at CineMAiubit International Student Film Festival in Romania, as well as the winner of the best film award for the young generation at Munich International Film Festival of Film Schools and the main prize at 2ANNAS International Short Film Festival in Latvia.
Magnus von Horn was born in 1983 in Göteborg (Sweden). He studied the film theory at the Göteborg University (2002-2003). He worked as the cameraman’s assistant during the making of several Swedish films (2003-2004). Since 2004 he has been studying at the Directing Faculty of Leon Schiller’s National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Lodz. He is the author of short documentary films, among others: “Radek” (2006), “Milk Teeth (2007), “Odlot” (2008), and “Echo” (2009).
More information on the websites:
www.polishshorts.pl
www.filmschool.lodz.pl