International Competition Authors Spotlight
Moving stories, intriguing observation of everyday life, and the author’s voice and the form of the story – these are just a few elements that distinguished the competition films presented as part of the Kamera Akcja Festival. During this year’s edition, 24th films from all over the world were shown, from Taiwan through Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Lebanon to Iran and Brazil. During the closing of the Festival, we learned the verdict of the International Competition Authors Spotlight.
MAIN JURY: Ewa Puszczyńska, Mariola Wiktor, Łukasz Knap.
Category: Best Short “Live Action”
- MAIN PRIZE, including a cash prize of PLN 1,000 for A Day, That Year, dir. Stanley Xu, Taiwan
- DISTINCTION and DAFilms distribution award with film promotion for Fruits and Vegetables, dir. Maciej Jankowski, Poland
Category: Best Animation
- THE MAIN PRIZE, including a cash prize of PLN 1,000 and an award from – soundmaking – the possibility of professional recording of the sound of the next film for The Fourth Wall, dir. Mahboobeh Kalaee, Iran
- DISTINCTION
The Visit, dir. Mateusz Jarmulski, Poland
This year, the audience also decided which etude or animation they liked the most. After counting all the votes, the results are as follows: Fruits and Vegetables, dir. Maciej Jankowski.
View the all justification: www.kameraakcja.com.pl/en/authors-spotlight-results
The best short films all over the world, including Poland, Taiwan, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lebanon, Iran and Brazil, will compete in the Authors Spotlight competition. As many as 164 productions went to the final preselection, and 24 films will be screened at the festival.
Screenings of the International Authors Spotlight Competition:
- 13th October, 2022 (Thursday), 11:00 a.m., block of animations, 93 minutes, Kinematograf Cinema
- 14th October, 2022 (Friday), 5:00 p.m., I block of etudes, 150 minutes, Kinematograf Cinema
Etudes at I block: A Day, That Year; Eden House; Fruits and Vegetables; Headfish; Noite Veloz; The Devil; SOLILOQUIUM - 15th October, 2022 (Saturday), 4:50 p.m., II block of etudes, 90 minutes, Kinematograf Cinema
Etudes at II block: Cradle; My Brother a Fisherman; Then Came Dark; There is no peace of mind; When the house turns. - 16th October, 2022 (Sunday), 11 a.m, block of animations, 93 minutes, Kinematograf Cinema
The films will be shown in their original language with English subtitles.
The winners of the competition will be announced on October 16th, during the closing of the festival.
A DAY, THAT YEAR (short)
dir. Stanley Xu, 2022
time: 8 min. 34 s.
country: Taiwan
5-years old Yang spends the day with his mother on a shopping trip. When he throws a tantrum after feeling neglected, she decides to punish him by walking away. A seemingly harmless punishment eventually becomes a pivotal childhood experience for Yang that will forever change him.
A SHORT FILM ABOUT SOLITUDE (animation)
dir. Maciek Stępniewski, 2021
time: 3 min. 12 s.
country: Poland
A short film about solitude made to break my friends hearts. An attempt to connect traditional animation aesthetics with generative art techniques.
CRADLE (short)
dir. Filip Jembrih, 2021
time: 13 min. 51 s.
country: Slovenia
A young girl transitioning into adulthood ponders about her village, her parents and her brothers, which she will soon be leaving behind.
CROWDED THOUGHTS (animation)
dir. Wiktoria Łukaszewicz, 2022
time: 5 min. 53 sc
country: Poland
A tale of fear. About fear that makes us feel alien. We move away. We hide. We run away. About the fear of looking strangers in the eyes, for fear of seeing our reflection in them. But it is also a story about simplicity, about the great power of small gestures. About an open heart and open arms.
DESEROWY JAMNIK / DESSERT DACHSHUND (animation)
dir. Betina Brożek, 2022
time: 7 min. 20 s.
country: Poland
The film “Dessert Dachshund” is an original and surreal story about a Dachshund, who, enclosed in a wedding cake, bodes for the happiness of the young couple. The joyful disposition of the dog gives the mood to the animation, which in a light and humorous way tackles the universal and significant in the present-day problem of the superficiality and ritualism of the most important moments and decisions in life.
DIABEŁ / THE DEVIL (short)
dir. Jan Bujnowski, 2022
time: 18 min. 57 s.
country: Poland
According to researches made throughout 1990s by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (OBOP) approximately 95% of Poles identified themselves as a believers. At the same time unemployment rates reached record values. In times of crisis, when people sought spirituality, seemingly impossible events were possible…
EVEN STONE FLOWS (animation)
dir. Michaela Čopíková, Veronika Obertová, 2022
time: 3 min. 18 s.
country: Slovakia
A short visual poem about the fluidity of being. Even stone flows – iron and glass flow too – just slower. Everything takes some moment. Time can be fluid.
JUTRO TAM NAS NIE MA / WE ARE NOT THERE TOMORROW (animation)
dir. Olga Kłyszewicz, 2022
time: 8 min.
country: Poland
Sometimes in our life we meet someone who see the world in a different way and is able to change our perception. This is the situation that happens for the characters of my film, when they unexpectedly met.
