POLISH FILMS TRIUMPH IN BULGARIA

Three Polish short films received awards in their competetive sections at the prestigious In The Palace festival in Bulgaria: Tadeusz Łysiak's "The Dress", Rozalia Ogonowska's "May the world not carry you" and Tomasz Śliwiński's "Ondine".

Established in 2003, the In The Palace festival was created with short films and new media art in mind, and was focused on the work of students. In a short time, however, it gained publicity and expanded his field of interest to professionals, allowing young filmmakers to compete with recognized artists and to exchange ideas more freely between generations. Since 2017, In The Palace has been one of the festivals qualifying for the awards of the American film academy as well as the student Oscars.

The eighteenth edition of the festival turned out to be particularly generous to Polish filmmakers. As many as three productions won in their categories. The "Not Short At All" competition was won by "Ondine" by Tomasz Śliwiński. The jury praised the performances of the actors involved in the project, headed by Bartosz Bielenia, as well as the depth and multidimensionality of the story written by Śliwiński.

Rozalia Ogonowska was honored with the award for the best student animated film for her painted film "May the world not carry you". The jurors justified their choice not only with the high level of the film's production technique, but also with its excellent structure and symbolism, which elevated this only four-minute film above its competitors.

The last Polish film awarded at the In The Palace festival was "The Dress" by Tadeusz Łysiak, one of the most frequently shown and awarded productions of last year. It won in the category of the best student fiction film. Łysiak received the grand prize for his complete control over both technical and narrative aspects of the film. The jury also paid attention to the cinematography by Konrad Bloch.

At the In The Palace festival, in various competition sections other Polish films were also shown: Marcin Sauter's "It's Good Like That"Daria Kopiec's "Your Own Bullshit", Natalia Koniarz's "East West", Marcjanna Urbańska's "Guilt" and Marta Koch's "Such a Beautiful Town".

"Ondine" tells the story of Cezary, who still lives with his mother and is in love with Emilia, a rock singer. He also has a dark secret. One day all three of them have to deal with the mythical Ondine and her curse.

"May the world not carry you" is a sad love story inspired by polish folk song. The betrayed girl decides to commit suicide during the wedding of his love. Cel animation, each frame is painted by hand, using acrylic paint.

"The Dress" focuses on the experiences of Julia, who works at a roadside motel and is overwhelmed by the ubiquitous sense of rejection and loneliness. She is different and the society has made it very clear to her many times. She dreams of a relationship and physical intimacy with a man. Unexpectedly, she meets a handsome truck driver and her fantasies start revolving around him.