THE SISTERS

SIOSTRY

Behind the mighty eighteenth-century wall of the oldest enclosed convent in Poland – Benedictine convent in Staniatki, near Krakow – the life of twelve nuns in their 70s goes on. Despite their age and the world of rapid change, they try to comply with the rule set over ten centuries ago ‘ORA et LABORA’ each day. Our protagonists – nuns Anuncjata and Benedykta (40 years in convent) – introduce us to the world behind the wall telling us about their lives and decisions in a specific way. They show us the world of convent in true colours, without stereotypes, often touching and amusing at the same time. This is the film about silence said aloud.

  • Genre: Documentary
  • Country: Poland
  • Running time: 20
  • Year: 2018
  • Color: kolorowy

Director: Michał Hytroś

DOP: Janusz Szymański

Editing: Marcin Wojciechowski

Sound: Bogdan Klat

Production company: PWSFTviT (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna)

Trailer

About the director:

Michał Hytroś

Michał Hytroś

Michał Hytroś was born in 1994 in Kraków. He graduated from the K. Kieślowski FilmSchool in Katowice in Film and Theatre Directing and from The A. Zelwerowicz NationalAcademy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw in Dramatic Acting. His film productions wereawarded multiple times at Polish and international festivals. Winner of, among others: theSilver Dragon at the 58th Krakow Film Festival for the documentary “The Sisters“, theGrand Prix at the 21st “Mecal Pro” Festival in Barcelona, as well as the CILECT award2019 for the best documentary.

Filmography:

The Whale Song – 2024

It’s only/not only a body… or a short film about freedom” – 2023

Recharge – 2019

The Sisters – 2018 

At festivals:

10th Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 2018 (competition)

58th Krakow Film Festival, Poland, 2018 (Silver Dragon)

Film Festival Herceg Novi, Montenegro 2018, 2018 (competition)

MakeDox, Macedonia, 2018 (screening)

Message to Man IFF, Russia, 2018 (competition)

CinEast - Central and Eastern European FF, Luxembourg, 2018 (competition)

Riga International FF, Latvia, 2018 (competition)

Seminci - Valladolid IFF, Spain, 2018 (competition)

DOK Leipzig, Germany, 2018 (competition)

Listapad Minsk IFF, Belarus, 2018 (competition)

59th Festival dei Popoli, Italy, 2018 (competition)

1st Global University Film Awards, Hong Kong, 2018 (competition)

Camerimage International Film Festival, Poland, 2018 (competition)

Kinofilm: Manchester International Film Festival, The United Kingdom, 2018 (Runner Up Best Student Award)

Cinemaiubit International Student Film Festival, Romania, 2018 (Best Short Documentary)

Antarctis Film Festival, Antarctica, 2019 (screening)

Budapest International Documentary Festival, Hungary, 2019 (competition)

21st Mecal Pro, Barcelona International Short and Animation Festival, Spain, 2019 (Grand Prix)

Neisse Film Festival 2019, Germany, 2019 (Best Short Film)

Class Fest International Festival of Theater Schools, Moldova, 2019 (competition)

21st Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival, 2019 (competition)

34th Valencia International Film Festival Cinema Jove, Spain, 2019 (competition)

3rd Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Festival, Portugal, 2019 (Special Mention)

SHOTS: International Independent Short Film Festival, Slovenia, 2019 (Best Documentary)

19 International Film Schools Festival, Uruguay, 2019 (Best Documentary)

CILECT Prize 2019, 2019 (Best Documentary)

EBS International Documentary FF, South Korea, 2019 (competition)

Atlantic International Film Festival, 2019 (Best Documentary Short Film)

Quebec City Film Festival 2019, Canada, 2019 (screening)

Viva Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2019 (competition)

Equinoxio Film Festival, Colombia, 2019 (competition)

BEAST International Film Festival 2019, Portugal, 2019 (Best Documentary Film)

International Short Film Festival Kalmthout 2019, Belgium, 2019 (Best Documentary Short)

STIFF – Student International Film Festival 2019, Croatia , 2019 (STIFF Best Documentary Award)

Georgia Documentary Film Festival 2019, USA, 2019 (competition)

7th DOCfeed Documentary Festival Eindhoven, 2020 (competition)

9th McMinnville Short Film Festival , 2020 (competition)

Docu Film León 2020, Mexico , 2020 (competition)

Story? International Student Documentary Festival, Ireland, 2020 (Best Documentary of the Festival)

20th Ivy Film Festival , 2020 (competition)

14th Ethnocineca - International Documentary Film Festival Vienna, 2020 (competition)

Maryland Film Festival, USA, 2020 (competition)

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

Apulia Film Fest, Italy, 2020 (Best Documentary)

Kurzsuechtig Short Film Festival, Germany, 2020 (competition)

Galichnik Film Festival, Macedonia, 2020 (competition)

Minikino Film Week, Indonesia, 2020 (competition)

19th Cinema South international Film Festival, Israel, 2020 (screening)

23rd Religion Today Film Festival, Italy, 2020 (competition)

Discover Film Awards, UK, 2020 (competition)

DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival, Azerbaijan, 2020 (competition)

4th Bolton International Film Festival, UK, 2020 (competition)

Arizona Short Film Festival, 2020 (competition)

12th Fastnet Film Festival, Ireland, 2021 (competition)