WE HAVE TO HELP OURSELVES: SHORT FILM FORM COMPETITION at HAK 2024 – shortlist.
Ten short films made it to the finals of the “We Must Help Ourselves: short film forms competition” of the Hommage a Kieslowski festival.
The selected short films (features, documentaries, animations) will be judged – for the first time in the history of our festival – by Marta Hryniak, Magdalena Łazarkiewicz, Bożenna Biskupska and Artur Barciś. Competition selection from the 110 submissions was made by Ajka Tarasov, Yaroslav Grzechowiak, Diana Dąbrowska. In addition to the statutory awards, two additional awards will be given in Sokolowsk: the special award of Maria Kieslowska and the award of the director of the Feature Film Studio in Wroclaw, Robert Banasiak.
Films qualified for the finals of the competition:
1. Echo, dir. by Emi Buchwald / documentary / Munk Studio
Description: Two teenagers, Ania and Bartek, want to get rid of their biggest enemy – stuttering. The inner monster makes them feel alienated and unable to function normally in the world. During stuttering therapy, they face the feelings of guilt and inferiority that the monster causes in them. They try to get to know it and tame it. And to like themselves and stop being afraid.
2. Dance in the Corner, directed by Jan Bujnowski / feature film / Film Studio Index (Film School in Lodz).
After the fall of communism in 1989, color televisions cease to be a luxury commodity in Poland. The screens in Poles’ homes begin to look more like the reality outside the window. But is the reality really colorful?
3 My sister, dir. by Mariusz Rusiński / documentary / Munk Studio
Description: Zuzia, an artistically gifted and very sensitive teenager, struggles with drug addiction. Her brother, the film’s director, decides to take a closer look at the family to understand what actually could have led to this situation. This is not just a story about recovery from addiction, but also about the great impact of relationships within a family on the specific decisions of its members. The director directs the lens of the camera at his loved ones in their most intimate moments and tries to capture the flashpoints and sources of conflict and lack of mutual understanding.
4th I Am, dir. by Cezary Orłowski / feature film / Warsaw Film School
Love, intimacy and sexuality are topics that the mother of Bartek, a young man with Down syndrome, avoids like hell. Instead, she prepares him for work at the funeral home she runs. In a bleak setting, Bartek diligently prepares a corpse for burial. Everything changes when he meets a girl who has recently arrived in his town. Love erupts.
5. by you, after you, directed by Jędrzej Górski / feature / Warsaw Film School.
The story of a father and son who, after the death of their grandfather, a famous journalist, meet for one night to conduct an interview about the deceased. Everything changes when concealed problems come to light.
6th Ends and Beginnings, dir. by Klaudia Fortuniak / feature / 17 min. / Lodz Film School
How did Wojciech’s quarrel over a lemon, Andrew’s burning of breads, Tina’s pregnancy and Anna’s pipes influence Julia to kiss a boy for the first time today?
7 The Man with the Falling Ear, dir. by Jedrzej Kocjan / feature / Lodz Film School
Franek is an actor who suffers from a rare affliction – when he pulls on his left ear, it falls off. When this fact comes to light, Franek becomes famous. People begin to divide into those organizing a relief collection, and those who accuse him of fraud.
8. First Dance in the Clouds, dir. by Michal Mieszczyk / feature film / Krzysztof Kieslowski Film School (Katowice)
Seeking redemption, Patrick tries to put his life together with Maja and become a father to her two-year-old son Mati. To get money for the wedding, he decides to become an accomplice in drug smuggling. Unexpectedly, Mati’s biological father returns to the country, representing everything Patryk lacks: stability, security and affluence. Patryk’s dreams collide with ruthless reality.
9. Polish Dream, dir. by Małgorzata Suwała / feature film / Munk Studio
Poland, 1990s Slawek wants to become independent and finally gets the deal of a lifetime. He needs a car, so he plans to borrow a cab from his father. Unfortunately, his apodictic mother has other plans for the day. Slawek won’t get the car if he doesn’t drive her to the healer. The helpless boy decides to take his parents “to work”. There it turns out that they are to be joined by a dangerous passenger.
10. Momo and Lulu, directed by Anita Kwiatkowska-Naqvi / animation / Munk Studio.
An animated love story happening in an underwater land. MoMo falls in love with LuLu at first sight, but it soon becomes clear that they cannot be happy with each other.
