JOANNA

In the multitude of blogs on the Internet, one stands out and becomes the common topic of many conversations. The reason why so many people follow Joanna’s blog is because it teaches them how to be thoughtful and joyful. She describes her daily life with overwhelming honesty and accuracy. Her goals are as simple as a family trip to the lakes, her planning is as short-term as to witness her little son riding a bike for the first time. Diagnosed with untreatable illness, Joanna promises her son that she will do her best to live for as long as possible. She writes down everything she might want him to learn from her when he grows up. With great visual poetry, the documentary portrays the simple and meaningful moments in the life of the family. The very few words spoken and the ones never uttered in the film make the message ultimately powerful and extremely subtle at the same time. It is a story of close relationships, tenderness, love and thoughtfulness.

FILM REPRESENTED BY KRAKOW FILM FOUNDATION

  • Genre: Dokumentalny
  • Country: Poland
  • Running time: 40
  • Year: 2013

Director: Aneta Kopacz

Script: Aneta Kopacz, Tomasz Średniawa

DOP: Łukasz Żal

Music: Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Editing: Rafał Samborski, Paweł Laskowski, Aneta Kopacz

Production company: NInA - Narodowy Instytut Audiowizualny, Wajda Studio

About the director:

Aneta Kopacz

Director, screenwriter, editor. She graduated from Psychology Department of Warsaw University and Post-Graduate Reportage Studies in The Institute of Journalism. She is also a graduate of Documentary Program DOK PRO in Wajda’s School. She acquired professional experience in Poland and abroad. She has made a number of independent documentaries, including „Spacer” („A Stroll”) for which she has been repeatedly awarded, as well as nominated for The Juliusz Machulski Polish Independent Cinema Award in The Best Documentary category. Her latest film "Joanna" has won many prizes, among which is the one at the 10th Planete + Doc Film Festival in Warsaw, awards at film festivals in Leipzig, Jihlawa, Creteil, Brive, Kiev, Los Angeles and many more.

At festivals:

DOK Leipizg 2013, Germany, 2013 (Prize of the Youth Jury)

21st Camerimage International Film Festival, Poland, 2013 (competition)

Tempo Documentary Festival, Sweden, 2014 (competition)

36. Films de Femmes de Creteil, 2014 (Audience Award - Best International Short Film)

Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Ukraine, 2014 (Docu/Short Special Mention)

Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival, Serbia, 2014 (screening)

Dortmund|Cologne Int. Women's Film Festival, Germany, 2014 (competition)

11th European Medium-Length Film Meetings, 2014 (Audience Award)

FIDE International Student FF, France, 2014 (Prix Coup de Coeur)

11th Hamburg Documentary Film Festival, Germany, 2014 (competition)

Docs Barcelona, 2014 (Special Mention)

17th Ismailia IFF for Documentary & Shorts, Egypt, 2014 ( Best Short Documentary Film Prize (Golden Tablet))

Doc/Fest Sheffield, UK, 2014 (competition)

Documentarist, Turkey, 2014 (screening)

Makedox, Macedonia, 2014 (Special Moral Approach Award)

Palm Springs ShortFest, USA, 2014 (Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Grand Jury Award)

AFI Docs, USA, 2014 (competition)

Moscow Film Festival, Russia, 2014 (screening)

28th Pärnu International Documentary and Antropological FF, Estonia, 2014 (competition)

11 Festival du Cinema de Brive, France, 2014 (Audience Award)

17th Guanajuato International Film Festival, Mexico, 2014 (screening)

10th Camden International Film Festival, USA, 2014 (competition)

Los Angeles Film Awards, USA, 2014 (Best Documentary Feature,)

15th Annual Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, USA, 2014 (competition)

23rd DokumentART - European Festival for Documentaries, Germany, 2014 (competition)

30th Warsaw Film Festival, Poland, 2014 (Audience Award)

33rd Jean Rouch International Film Festival, France, 2014 (competition)

Cinema Eye Honors, USA - Nomination, 2015 (competition)

39th Cleveland International Film Festival, USA, 2015 (Honorable Mentions Best Women’s Short Film)

3rd DOK Leipzig Lake Festival 2015, India, 2015 (competition)

The Roving Eye International Film Festival, USA, 2015 (competition)

Documentarist, Turkey, 2015 (competition)

Guanajuato International FF 2015, Mexico, 2015 (screening)

28th Helsinki Intl' Film Festival - Love & Anarchy, Finland, 2015 (competition)

Stockfish Film Festival, Iceland, 2016 (screening)

Edinburgh International FF, UK, 2017 (screening)