What Belongs to Others, by Grzegorz Dębowski, won the Warsaw Grand Prix at the 42nd Warsaw International Film Festival, which took place from October 9 to 18. The Polish director will receive PLN 120,000, approximately €27,450, in prize money funded by the Mayor of Warsaw. The film, which premiered in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, was praised by the jury for its delicate storytelling, performances and non-judgmental portrait of a woman who finds the possibility of transforming her own life by assuming a stranger’s identity.
In the International Competition, the Best Director Award went to Cai Chengjie for Suzhou Quartet, which received PLN 10,000. The jury praised the film’s formal ambition, with four stories unfolding simultaneously to create a reflection on life and mortality. Maria Dębska received the Special Jury Award for her performance in Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański, which also won the award from the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). The film was recognized for its unconventional approach to a love story set in a prison, its black-and-white cinematography and its exploration of human connection. Bloody Men, by Jens Sjögren, received a Special Mention.
In the 1-2 Competition, dedicated to first and second fiction features, the top prize went to Agia, by Lorin Terezi, which received PLN 10,000. The jury praised the strength of the debut and its portrayal of a young woman resisting patriarchal traditions. Everything That’s Wrong with You, by Urša Menart, which premiered in Sarajevo, received a Special Mention.
The Documentary Competition award, worth PLN 5,000, went to Meanwhile in Namibia, by Jonas Spriestersbach. The jury recognized its precise visual language and its willingness to leave moral interpretation to the viewer. Like Any Other Mortal, by María Molina Peiró, received a Special Mention.
Among the short films, Meteorit, by Elisabeth Werchosin, won both the Short Grand Prix and the Best Live Action Short Film Award. Knowing Gaze, by Dylan Glynn, was named Best Animated Short Film, while A Letter to Home, by Sina Aghazadeh, won the award for Best Documentary Short Film.
This year’s edition also saw the growth of Warsaw Industry Days, the festival’s industry programme, which reported an increase in submissions to its Co-Production Forum, greater interest from delegates and new international partnerships. The forum presented ten projects in development and six works in progress through pitching sessions, consultations and one-to-one meetings.
The ORKA Award, comprising €10,000 in picture post-production services, went to Letters to the Future, by Myro Klochko. Meanwhile, producer Julia Jendrysik Stolecka received the Polish Film Institute Award, worth €5,000, for Mother Daughter, directed by Marta Ojrzyńska. The €3,000 No Problemo Music Award went to Funny and Sad Life of George, by Eglė Vertelytė.
Oleksandr Krasenkov, producer of It Will Happen, received the When East Meets West Inspirational Lab Award. The distinction will allow him to participate in one of the labs organized by the Trieste-based co-production market, with the aim of exploring new formats and business models.
The industry programme also included Warsaw Next, which offered development consultations and networking opportunities for emerging filmmakers, and the FIPRESCI Warsaw Critics Project, which provided training for emerging critics from Central and Eastern Europe.
Under the theme “The Rules of Attraction. Where Stories Meet Audiences,” Warsaw Industry Talks explored strategies for connecting films with audiences throughout development, production, distribution and promotion. The programme included the KIPA Summit, organized in collaboration with the Polish Producers Alliance, as well as discussions on international co-production, virtual production, sustainability, European film promotion and audience research. Various industry institutions and organizations also contributed pitching sessions, consultations, panels and lectures.
International Competition
Warsaw Grand Prix What Belongs to Others – Grzegorz Dębowski (Poland)
Best Director Cai Chengjie – Suzhou Quartet (China)
Special Jury Award Maria Dębska – Through the Wall (Poland)
Special Mention Bloody Men – Jens Sjögren (Sweden)
1-2 Competition
Best Film Agia – Lorin Terezi (Albania/Montenegro/Austria)
Special Mention Everything That’s Wrong with You – Urša Menart (Slovenia/Germany/Serbia)
Documentary Competition
Best Documentary Meanwhile in Namibia – Jonas Spriestersbach (Germany/Namibia)
Special Mention Like Any Other Mortal – María Molina Peiró (Netherlands/Spain)
Short Film Competition
Short Grand Prix and Best Live Action Short Film Meteorit – Elisabeth Werchosin (Germany/Moldova)
Best Animated Short Film Knowing Gaze – Dylan Glynn (Canada)
Best Documentary Short Film A Letter to Home – Sina Aghazadeh (Germany)
Other awards
FIPRESCI Award Through the Wall – Maciej Sobieszczański
Young FIPRESCI Award Lover, Not a Fighter – Martina Buchelová (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
NETPAC Award Mentor – Keisuke Yoshida (Japan)
Ecumenical Jury Award The Child – Linda Olte (Latvia/Lithuania)
Polish Film Institute Award (Audience Favourite in the Encounters Section) Josephine – Beth de Araújo (USA)
Warsaw Industry Days
ORKA Award (€10,000 in post-production services) Letters to the Future – Myro Klochko (Czech Republic/Ukraine) Production: Karolína Dvorská Fránková, Marek Čermák (Films & Chips), Veronika Stepanchuk (Balcony 48)
Polish Film Institute Award (€5,000) Julia Jendrysik Stolecka, producer of Mother Daughter (Marta Ojrzyńska, Poland)
No Problemo Music Award (€3,000) Funny and Sad Life of George – Eglė Vertelytė (Lithuania) Production: Lukas Trimonis (In Script)
When East Meets West Inspirational Lab Award Oleksandr Krasenkov, producer of It Will Happen (Anna Mihunova, Ukraine/Sweden)
Polish Screenwriters Guild Award Tatjana Standky – Pink Elephants
KIPA Best Producing Debut Award (PLN 50,000) Dagmara Piasecka – Pixie (Poland/Czech Republic)
KIPA Special Mention (PLN 10,000) Karolina Śmigiel and Jarosław Wszędybył – Letters from Wolf Street (Poland/Germany)
Speakers’ Avenue Film School Award The Death of a Bird – Felipe Sánchez García (Colombia, short film)
ORLEN Award for Best Polish Short Film Dying of the Young Deer – Angelika Cygal (Poland)