Gdynia 2023. Golden Lions awarded! “Kos” takes everything

Everything is clear now! This year’s Golden Lion goes to “Kos” directed by . The film about Tadeusz Kościuszko (perfect in this role) received the main prize, but observing the atmosphere around the festival and the film everyone was talking about, it may be simply sad for Maślony.

For several days now, the discussion about a film that has not been shown in Gdynia has been going on – it is, of course, “The Green Border” by Agnieszka Holland. Would today’s jury be different if “Green Border” also competed? We won’t find out.

Gdynia 2023. Paweł Maślona’s “Kos” wins the Golden Lions!

The awards for Paweł Maślona’s “Kos” are further proof that a new generation of exceptionally talented directors has emerged in recent years. His “Kos” received a real shower of distinctions in Gdynia this year: the Journalists’ Award, the Cast Direction Award in the Main Competition, the Arthouse Cinema Association Award, the Polish Film Festivals and Reviews Abroad Award and the Young Jury Award for the Best Film in the Main Competition. The Golden Lions at the very end of the Gdynia Marathon couldn’t actually go to anyone else – and that’s not the end, because although the Golden Lions went to Paweł Maślony at the end of the gala, his team received several more statuettes earlier. You will find them on the list of all Festival awards.

Paweł Maślona and Michał Zieliński Photo Bartosz Bańka / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

And what is “Kos” about? Maślona approached historical cinema in a fresh way. It shows the events of the spring of 1794, when Tadeusz Kościuszko – the titular ‘Kos’ – returns to Poland. And in a humorous and sober look at the state of Poland at that time, it gets stuck between the flames of the revolution and the misfires of the people who were supposed to bring it about. In addition, there are great acting performances (an excellent relationship between Jacek Braciak and Jason Mitchell – Kościuszko and Domingo, and Dunin (Robert Więckiewicz) trying to get at the main character. There are many indications that this will be one of those rare historical films that people will choose to see in cinemas. not only out of school obligation.

Gdynia Film Festival 2023. Full list of winners

And who did the remaining awards go to this year? Many of them were awarded in Gdynia. Take a look at which productions were appreciated by the jury:

• Silver Lions – “Imago”
• Audience Award – “Chłopi”, DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
• Special Jury Prize – DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman, “Chłopi”
• Best director – Jan Holoubek, “Doppelganger. Doppelganger”
• Leading female role – Lena Góra, “Imago”
• Leading male role – Artur Paczesny, “Tyle co nic”
• Professional Acting Debut – Paulina Pytlak, “Fire Festival”
• Supporting female role – Kinga Preiss, “Fire Festival” and Agnieszka Kwietniewska, “Tyle co nic”
• Supporting male role – Tomasz Schuchardt, “Doppelganger. Sobowtór” and Robert Więckiewicz, “Kos”
• Directorial debut or second film – Grzegorz Dębowski, “Tyle co nic”
• Scenography – Marek Warszewski, “Doppelganger. Doppelganger”
• Sound – Marcin Lenarczyk, “Dreams full of smoke”
• Editing – Piotr Kmiecik, “Kos”
• Music – Andrzej Smolik, “Imago”
• Photos – Bartłomiej Kaczmarek, “Doppelganger. Doppelganger”
• Script – Grzegorz Dębowski, “As Much as Nothing”
• Makeup – Aneta Brzozowska, “Kos”
• Costumes – Weronika Orlińska, “Doppelganger. Doppelganger”
• Micro-budget film – Klaudiusz Chrostowski – “Ultima Thule” (and distinction: Piotr Biedroń – “All Hope In Them”)

Short Film Competition:

• Best Short Film – “Warsaw, Netherlands”, dir. Ming Wei Chiang
• Special Award – “Beautiful flower meadow”, dir. Emi Buchwald
• Special mention – “Polar Bears”, dir. Bartosz Stankiewicz
• Honorable Mention – “Being Someone”, dir. Michal Toczek

Other prizes:

• Heliograf company award for the best photos – “Beautiful flower meadow”, Tomasz Gajewski
• Golden Lion Cubs Janusz Korczak – “About the dog that rode the railway”, dir. Magdalena Nieć
• Amber Lions – TVN and Kino Świat for the film “Letters to M. 5”, dir. Łukasz Jaworski
• Journalists’ Award – “Kos”, dir. Paweł Maślona
• Award for directing the cast in the main competition – Nadia Lebik, “Kos”, dir. Paweł Maślona
• Arthouse Cinema Association Award – “Kos”, dir. Paweł Maślona
• Another Look – Złoty Pazur – “Tyle co nic”, dir. Grzegorz Dębowski
• Don Quixote – Award of the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs – “Tyle co nic”, dir. Grzegorz Dębowski
• Polish Film Festivals and Reviews Abroad Award – “Kos”, dir. Paweł Maślona
• Youth Jury Award for the Best Film in the Main Competition – “Kos”, dir. Paweł Maślona
• Award from the Dr Irena Eris brand – Dorota Stalińska and Dorota Pomykała for their roles in the film “My Old Ones”, dir. Natasza Parzymies
• Electrolux “Climate Film” Award for the Most Ecological Film Production – “All Hope Is There”, dir. Piotr Biedroń
• Strong Entry. “Zwierciadło” Monthly Award – Natasza Parzymies, “My Old Ones”
• Crystal Star Elle Award – Kamila Urzędowska, “Chłopi”, dir. D. K. Welchman, Hugh Welchman
• Golden Kangaroo award for the Film in the Main Competition – Kinga Dębska, “Fire Festival”
• Radio Gdańsk Award for sound effects – Kacper Habisiak, “Doppelganger. Doppelganger”, dir. Jan Holoubek
• Honorable mention: Marcin Kasiński, Przemysław Kamieński, Filip Krzemień, “Doppelganger. Doppelganger”, dir. Jan Holoubek
• Special Award of the Interia portal – Festival Phenomenon – Bartosz Stankiewicz, “Polar Bears”
• Chopard&W.Kruk Award: Chopard Loves Cinema – Kamila Urzędowska, “Chłopi”, dir. D. K. Welchman, Hugh Welchman
• Editorium Award for the Best Short Film – “Warsaw, Netherlands”, dir. Ming Wei Chiang
• Award named after Helena Modrzejewska – Andrzej Seweryn
• Platinum Lions – Lifetime Achievement Award – Allan Starski

Why wasn’t “The Green Border” shown at the Gdynia Film Festival?

Looking at the heated discussion around Agnieszka Holland’s latest film, one may get the impression that this production should receive all possible awards on Saturday. However, this did not happen. Why? “The Green Border” did not make it to the main competition at all for a very simple reason – the director did not manage to finish the film before the deadline for submissions. Participation in the Venice Film Festival competition was possible because the application deadline was slightly later than the Gdynia competition.

And although Agnieszka Holland and her “Green Border” were the main absentees on the Baltic Sea this year, it does not mean that this production was silent. The festival in Gdynia coincided with the government and government media’s campaign against the director, .