KIEDY OBRÓCI SIĘ DOM / WHEN THE HOUSE TURNS (short)
reż. Maria Ornaf, 2022
time: 28 min.
country: Poland
Thirteen-year-old Eve lives in emotional twine between two families: biological and adoptive. To bring closure to her first home, she must erase the past and wipe out traumatic memories. Clearing her memory gives space for a new beginning.
MÓJ BRAT RYBAK / MY BROTHER A FISHERMAN (short)
reż. Alicja Sokół, 2021
time: 19 min. 9 s.
country: Poland
Somewhere at the world’s end, in a small fishing village, live two brothers who couldn’t be more different. Every day, while the older brother works hard, the younger one turns on the radio to participate in a competition in hope that winning will change his life. A sudden disappearance of their father forces both men to take on his mantle in the port and brings them closer together.
MUSICAL (animation)
dir. Žiga Krajnc, 2021
time: 8 min. 6 s.
production: Slovenia
A view of the world from the perspective of ordinary people looking for their own little corner in the world.
NIE MA SPOKOJU / THERE IS NO PEACE OF MIND (short)
dir. Karol Ulman, 2022
time: 13 min. 24 s.
country: Poland
Jacek is a middle-aged client of a company that turns people into trees. Doctor Beech and Melissa, a therapist, supervise the procedure and ensure that he’s fully aware of the consequences and makes an informed decision. The film contemplates the fate of an individual who takes a radical step to plunge into the world of nature devoid of thoughts and obligations – the world of pure being.
NIGHT (animation)
dir. Ahmad Saleh
time: 15 min. 57 s.
country: Palestine
The dust of war keeps the eyes sleepless. Night brings peace and sleep to all the people in the broken town. Only the eyes of the mother of the missing child stay resilient. Night has to trick her into sleeping to save her soul.
NOITE VELOZ (short)
dir. Cauê Dias Baptista, 2021
time: 30 min.
country: Brazil
Silvio is a broken man, trapped in the memories of a past relationship. He ends up going out for one night against his will. And that night ends up transforming his life.
PIĘĆ MINUT STARSZA / FIVE MINUTES OLDER (aniamtion)
dir. Sara Szymańska, 2021
time: 6 min.
country: Poland
A day in the life of two twin sisters, Mela and Zenia, who take a trip to spend a lazy summer evening together by the lake. Their bond is so close that there is no telling where one ends and the other begins… each verges on being both the greatest blessing and saddest burden for the other.
RAJSKIJ DIM / EDEN HOUSE (short)
dir. Adelina Borets, 2021
time: 28 min. 1 s.
country: Poland
Based on the true story of a teenager named Luka who has landed in a religious drug-rehab center run by Antoni, a self-proclaimed priest. Living under its tyrannical regime of emotional and physical torture, Luka figures out that the only way he can survive is to escape.
SAMOGŁÓW / HEADFISH (short)
dir. Jakub Prysak, 2021
time: 24 min.
country: Poland
Immersed in an industrial landscape, the story of two friends, Eryk, a cow milker at the Milky Paradise dairy and Marissa, a sex worker in a low-grade nightclub, who want to find their place in the world.
SLOW LIGHT (animation)
dir. Kijek / Adamski, 2022
time: 10 min. 58 s.
country: Poland
A film about a man who is able to perceive only his past. A sentimental way of seeing things makes living difficult for him. Using mixed animation techniques the film intertwines time orders to show the life of the protagonist.
SOLILOQUIUM (short)
dir. Karolina Monwid-Olechnowicz, 2022
time: 10 min.
country: Poland
A visual portrait of one’s internal speech, flowing like a river of thoughts, with the intention of seeking truth.The alphabet of feelings, associations, fears, memories overwhelming our mind, impossible to escape from. It is up to us to give them direction. We don’t notice our thoughts on a daily basis – they are intangible and fuse together with our “self” and pretend that they’re its voice. The strength of attention and manipulation – flashes of a stream of consciousness.
SZCZYPIGŁÓWKI / HEADPRICKLES (animation)
dir. Katarzyna Miechowicz, 2022
time: 8 min. 20 s.
country: Poland
Film inspired by absurdity of everyday life.
THE FOURTH WALL (animation)
dir. Mahboobeh Kalaee, 2021
time: 9 min. 50 s.
ountry: Iran
Home and family, relationships, desires, wishes and everything is summarized in a kitchen. The stuttering boy is alone there, playing with his imagination.
THEN CAME DARK (short)
reż. Marie-Rose Osta, 2021
time:: 15 min.
country: Leabon
A mist emerges, a howling wind kicks in and the forest turns dark. Two men pull out a tree and drag it like a dead body. In a forest in the mountains of Lebanon, where the unspoken pact of balance between the villagers and the forces of nature breaks, legend has it that revenge is bound to happen.
