At the beginning of January we heard a good news on nominations for Polish films at American Hot Media International Film Festival. Four of them – Best Directing, Best Screenplay in Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Actor in Short Film – went to a fiction “Twist and Blood” by Kuba Czekaj (prod. Krzysztof Kieślowski Radio and Tv Department of Silesian University). The second Polish nominated film – “Written in ink” by Martin Rath (prod. Polish National Film School in Łódź) – was in the running for Best Short Documentary award.
On Saturday’s evening the laureates were announced – among them two Polish films. The award for the Best Directing went to Kuba Czekaj, while Martin Rath scored Best Short Documentary award for his “Written in Ink”.
30 minutes long fiction by Czekaj touches upon the issue of self-aggression among children. An eleven-year-old known as Bellyboy (James Fordham) is a laughing stock among his peers. His parents want to change him at all costs, get him to lose weight. Bellyboy has his own way of relieving his negative emotions, but it’s a secret. With time he’ll give it away to a friend he fancies… Since January 2011 and its international premiere at American Slamdance “Twist and Blood” has been screened at nearly forty foreign film festivals where he received several awards. Despite two years in a festival circuit “Twist and Blood” is still well-received and popular.
Announced the Best Short Documentary "Written in ink" is the first-year’s production by Martin Rath. The film’s protagonist is a homeless man, who tries to rebuild his broken relationship with his sister after 14 years. The documentary touches upon the issue of the irreversibility of time, portraying the consequences of wrong decisions. The American award is the 7th one for this 11-minute-long etude that has already taken part in over 80 international film festivals.
Hot Media International Film Festival (HMIFF) is an independent festival that presents short and feature length films from all over the world. Films are nominated in 25 cathegories.
The list of all the award winners is available at the official website