Michael Dudok de Wit, an author of a beautiful fairy tale for adults – ‘The Red Turtle’, will come to Krakow to receive the Dragon of Dragons Award for his outstanding contribution to the development of animated film worldwide. De Wit’s films owe their unique character to his distinctive brush strokes as well as the use of ink and watercolour. It is the 27th time when the award has been presented by the Programme Council of the Krakow Film Foundation.wej po raz 27.
– Dudok de Wit, a Dutch animated film director who works in the UK, is an artist who can achieve a maximum effect with the minimum of artistic means. All of his films, a scanty collection, were made at his own studio using a simple ink line – writes Professor Tadeusz Lubelski, head of the KFF Programme Council, in his justification – We had a pleasure to host him at our Festival in 2001 when his most famous 9-minute picture ‘Father and Daughter’ made the audience quiver with delight as it revealed its profound lyricism winning the FICC Award. The director’s unique talent has been fully confirmed by ‘The Red Turtle’, a beautiful fairy tale and his only feature-length work so far
Michael Dudok de Wit (1953) was born and received education in the Netherlands. He went to university in Geneva, Barcelona and Farnham in the UK, where he directed his first film, ‘The Interview’. Since 1980 he has lived in London. He has directed and animated many award-winning productions for the commercial sector and television.
In 1992 he created the short film ‘Tom Sweep’ followed by an Oscar-nominee and César Award winner, ‘The Monk and the Fish’. His most famous short film ‘Father and Daughter’ was honoured with a Grand Prix in Annecy, the Academy Award, BAFTA, a Grand Prix of Animafest in Zagreb and many other distinctions. It was also screened and awarded at the Krakow Film Festival.
In 2006 de Wit directed ‘The Aroma of Tea’, a short film made using exclusively tea. His most recent work is ‘The Red Turtle’, a feature film coproduced by world-famous Studio Ghibli from Japan. It was nominated to the Academy Awards (2017) and won Un Certain Regard, a special award of Cannes festival, among many other honours.
Additionally, Michael Dudok de Wit illustrates books and teaches master classes on animation, creativity and related topics at artistic schools and universities in the UK and abroad.
In line with the festival’s tradition, the Dragon of Dragons Award ceremony will be accompanied by the laureate’s retrospective. The programme will feature all the works of Michael Dudok de Wit, both his short films and the famous feature-length production ‘The Red Turtle’. Just like every year, the laureate will offer a master class for filmmakers and all enthusiasts of animation.
Awarded for the 27th time this year, the Dragon of Dragons is the highest distinction presented by the Programme Council of the Krakow Film Foundation, an organiser of the Krakow Film Festival, with an aim to recognize an artist’s contribution to the development of worldwide cinematography in the area of documented and animated film. Its laureates include many eminent artists, such as Werner Herzog, Priit Pärn, Kazimierz Karabasz, Bohdan Kosiński, Bogdan Dziworski, Allan King, Albert Maysles, Jonas Mekas, Helena Trestíková, Stephen i Timothy Quay, Raoul Servais, Jerzy Kucia or Paul Driessen
Programme:
- ‘The Interview’, dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, United Kingdom | 8’
- ‘Tom Sweep’, dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, France | 3’
- ‘The Monk and the Fish’, dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, France | 7’
- ‘Father and Daughter’, dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, United Kingdom, Kingdom of the Netherlands | 9’
- ‘The Aroma of Tea’, dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, Kingdom of the Netherlands | 4’
- ‘The Red Turtle’, dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, France, Belgium, Japan | 80’
The Krakow Film Festival is shortlisted as a film event qualifying for Academy Awards in the short film (feature, animation, documentary) and feature documentary categories. It may also issue recommendations to the European Film Award in the same categories.
More information and festival passes at discount prices.
The 63rd Krakow Film Festival will be held from 28 May to 4 June in cinemas and from 2 to 18 June online.