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KRAKOW 2018 Awards

Over the Limit takes home a raft of awards from the 58th Krakow Film Festival

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- Marta Prus provided a domestic win in two categories, while Of Fathers and Sons took home Best International Documentary

Over the Limit takes home a raft of awards from the 58th Krakow Film Festival
Director Marta Prus collecting one of her awards (© Kamila Szatan)

Of Fathers and Sons [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
has proved a successful return to the Krakow Film Festival for Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki, as he snagged the Golden Horn, the top prize in the KFF’s International Documentary Competition, at a ceremony held on Saturday night. The movie is a powerful and affecting story, as the director visits the family of a radicalised ISIS member and discovers how a new generation of jihadists is being created. Derki, whose previous stint at the festival four years ago saw his film Return to Homs [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 open the gathering, is no stranger to praise, with Of Fathers and Sons also winning Best Documentary at this year’s edition of Sundance. The film also walked away with Krakow’s FIPRESCI Jury Prize.

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Marta Prus’ Over the Limit [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, following a Russian gymnast and showing the brutal regime one must go through to achieve sporting perfection, also received a great deal of praise. Aside from a Silver Horn for Best Feature, the film garnered a Silver Hobby-Horse for Best Director in the National Competition. It also received the Award for the Best Producer of a Polish Short or Documentary Film, the Best Cinematography Award and the KFF People’s Choice Award. It is the continuation of a remarkable run for the film, which has made a mark at the likes of the IDFA.

Every year, the festival also recommends a feature-length documentary for the European Film Award. This year, the official recommendation was given to White Mama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zosya Rodkevich
film profile
]
by Zosya Rodkevich and Evgeniya Ostanina.

The festival’s oldest competition, the International Short Film Competition, saw the Golden Dragon go to France for Armelle Mercat’s Keep Your Hair On, Oliver. The Silver Dragon for Best Documentary Film went to Michał Hytroś for The Sisters (Poland). The film also received the Special Mention in the National Competition. Best Animated Film went to Germany’s Obon by André Hörmann and Samo Anna Bergmann, while the Silver Dragon for Best Short Fiction went to Release the Dogs (France/Belgium). This movie also received the Prix EFA Krakow 2018, meaning it can now boast a nomination for the European Film Award in the short-film category.

The Golden Hobby-Horse in the National Competition went to Unconditional Love by Rafał Łysak, a moving story about the relationship between a twenty-something boy and his grandmother, with the latter finding the former’s homosexuality difficult to accept. Best Polish Animation went to III by Marta Pajek, while the Award for Best Polish Short Fiction went to Maciej Kawalski for Atlas. Finally, Best Music Documentary (the Golden Heynal Award) went to Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda by Stephen Nomura Schible.

Also, on the same night, Doc Lab Poland – which makes up a large part of the festival’s industry offerings – handed out awards for documentaries in development and post-production.

Here is the complete list of award winners:

Dragon of Dragons Award
Sergei Loznitsa

International Documentary Competition

Golden Horn for Best Film
Of Fathers and Sons [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Talal Derki (Germany/Lebanon/Qatar/Syria)

Silver Horn for Best Medium-length Documentary Film
The Dread - Pablo Aparo and Martin Benchimol (Argentina)

Silver Horn for Best Feature-length Documentary Film
Over the Limit [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – Marta Prus (Finland/Germany/Poland)

Recommendation for the European Film Award
White Mama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zosya Rodkevich
film profile
]
 - Zosyia Rodkevich and Evgeniya Ostanina (Russia)

Special Mention
Debut [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Anastasiya Miroshnichenko (Belarus)

FIPRESCI Jury Prize
Of Fathers and Sons - Talal Derki

International Short Film Competition

Golden Dragon
Keep Your Hair On, Oliver – Armelle Mercat (France)

Silver Dragon for Best Documentary Film
The Sisters - Michał Hytroś (Poland)

Silver Dragon for Best Animated Film
Obon - André Hörmann, Samo Anna Bergman (Germany)
Special Mention 
Fundamental - ShihChieh Chiu (Taiwan)

Silver Dragon for Best Short Fiction
Release the Dogs - Emmanuelle Fleytoux (France/Belgium)
Special Mention
Users - Jakub Piątek (Poland)

Prix EFA Krakow 2018 
Release the Dogs - Emmanuelle Fleytoux

International Federation of Film Societies (FICC) Don Quixote Award
Detainment - Vincent Lambre (Ireland)
FICC Special Mention 
Joe Boots - Florian Baron (Germany/USA)

International DocFilmMusic Competition

Golden Heynal
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda - Stephen Nomura Schible (USA/Japan)
Special Mention
Punk Voyage [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 - Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi (Finland)

National Competition

Golden Hobby-Horse for Best Film
Unconditional Love - Rafał Łysak (Poland)

Silver Hobby-Horse for Best Documentary Film
Over the Limit - Marta Prus
Special Mention
The Sisters - Michał Hytroś

Silver Hobby-Horse for Best Animated Film
Ill - Marta Pajek (Poland)

Silver Hobby-Horse for Best Fiction Film 
Atlas - Maciej Kawalski (Poland)
Special Mention
1410 - Damian Kocur (Poland)

Award of the Polish Filmmakers Association for Best Film Editing
Grażyna Gradoń - Notes on Life. A Movie about Edward Żebrowski (Poland)

Maciej Szumowski Award for Remarkable Social Awareness
Universam Grochów - Tomasz Knittel (Poland)

Award for Best Short or Documentary Film Producer in Poland
Anna Kępińska and Maciej Kubicki (Telemark) - Over the Limit

Best Cinematography Award
Adam Suzin - Over the Limit

Award of the Student Jury
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda - Stephen Nomura Schible

Audience Award
Over the Limit - Marta Prus

KFF Industry and Doc Lab Poland Awards

Animated in Poland

Sound Mind Award
The Land of Whim – Betina Bożek
Producer: Animation Film Studio, Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow

Audiovisual Technology Center Special Mention 
Red Light Train - Alicja Kot
Producer: Animation Film Studio, Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow

Docs to Start

HBO Award 
Scandal [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – Bartosz Paduch
Producer: Maciek Ostatek and Kacper Jaroszyński, “W To Mi Graj” Foundation

Krakow Film Klaster Award 
Walk with Angels – Tomasz Wysokiński
Producer: Tomasz Wysokiński, Ayahuasca Project

Lightcraft Award 
The Last Expedition – Eliza Kubarska
Producer: Monika Braid, Braidmade Films

European Documentary Network (EDN) Special Mention
Lessons in Democracy – Michał Helwak
Producer: Marcin Wierzchosławski, Metro Films

Dok Leipzig Special Mention 
Ambulance Poland – Syria – Aleksander Zalewski
Producer: Anna Kubik Sobala, Aksamit

Docs to Go!

Coloroffon Award 
Lessons of Love – Małgorzata Goliszewska, Katarzyna Mateja
Producer: Anna Stylińska, Fundacja Widok

Institute of Documentary Film Special Mention
An Ordinary Country – Tomasz Wolski
Producer: Anna Gawlita, Kijora Film

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