“ONCE THERE WAS A SEA…” WINS SPECIAL MENTION IN ITALY

The animated short by Joanna Kożuch was recognised by the jury at the CinemAmbiente Festival.

The CinemAmbiente Festival was founded in 1998 in Turin. The event is aimed at promoting the best and most interesting films about our environment and ecology. The representatives of the festival, together with its organizer – Gaetano Capizzi – have co-founded the Green Film Network, an association that brings together the most important international film festivals related to environmental issues.

This year, the programme featured Joanna Kożuch's animated film. Once There Was a Sea was recognised by the jury and received a special mention.

Once, there was a sea… 

The Aral Sea.

A sea that has vanished…

And seaside life disappeared along with it. Fishermen lost their jobs, factories closed down, even the Rebirth Island (home to a secret Soviet military base and biological weapons test site) is no longer an island. Only a dead desert littered with wrecks of huge fishing boats remains… along with people who have been living on these dry shores for years and dreaming of high water… And only the salty desert is spreading, while dry salt crystals shimmer on the former seabed.

A list of all winning films can be found here.