One of the most important festival news in January is the participation of the film “Sometimes I dream I’m flying” by Aneta Popiel-Machnicka in the competitive section of Slamdance film festival, which takes place in American Park City, parallel to the Sundance festival. This documentary, which carefully observes the ups and downs of young, talented ballet dancer who begins her career, will be the only European film in the competition.
It is worth adding that it’s not the only festival screening of the film this month. At the turn of January and February “Sometimes I dream I’m flying” will compete for awards in the competition of International Film Festival in Goteborg. One of its competitors is the film “The Man who made the angels fly” made by Wiktoria Szymańska – a documentary portrait of Michael Meschke, who – for over 60 years – gave life to various marionettes in political, historical and symbolic contexts.
In London, “The Whistle” by Grzegorz Zariczny will have a chance to win the festival laurels. This film, which triumphed last year at the Sundance festival, will this time take part in the competition of London Short Film Festival. The protagonist of “The Whistle” – Marcin – is a beginner football referee from a small town near Krakow.
Animated documentary “Paperbox” by Zbigniew Czapla qualified for the competitive section of Stuttgarter Filmwinter for Expanded Media. The film, consisting mainly of family photographs destroyed by the flood, is an impression about the impermanence of memory, inevitability of passing of time and destructive power of the element.
The selection committee of 25th Film Festival in Italian Trieste invited “The Lust Killer” by Marcin Koszałka to participate in the competition. The documentary by Koszałka is a film about human lust, perversion and hidden desires. The film tells us that the essence of humanity is to cross the barriers, that we have a hidden fascination by killers.
The month ends with the French Documentary Festival Images de Justice, at which the film “Bad Boy – High Security Cell” by Janusz Mrozowski will compete for the awards. The film’s protagonist, 28-year-old Damian, was sentenced to 10 years of prison for armed robbery. The camera accompanies him for 2 weeks, trying to ask him how he endures the isolation, does he regret anything and how does he see his future.