Bipolar (China) by Queena Li was awarded as best film in the Free Spirit Competition.
“For me, it's a dreams-come-true edition. For the opening, we had my favourite film of 2021, Captain Volkonogov Escaped by Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov. The closing film was Women Do Cry by two directors I love, Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova from Bulgaria. Among our guests we have Oleg Sentsov, who was released from prison in Russia after a long campaign we took part in.
We managed to invite some guests from Belarus. We gathered a couple dozen world and international and European premieres in our lineup. And, last but not least, it was a proper edition – in cinemas, with audiences and international filmmakers, who came to Warsaw not just from the EU, but also from Asia, Africa and both Americas”, Stefan Laudyn, Warsaw Film Festival's director, said in a statement.
WINNERS:
International Competition:
Grand Prix:
Miracle / Miracol (Romania, Czech Republic, Latvia)
Directed by Bogdan George Apetri
Produced by The East Company Productions
Coproduced by Cineart TV Prague, Tasse Film
Supported by the Czech Film Fund
Best Director:
Rodrigo Plá, Laura Santullo for The Other Tom / El otro Tom (Mexico)
Special Jury Award:
YT (Russia)
Directed by Dmitry Davydov, Steoan Burnashev
Special Mention:
The Albanian Virgin / Virgjëresha Shqiptare (Germany, Belgium, Albania, Kosovo)
Directed by Bujar Alimani
1-2 Competition:
Best Film:
Hive / Zgjoi (Kosovo, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Albania)
Directed by Blerta Basholli
Produced by Industria Film
Coproduced by Iköne Studio, Alva Film, Alb Sky Film Production, Black Cat Production
Supported by the Kosovan Cinematographic Center (KCC), the Switzerland Federal Office for Culture FOC and Cineforom, the North Macedonia Film Agency, the Albanian National Center of Cinematography
Special Mention:
Cinema Sabaya (Israel, Belgium)
Directed by Orit Fouks Rotem
Free Spirit Competition:
Best Film:
Bipolar / 只是一次偶然的旅行 (China)
Directed by Queena Li
Special Mention:
I'm an Electric Lampshade (USA)
Directed by John Clayton Doyle
The Crossing / La Traversée (France, Czech Republic, Germany)
Directed by Florence Miailhe
Produced by Les films de l’Arlequin
Coproduced by Balance Film, MAUR film, ARTE France
Documentary Competition:
Best Film:
When Flowers Are Not Silent / Gdy kwiaty nie milczą (Poland)
Directed by Andrei Kutsila
Special Mention:
Closing Words / Les mots de la fin (Belgium)
Directed by Gaëlle Hardy, Agnès Lejeune
The Return: Life after ISIS (Spain, UK)
Directed by Alba Sotorra Clua
Ecumenical Jury Award:
Best Film:
The Albanian Virgin / Virgjëresha Shqiptare (Germany, Belgium, Albania, Kosovo)
Directed by Bujar Alimani
Special Mention:
Ring Wandering / リング・ワンダリング (Japan)
Directed by Masakazu Kaneko
FIPRESCI Award:
The Hill Where Lionesses Roar / Luaneshat e kodrës (Kosovo, France)
Directed by Luàna Bajrami
Young FIPRESCI Award:
In Limbo / Mezhsezon'e (Russia)
Directed by Alexander Hant
NETPAC:
NETPAC Award:
Cinema Sabaya (Israel, Belgium)
Directed by Orit Fokus Rotem
NETPAC Special Mention:
YT (Russia)
Directed by Dmitry Davydov, Steoan Burnashev
Short Film Competition:
Short Grand Prix:
Censor of Dreams (France)
Directed by Raphaël Rodriguez
Best Live Action Short:
Culling (UK)
Directed by Matty Crawford
Best Animated Short:
Seine's Tears / Les larmes de la Seine (France)
Directed by Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Lisa Vicente, Philippine Singer, Alice Letailleur
Best Documentary Short:
Limousine (Lithuania)
Directed by Saulė Bliuvaitė
Special Mention:
Yoruga (Colombia)
Directed by Federico Torrado