“KAMATHIPURA EXPRESS” BY LEON KORZYŃSKI WINS BRONZE STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS
Leon Korzyński’s film “Kamathipura Express” has been awarded the Bronze Medal at the Student Academy Awards.
A total of 2,972 films from 894 universities around the world were submitted to this year’s edition of the competition. In early August, it was announced that the film by Leon Korzyński – a student at the Warsaw Film School – had advanced to the final three nominees. On September 14, during the Toronto International Film Festival, it was revealed that the film had received the Bronze Medal.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972. Each year, the Academy presents awards in four categories: Animation, Documentary, Narrative, and Alternative/Experimental. All winners automatically become eligible to compete for nominations at the 99th Academy Awards in the Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Film, or Live Action Short Film categories.
“Kamathipura Express” is a Polish-Indian co-production that tells the story of Osa (Oskar Karos), a young Polish man living in the slums of Mumbai. He sees the area as a refuge from adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it. There he meets Sapna (Mia Paul), a dancer from an impoverished family, and falls in love with her. When her family attempts to sell her to a brothel, Osa decides to leave behind his safe haven and flee with his beloved as far as possible from Kamathipura – one of India’s most famous red-light districts.
The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.