THE DAM

TAMA

A father and a son on a trip. They meet to spend some time together after the period when they broke off contacts. But it is not a carefree weekend at a hut in the Bieszczady mountains. The drunk father asks a rhetorical question: “And what, did you think it would be easy?” Building the eponymous dam on a mountain stream may be understood as fighting your own weakness, making joint efforts to overcome bias and mutual grievances. In the pool thus created, they may find expurgation and (temporary) solace.

  • Genre: Documentary
  • Country: Poland
  • Running time: 22
  • Year: 2018
  • Color: kolorowy

Director: Natalia Koniarz

Script: Natalia Koniarz

DOP: Stanisław Cuske

Editing: Natalia Koniarz, Stanisław Cuske

Sound: Dariusz Wancerz, Bartłomiej Majewicz

Production company: Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School

About the director:

Natalia Koniarz

Natalia Koniarz

Documentary filmmaker. Born in the Beskid Mountains, she has lived and worked in Chile, Bolivia, and France. A graduate of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School, where she currently lectures and is pursuing a PhD. Her work centers on a deep attentiveness to people and the systems that shape them. She made her debut with the film The Dam, which won awards at festivals including FIPADOC, Go Short, and New Horizons. The film was screened at over 50 festivals and broadcast on the French platform TENK as well as Polish public television. Her mid-length documentary Postcards from the Verge premiered at IDFA and was shown at Makedox, Women Make Waves, and many other international festivals. She is a three-time winner of the Jantar Award at the Young and Film Festival.

She received the Grand Prix for Best Pitch at the East Doc Platform Forum, a Special Mention at Doc Lab, and participated in the Ex Oriente program. Her projects have also been developed within DocsBarcelona Public Pitch and FIPADOC Industry. Her feature-length documentary Silver (2025) won six awards at the Krakow Film Festival, including the Silver Horn in the international competition, the FIPRESCI award, the audience award, and a recommendation for a European Film Award nomination.

Filmography:

Tama – 2018

Wschód – Zachód – 2020

Postcards from the Verge – 2023

Silver – 2025

At festivals:

58th Krakow Film Festival, Poland, 2018 (competition)

34th Warsaw Film Festival, Poland, 2018 (screening)

Camerimage International Film Festival, Poland, 2018 (competition)

Skopje Film Festival, Macedonia, 2019 (competition)

11th Go Short - International Short Film Festival, The Netherlands, 2019 (The Encouragement Award)

Moscow International Documentary Film Festival DOKer, Russia, 2019 (Special Mention)

FEST — New Directors | New Films Festival 2019, Portugal, 2019 (Honorable Mention)

Szczecin Film Festival, Poland, 2019 (competition)

Listapad IFF, Belarus, 2019 (competition)

Scanorama, Lithuania, 2019 (competition)

Sound & Image Challenge International Festival, China, 2019 (Best Documentary)

FIPADOC 2020, France, 2020 (The Tënk Award)

4th Cheap Cuts Documentary Film Festival, UK, 2020 (competition)

The Pigeon International Film Festival, 2021, Iceland, 2021 (competition)