The triumph of SISTER OF MINE and JINA. Meet the winners of the 3rd FREEDOM Film Festival

On July 13, 2024, we officially concluded the 3rd edition of the FREEDOM Film Festival. What films were awarded? And who received nominations for the Jan Machulski Awards? We present the names of the winners of this year’s festival.

Dozens of filmmakers, eight jurors, forty-four films and two concerts – this is how the 3rd edition of the FREEDOM Film Festival can be summed up. On July 13, 2024, in the concert hall of the Oskar Kolberg Complex of Music Schools in Radom, we indulged in a much more elaborate summary. During the final ceremony, hosted by Łukasz Adamski and Natalia Hluzow, the awards, honorable mentions and nominations for the Jan Machulski Awards were given out, we watched workshop films and excerpts from the awarded works, and listened to many inspiring speeches, before finally moving into the world of film blockbusters with Zofia Nowakowska and her accompanying band.

The gala of the 3rd FREEDOM Film Festival combined with the official closing of the 17th International Film Meetings KAMERALNE LATO brought joy and emotion to many filmmakers. Here are their names.

NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

The 2024 Polish Competition Jury was composed of: Paweł Maślona (chairman), Łukasz Gutt, Anna Mucha and Anna Waśniewska-Gill. And with this lineup, they awarded two prizes and nine nominations for the Jan Machulski Awards. They considered the extremely personal documentary SISTER OF MINE, directed by Mariusz Rusiński, to be the best among the twenty-six films selected by Łukasz Adamski and Marta Karnkowska. As justified by the Jury, the GOLDEN ARCHER – Grand Prix of the National Short Film Competition, along with a cash prize funded by the Mayor of the City of Radom, Mr. Radosław Witkowski, Rusiński received for his moving, realized with great courage and tenderness, personal story about a family crisis and the healing power of love.

The Krystian Dulewicz Special Award for Best Cinematography was given to Ignacy Ciszewski for the film THE WHALE SONG, directed by Klaudia Folga. The cinematographer was honored with it for his great imagination, precision and proficiency in creating an original film story. This extraordinary moment of the gala, when remembering one of the creators of FILMFORUM’s mission, resonated even more strongly during this year’s edition, as Krystian Dulewicz’s parents were in the hall. His father even decided to come out on stage to present the award along with Anna Mucha. Dr. Anna Wróblewska, an assistant professor at the Łódź Film School, received the award on behalf of the laureate.

It is also a tradition of the Polish Competition to award the Audience Award. This year, the audience decided that it belongs to the film STREETWORKER, directed by Damian Piasecki. The award was accepted on behalf of the filmmaker by the film’s protagonist, Hubert Kaczmarczyk.

FREEDOM is one of the film festivals that annually awards nominations for the prestigious Jan Machulski Awards. In 2024, from the Jury of the Polish Competition, these nominations were given to:

• in the Best Director category – Zofia Sawicka for the film W PAMIĘCI
• in the Best Screenplay category – Daniel Le Hai, Jan Brzozowski, Dominik Cywiński for the film NIE MA MNIE, dir. Daniel Le Hai
• in the Best Cinematography category – Marcin Kundera for the film W PAMIĘCI, dir. Zofia Sawicka
• in the Best Editing category – Sabina Filipowicz for the film DOM LALKI, dir. Magda Matwijow
• in the Best Actress category – Magdalena Czerwińska for the film MANDALA, dir. Mikołaj Janik
• in the Best Actor category – Piotr Głowacki and Paweł Kempa for the film NIE MA MNIE, dir. Daniel Le Hai
• in the Best Documentary Film category – Mariusz Rusiński for the film SISTER OF MINE
• in the Best Animated Film category – Natalia Durszewicz for the film CZEKAJ NA MNIE WE ŚNIE.

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Sixteen films took part in the International Competition. The jury decided to honor three of them. Olaf Lubaszenko (chairman), Aneta Hickinbotham, Izabela Kiszka-Hoflik and Anna Próchniak unanimously awarded the PLATINUM ARCHER and the financial prize of the President of the City of Radom Mr. Radosław Witkowski to a Polish documentary dealing with an extremely sad foreign subject. Emilia Pluskota’s JINA is the story of six Iranian women told after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, who sparked the revolution in Iran. The award was accepted by the film’s editor, Rafał Małecki. The justification was: For addressing a difficult and, unfortunately, still relevant topic with subtle means of expression. By making decision about the prize, the Jury expresses its support for the actions and aspirations for freedom not only in Iran, but all over the world.

The Jury of the International Competition also awarded two honorable mentions. An honorable mention for the film SWEETH TOOTH (directed by Joséphine Darcy Hopkins), particularly for the young cast, who were able to metaphorically portray the cruel world of adults in a mature way, and an honorable mention for the French-Palestinian-Polish production AN ORANGE FROM JAFFA (directed by Mohammed Almughanni), which proves that cinema speaks a universal language beyond divisions and borders, and can be an important voice for peace in the world. To show unity and the essence of being together, the entire Jury of the International Competition took to the stage together and jointly announced both awards.

We sincerely congratulate all the awarded, honored and nominated filmmakers, and already invite you to next year’s 4th FREEDOM Film Festival.

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The organizer of the FREEDOM Film Festival is the FILMFORUM Association.

The strategic partner of the event is Samorząd Województwa Mazowieckiego.

The event is co-financed by Polish Film Institute and Gmina Miasta Radom.

The partners of the event are: Radom Creative Environments Club and Gallery “ŁAŹNIA” and Hufiec ZHP Radom-Miasto.

The logistic partner of the event is Audi Select :plus Radom.

The Official Festival Club is restaurant PaTaThai Radom.

The Official Festival Hotel is Hilton Garden Inn Radom.