The 21st Nysa Film Festival took place on May 14-19 at the junction of the three borders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. An awards ceremony took place in Görlitz. Nysa Fish - unique statuettes designed by artist Andreas Kupfer from Strahwalde - were awarded to competition winners and audience favorites. The winners included as many as five titles co-financed by the Polish Film Institute: "Tyle co nic" by Grzegorz Dębowski, "Lęk" by Sławomir Fabicki, "From where to where" by Maciek Hameli, "Ultima Thule" by Klaudiusz Chrostowski and "Nalive" by Mary Tamkovich, winning awards in various categories.
The main prize of the festival, the Nyska Fish for the Best Feature Film, and a check for EUR 10,000, sponsored by the Saxon Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism, went to the Polish film "Tyle co nic" directed by Grzegorz Dębowski. The jury, which included German director Olaf Held, Polish director Iwona Siekierzyńska and Czech director Vavřinec Menšl, appreciated the film for its political message and realistic portrayal of the difficulties of a small rural community balancing between the demands of Brussels and local realities.
The award for the best acting, funded by the city of Zittau, was awarded to Magdalena Cielecka and Marta Nieradkiewicz for their roles in the film "Fear" directed by Sławomir Fabicki. The jury emphasized the extraordinary power of persuasion brought by the interaction between the two actresses, who played the roles of sisters preparing to say goodbye.
The Nysa Fish for the best screenplay, funded by the Liberec Region, was won by Klaudiusz Chrostowski for the film "Ultima Thule". The jury particularly appreciated the minimalism of the film, which allows viewers to focus on the characters' inner emotions and moods, achieved through images rather than dialogues.
The award for the best documentary film and the Special Award of Filmverband Sachsen went to the film "From Where to Where" directed by Maciek Hamela. The documentary, depicting the dramatic escape of people during the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, moved the jury with its directness and strong humanitarian message.
The festival audience also expressed their appreciation by awarding prizes for the best feature films, once again appreciating the documentary "From Where to Where". The award for favorite short film went to the Polish film "Live" directed by Mary Tamkovich.
This year's edition attracted a record number of submissions - over 900 films, which is the highest result in the history of the festival. The submitted feature films, documentaries and short films touched on both current and historical topics, as well as timeless stories, competing for ten prestigious Nyskie Ryby.
“The fact that so many diverse films were once again released in cinemas and included in the program of the Nysa Film Festival confirms us in continuing our work,” explained the festival manager, Ola Staszel.
source: Polish Film Institute
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