WARZYWA I OWOCE / FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (short)
dir. Maciej Jankowski, 2021
time: 26 min. 17 s.
country: Poland
Obese boy Wojtek is not only lacking self-confidence, but is also ashamed of his mother Dorothy, who is in charge of a run-down grocery store. One day, in order to make her change, Wojtek rebels against his mom.
WIZYTA / THE VISIT (animation)
dir. Mateusz Jarmulski, 2021
time: 7 min.
country: Poland
African tropical forest. A dark figure escapes through the thicket. The hunters’ shouting grows. The chimpanzee’s eyes shine on her dark face. She is breathing heavily, escapes through the jungle. The frightened animal reaches a beautiful colonial villa and enters inside. Leaving her natural environment will stand before an important choice. “The visit” is a film that asks the question of where humanity begins.
All the lights on the auteur cinema! Submit your short film for the International Competition Authors Spotlight.
International Competition of Film Etudes and Animated Films returns under a new name to showcase and recognize the most intriguing short films from around the globe! Last year over 3 thousand films from 121 countries took part in the festival preselection and the Festival audience was able to watch and applaud 24 productions that were presented in the final. This year’s edition is focused on auteur cinema but… the auteur can have many faces! “For over a decade the Festival proves that behind the artistic success of every production is not only the director but a lot of people from the production team, hence the new name of the competition “Authors Spotlight” strongly emphasizes this collective aspect of the process of filmmaking” – says Przemek Glajzner, director of the Festival.
Moving stories, intriguing observations of everyday life, and, in addition, the auteur’s voice and form of storytelling – these are only several elements that make the competing films presented within the Festival Camera Action throughout the years stand out. Also this time the Organizers are waiting for the productions that are impossible to forget! Both students/alumni of film schools as well as professional and independent filmmakers can submit their applications for the competition. The organizers are waiting for the short live-action and animated films till the 31st of August 2022. Films can be submitted through the platform FilmFreeway. The films that will be qualified for the final are going to be assessed by a jury consisting of respected members of the film industry. The winners of the competition that will gain the jury’s and audience’s appreciation and win monetary awards will be announced on the 16th of October 2022 during the festival’s closing ceremony in Łódź Film School.
AWARDS IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AUTHORS SPOTLIGHT ARE E.G.:
- PLN 1.000 cash prize in the category of the Best Short (Live Action, Documentary, Experimental) (award for the director of the film) – The Main Prize
- PLN 1.000 cash prize in the Best Short (Animated) (award for the director of the film) – The Main Prize
- Audience Award (no split into categories)
- Award of the Youth Jury, consisting of the winners of the Olympiad in Film Knowledge and Social Communication
- DAFilms distribution award with film promotion of film
- annual subscription to the best documentary cinema on DAFilms
- annual subscription to the international platform with artistic films Kinoscope
- book awards from the University of Lodz Publishing House
- book awards from the Publishing House of the Film School in Łódź
JURY IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AUTHORS SPOTLIGHT
- Ewa Puszczyńska – producer of “Ida” and “Cold War”, specializing in international co-productions
- Ewa Puszczyńska – producer of “Ida” and “Cold War”, specializing in international co-productions
- Mariola Wiktor – film journalists, publications, reports from Polish correspondents and festivals, member of FIPRESCI
- Łukasz Kanp – a graduate of culture studies at the University of Warsaw and film studies at the Derby University, runs the YouTube channel “Kanapa Knapa”
YOUNG JURY IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AUTHORS SPOTLIGHT composed of the winners of the Film Knowledge and Social Communication Olympiad
- Krzysztof Kusz – a young enthusiast of cinematography, in particular animation and genre cinema. First-year student of the Film and Television Production Organization at the Film School in Łódź.
- Natasza Lazar – has been interested in film and photography for many years. In high school, she began to get involved in the work of the school television HoffTV and co-create the photographic section of the 9 minutes Film Festival.
- Gabriela Rybołowicz – student of the Film and Television Production Organization at the Film School in Łódź. A fan of surrealism in the cinema, especially the works of Andrzej Żuławski, and socially engaged contemporary art.
COMPETITION CALENDAR
- Opening for film submissions – 27th June, 2022.
- Deadline for film submissions – 2nd September, 2022, 23:59 (GMT +2).
- Selection of competition films by the Selection Committee – 3rd – 14th September, 2022.
- Notification of the Participants by FilmFreeway about the final selection and feedback from the Participant with the confirmation of further decision to participate in the Festival – 15th – 21st September, 2022.
- Publication on the Organiser’s websites, the full list of films that will take part in the Competition – 22nd September, 2022.
- Competition screenings during the Festival – 13th – 16th October, 2022.
- Announcement of the winners of the Competition – 16th October, 2022.
The recruitment International Competition Authors Spotlight has ended. Thanksfor all your submissions.
PARTNERS IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AUTHORS SPOTLIGHT
The 13th Camera Akcja Festival will be held from October 13-16, 2022: stationary in Łódź and online on the Think Film platform (October 17-20). The Festival is implemented thanks to co-financing from the budget of the City of Łódź. Co-financed by the Minister of Culture, National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund, the Polish Film Institute and the University of Łódź – patron of the Festival.
