POLISH SHORT FILMS AT AUGUST INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
August, although still marked by the presence of the coronavirus, looks extremely optimistic compared to previous months. Festivals are more and more willing to move online or choose a hybrid formula. As a result, Polish short films will have a chance to receive awards, among others, in Brazil, Japan, the United States and Italy.
The biggest event in the first week of August is undoubtedly the American festival Flickers Rhode Island, five Polish productions in the competition section, including four directed by women: "Portrait of Suzanne" by Izabela Plucińska, "Vacancy" by Agata Trzebuchowska, "Red" by Karina Węgiełek and "Quiet Now" by Katarzyna Wiśniowska. The fifth film is "The Dress" by Tadeusz Łysiak, which begins its international career. At the same time, there will be two more festivals where Polish animation will be showcased. "Story" by Jola Bańkowska will compete at Kiev short film festival, while "Settling The Score" by Zuzanna Grajcewicz will be presented to the jury of an Italian MoliseCinema Film Festival.
The Italian La Guarimba festival will showcase Barbara Rupik's "The Little Soul" and Bańkowska's "Story". On the same day, two other festivals will begin: Dokufest in Kosovo (the screening of Urszula Domańska's "Windows Of That Houe" in the competition), and the 29th edition of the Florida Film festival ( Rupik’s "The Little Soul" in the competition). At the festival in Benguluru, India, "The Dress" by Łysiak will be screened and "Red Light Train" by Alicja Kot has qualified for the international festival of Monterrey in Mexico.
"Story" will also be presented in Sarajevo, at the local film festival, while "Portrait of Suzanne" by Plucińska will have a chance to win awards at the Israeli Animix Tel Aviv Animation Festival. Three Polish productions were included in the programs of the Anibar International Animation Festival in Kosovo and the International Animation Festival in Hiroshima. The jury will score Tomek Popakul's "Acid Rain" and Marcjanna Urbańska's "Guilt" in the first one, while the second one will feature the shows of "The Little Soul" by Rupik and "Tango of Longing" by Marta Szymańska. The programs of both of these festivals also include Natalia Durszewicz's "Ovule".
It was Rupik’s film that turned out to be the most popular Polish title in August - in the second half of the month it will be screened at the Sao Paolo International Short Film Festival in Brazil, at the Busan International Short Film Festival in Korea, at the "Molodist" International Film Festival in Kiev (along with "Such a Beautiful Town" by Marta Koch), Odense International Animated Film Festival in Copenhagen (together with Łysiak's “The Dress”) and the Slovak Animation Festival Fest Anča (alongside "Portrait of Suzanne" by Plucińska).
In addition, in the second half of August, Polish short films will appear in the United States ("Play" by Piotr Sułkowski in The International Vegas Cine Club competition), France ("Hi, how are you" by Michał Chmielewski in the Nancy International Film Festival competition), Bulgaria ("Bitter Herb" by Maria Ornaf in the Kinomorphia International Short Film Festival competition), and above all in Italy, where three animations will compete for awards at the Imaginaria International Animated Film Festival: "Such a Beautiful Town" by Koch, "Portrait of A Woman" by Natalia Durszewicz and "Aquarium" by Jagoda Czarnowska.