Last Saturday, on November 21, the Closing Gala of the 23rd edition of the Camerimage International Film Festival was held in the building of the Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz. This edition was very successful for the Faculty of Radio and Television at the University of Silesia in Katowice, whose students won two out of three awards in the Student Etudes Competition.
The Golden Tadpole – the Laszlo Kovacs Student Award and a cheque amounting to 10 000 PLN, sponsored by the Polish Film Association, went to Bartosz Bieniek for cinematography in the film "America," directed by Aleksandra Terpińska. The jury gave the Bronze Tadpole to Damian Kocur for cinematography in the film "What I Want", which he also directed. Both authors of the cinematography were present at the festival's Closing Gala and collected the awards in person.
The protagonists of "America," two friends – Anka and Dzastina – dream of a better life. When they decide to hitch-hike, an innocent adventure irreversibly changes their mutual relations.
The film 'What I Want" is set in contemporary Silesia. One of the film's protagonists is Ariel, who is an avid supporter of the Górnik Zabrze football club and who dreams of a footballer’s career and a dog. The other main character 20-year-old Karolina – a single mother of a one-year-old boy for whom the career of a cheerleader for the Ruch Chorzów football club is a chance to break away from everyday problems. They seem to be as different as the hostile football clubs, yet they want the same thing – to escape from loneliness and strive for a new, better life.
You can find the full list of winners of the Camerimage festival on its website.