20-02-2011

FESTIVALS: Polish Filmmakers Awarded in Berlin

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    The Polish Film Institute (PFI, www.pisf.pl) and Polish film community are celebrating the awards presented to filmmakers Dorota Kędzierzawska and Wojciech Staroń on 20 February 2011 at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival, as a result of the PFI's efforts in establishing a stronger presence at the festival.

    Kędzierzawska's drama Tomorrow Will Be Better recieved both the Grand Prix Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk in the Generarion section and the Peace Film Award.

    The film centers on three young boys who live at a railway station in Russia and who decide to cross over to Poland in search of a better life. "They say that this story really happened. I don't know whether there were two boys or three. I don't know if they were brothers. I don't know whether they were fleeing for the first time or had tried before. I don't know what happened to them along the way. All I know is that they wanted to change something about their lives," Kędzierzwska commented in an official statement.The producer of the picture is KID Film, a company created by Kędzierzawska and Arthur Reinhart, in co-production with Pioniwa Film Inc (www.pioniwa.com), The Chimney Pot (www.chimney.pl), Non Stop Film Services (www.nsfs.pl) and Film Ilumination ( www.filmilumination.pl). The total budget of the film was 3 million PLN with a 2 million PLN grant from the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl).

    Polish filmmaker Wojciech Staroń was awarded a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement for his work as cinematographer on the international co-production The Prize (El Premio) directed by Paula Markovitch.

    The co-production between Mexico, France, Poland and Germany focuses on the childhood of a young girl hiding with her mother in military Argentina in the 1970's. The film was produced by Mexico's Kung Works, France's Mille et Une (www.1001productions.net) and Germany's Niko Film. The Polish co-producer is the cinematograoher's wife Małgorzata Staroń and her company Staron-Film.