Three pitching sessions took place during this year’s edition of KFF Industry online: Animated in Poland – for Polish animated projects in production – and, co-organised with Doc Lab Poland, Docs to Start and Docs to Go! – for Polish documentary projects in development and in postproduction. The awards for the best presentations were announced at the Industry Awards Gala.
ANIMATED IN POLAND AWARDS
In Animated in Poland Pitching three awards funded by our partners – Studio Sound Mind, Fixafilm i Crew United were – went to new winners.
The first award was funded KFF Industry partner – Sound Mind, a sound post-production studio founded by Michał Fojcik – a recognized sound director, member of the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) association, responsible for the sound of such films as: “Gods”, “The Red Spider”, “The Art of Loving” and “The Coldest Game”.
SOUND MIND STUDIO ANIMATED IN POLAND BEST PITCH AWARD – Studio Sound Mind voucher for 10 days of sound post-production went to the project „All My Effing Superheros”, dir. Piotr Kabat, prod. Letko.
For the first time Award for the Best Pitch was funded by Fixafilm, a Dolby Vision certified postproduction facility based in Warsaw (Poland) with branches in Los Angeles (USA) and Canberra (Australia). Fixafilm offers a full range of post production service e andhas post-produced Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021), Hopper/Welles (2020), My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To (2020), Systrar 1968 (2018), Menashe (2017), The Persian Connection (2016) Yarden (2016) and restored over 220 productions, including classic films of masters like Peter Weir, Sergei Parajanov, Andrzej Wajda, Andrzej Zulawski, and Dario Argento.
FIXAFILM ANIMATED IN POLAND BEST PITCH AWARD – a coupon for image post-production services worth PLN 10 000 founded by Fixafilm went to the project „Once there was a sea…”, dir.. Joanna Kożuch, prod. B-Film, Animapol.
The third founder was Crew United, an international networking platform for filmmakers. Crew United is not only a European platform with over 40 thousand active users and a database with information on almost 250 thousand European filmmakers, 115 thousand actors and actresses, 60 thousand AV companies, but also an attentive and active partner of professional organizations in many European countries.
CREW UNITED SPECIAL MENTION – a 5-years’ Premium membership to Crew United platform for the director and producer of the awarded project went to „Eyeshroom”, dir. Małgorzata Wowczak, prod. Animated Film Studio – Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.
It was the ninth edition of Animated in Poland Pitching, the first took place in May 2013 during the 53rd edition of the Krakow Film Festival in cooperation with the “Shortcut” magazine. It was preceded by the pitch training that was combined with short project consultations held by Wim Vanacker – a member of the Selection Committee for the Official Short Film Competition of the Cannes Film Festival.
This year, 7 projects were presented. More about Animated in Poland. projects
DOC LAB POLAND AWARDS
Four Doc Lab Poland awards and three special mentions were given to the best Docs to Start and Docs to Go! presentations.
In the Docs To Go! session Lunapark Award – image postproduction services worth of 15 000 pln went to „Old Hippies Die Young”, dir. and prod. Zofia Pręgowska (Prego Media) and Institute of Documentary Film Special Mention – invitation to East Doc Platform was given to „Leon”, dir. Wojciech Gostomczyk, prod. Wojciech Gostomczyk, Anna Stylińska – Metrage Studio.
In the Docs To Start session HBO Award – 10 000 PLN in for the film production went to the project „Papa Was King Of Kongo”, dir. Joanna Ratajczak, prod. Maciej Kubicki, Joanna Ratajczak (Telemark).
SMAKJAM Award – image postproduction services worth of 25 000 PLN was given to the project „Step by Step”, dir. Eliza Kubarska, Michał Woroch, prod. Monika Braid (Braidmade Films).
Another Award – MX35 Award – film equipment rental services worth of 10 000 PLN went to the project „Child of Dust”, dir. and prod. Weronika Mliczewska (Ya-Man Studio).
And DOK Leipzig Special Mention – invitation to DOK Co‐pro Meetings in Leipzig went to the project „Girl’s Stories”, dir. Aga Borzym, prod.Marta Dużbabel, Agnieszka Rostropowicz- Rutkowska (Pinot Films).
There was also one Special Mention given in both sessions Polish Docs Pro Special Mention – support of international promotion and invitation to one of the key world documentary industry event and it went to the project „Base 13” dir. Paweł Hejbudzki, prod. Wojciech Karubin (Movie Mates).
This year 19 projects took part in the third session of the DOC LAB POLAND workshops that ended with online pitching sessions under the auspices of KFF Industry during the 60th Krakow Film Festival. International tutors who prepared the participants to the public presentation of their projects were: Adriek Van Nieuwenhuijzen (IDFA Forum) Hanka Kastelicova and Agnieszka Niburska (HBO Europe), Rada Sesic (Sarajevo FF), Leena Pasanen (Biografilm Festival), producers – Andźka Wydra, Christian Popp and Paul Pauwels and directors – Jacek Bławut, Lidia Duda and Małgorzata Świderska.
The participants of 3 pitching had a chance to meet with experienced international experts: producers from Germany, Denmark, Finland, Ukraine, Japan, USA, representatives of the international documentary industry events like Baltic Sea Forum, Emerging Producers, East Doc Platform, Documentary Campus, Dok Incubator, Agora Doc Market, Hot Docs Forum, IDFA Forum, CPH: Forum, Australian International Documentary Conference, DOK Industry, Docs Barcelona Industry, commissioning editors and broadcasters, film funds, sales (i.a. Sideways Film, Cat’n’Docs, Square Eyes, New Europe Film Sales, Taskovski Films, Deckert Distribution, Rise and Shine, Women Make Movies, Visible Film, JMT Films, Autlook Films, First Hand Films, Syndicado) and the major festivals presenting documentary films – IDFA, Hot Docs, CPH:DOX, Visions du Reel, Karlovy Vary, Berlinale, Doclisboa, One World, Festival dei Popoli, Trieste FF, Docaviv, Dokufest Kosovo, DOCSMX, It’s All True DFF, New Zealand International Film Festival, Cannes FF, Venice FF.