The 15th PFI Awards Ceremony – the winners
We know the winners of this year’s PFI Awards Ceremony. The 15th formal gala took place on 20th September in the Musical Theatre in Gdynia during the 48th Polish Film Festival. We know the winners in seven categories: Animation of Film Culture, Innovation or Technological Solution, Film Criticism, Book on Film, Polish Film Distribution, Debut of the Year and Film Poster.
The nominees were selected by the Jury comprised of: director of the Polish Film Institute Radosław Śmigulski, journalist and book author Wiktor Krajewski, art historian and curator Hanna Wróblewska, film critic and publicist Łukasz Adamski, film producer Aneta Hickinbotham, historian and journalist Piotr Zaremba, film critic and columnist Wiesław Kot, and film critic and columnist of the weekly Polityka Janusz Wróblewski.
Cultural institutions, film schools, local governments, non-government cultural institutions and any other institutions working in the cultural sector could propose the candidates. Here are the nominees for the year 2022.
The winners of the 15th edition of PFI Awards:
Animation of Film Culture:
19th Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
The PFI Award for Animation of Film Culture went to the 19th edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival “for dynamically developing enterprise of international renown, which has drawn an impressive amount of over 138 thousand viewers in 2022”.
The remaining nominees:
1. Cinema Without Barriers
2. Film Scenario Library
3. The Film Spring Open Workshop
4. Anti-mobbing and Anti-discrimination Training for Film Crews
Innovation or Technological Solution:
New Photography Technology Event
The PFI Award for Innovation or Technological Solution went to the New Photography Technology Event “for a training for professional and beginner filmmakers alike letting them discover the camera operating techniques involving modern technology”.
The remaining nominees:
1. About history via modern technology – VR film Cinema as a modern reconstruction of Kazimierz Prószyński’s Carouser’s Return
2. Retro Film Library
Film Criticism:
Artur Zaborski
The PFI Award for Film Criticism went to Artur Zaborski “for combining festival activity with professional film relations around the world”.
The remaining nominees:
1. Łukasz Muszyński
2. Marcin Radomski
Book on Film:
The Wedding. A Film Mandala
The PFI Award for Book on Film went to The Wedding. A Film Mandala by Seweryn Kuśmierczyk “for creating an extensive monograph, which can serve as a model for a multilayered academic analysis”.
The remaining nominees:
1. Holland. A New Biography by Karolina Pasternak
2. European Genre Cinema vol. IV by Piotr Kletowski
3. Frames of Kawalerowicz by Rafał Syska and Anna Wróblewska
Polish Film Distribution:
Distribution of the film IO
The PFI Award for Polish Film Distribution went to the Gutek Film company for the theatrical distribution of the film IO by Jerzy Skolimowski “for reshaping the artistic cinema into the hottest film event and one of the most discussed film premieres”.
The remaining nominees:
1. International festival distribution of the film Bread and Salt
2. Distribution of the film The Pawnshop
Debut of the Year:
Damian Kocur
The PFI Award for Debut of the Year went to Damian Kocur. He was chosen “for a feature-length debut Bread and Salt, which is an example of authentic and sensitive social cinema”.
The remaining nominees:
1. Kamil Krawczycki
2. Natasza Parzymies
Film Poster:
Bread and Salt – Maks Bereski (Plakiat)
The PFI Award for Film Poster went to the poster for Bread and Salt by Maks Bereski (Plakiat) “for creating an artistically appealing poster that is a fully autonomous piece of art”.
The remaining nominees:
1. Below the Surface by Andrzej Pągowski
2. Imago by Maks Bereski (©Plakiat)
PFI Awards
Polish Film Institute Awards are unique in a way that they recognise the work of people and institutions outside of film production. It’s the only Polish award rewarding achievements in supporting the development of Polish cinema, promoting its heritage and facilitating public access to Polish films.
The awards have been presented since 2008. The statuette was designed by a sculptor from Krakow Xavery Deskur Wolski. It is accompanied by a cash prize of PLN 15,000.
