Minsk International Film Festival Listapad is organised since Belarus regained its independence in 1994. The programme of the festival is very rich and diverse, in addition to famous festival productions, you can also find independent gems of documentary and feature film. One of the festival sections is the National Film School Competition, in which the short documentary film by Aleksandra Maciejczyk was awarded.
The documentary film, produced by the Lodz Film School, was appreciated for “outstanding synergy of direction, cinematography and editing.” The film observes a couple of 50-year-olds, Krzysztof and Wiola while skiing. Krzysztof is blind and Wiola is his guide. Early in the morning, they prepare for skiing. Krzysztof installs Bluetooth sets on their helmets so that they are connected with each other. They go to the top of the mountain by a chairlift. The higher they are, the more we learn about their lives. At the same time, the weather conditions change, the fog falling on the slope becomes thicker. When Wiola and Krzysztof finally reach the summit, they have to find each other and connect in the fog. A short, simple documentary form about love.
The awarded production is not the only Polish film represented by KFF Sales&Promotion which was included in the programme of the festival. In the same section as “Connected,” there were also “Dam” by Natalia Koniarz. In turn, in the international documentary film competition, there were “In Touch” by Paweł Ziemilski.
You can find more information about the festival on its official website.