Polish Film Awards, the annual awards of the Polish Film Academy, are organised by the Independent Film Foundation for the Polish Film Academy since 1999. The idea for the Eagles came from Dariusz Jabłoński, director, film producer, and current President of the Polish Film Academy.
“Kill It and Leave This Town” by Mariusz Wilczyński was nominated eight times. Ultimately, the film received statuettes for best sound, music, script, and the most important one – for best film.
The winning film is about a man who – fleeing despair after the loss of his loved ones – hides in a safe land of memories, where time stands still and all his loved ones are still alive. Over the years, the city develops in his imagination. One day, childhood heroes and idols known from literature and cartoons, who are eternally young in the minds of future generations, arrive uninvited. When the protagonist discovers that everyone has grown old and there is no such thing as eternal youth, he decides to return to real life.
Although the awards have been presented for more than 20 years, it was only in 2013 that a category was created to honour the best Polish documentaries. This year, Maciej Cuske’s “The Whale from Lorino” received the highest distinction in this category.
The awarded film tells the story of people who live in one of the most inaccessible and hostile places on Earth – the Chukchi Peninsula. Separated from Alaska by a narrow strait, the Peninsula lies at the north-eastern tip of Eurasia, bordered by the Chukchi Sea to the north and the Bering Sea to the south. It is currently inhabited by Russians, Chukchi, and Eskimos. The film shows how the ancient tradition of whale hunting brings together various members of the local community.
More information about the awards can be found on the Eagles’ official website.