The Andzrej Munk competition, which has been organised by the Film School in Łódź since 1965, is dedicated to the directors and cinematographers making their feature-length debuts. This year, the winners were picked by a jury consisting of: Xawery Żuławski, Radek Ładczuk, Sebastian Buttny, Michał Sobociński, Kalina Alabrudzińska and Michał Dymek.

The award for the Best Director was given to Joaquin del Paso for ‘Maquinaria Panamericana’. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend the Gala as he lives in Mexico, but Frederik Olsson, the cinematographer, collected the award on his behalf. In a video clip recorded for the Gala attendees (full clip available here: https://vimeo.com/202095686) Joaquin del Paso said: “Firstly, I am thrilled that the film I made, albeit in a foreign language, has spoken to you in a universal language. Secondly, receiving this award during my ‘Alma Mater’ fills me with great happiness and reminds me of the superb times I spent in the Film School in Łódź. Times where I discovered myself, and also times during which I understood what cinema really meant to me. And thirdly, and most importantly, receiving this award confirms what I felt during my studies: that I am a part of Poland, and Polish film-making and that wherever I am in the world I will be making Polish films, one way or another.”

The film ‘Maquinaria Panamericana’ premiered at the Film Festival Forum in Berlin. Joaquin del Paso is a director and a cinematographer born in Mexico. He studied in Cuba and in the Film School in Łódź. He works in Poland and abroad. The Jury’s justification for the award reads as follows: “(…) for its artistic maturity coupled with a debutant’s freshness. For respecting the traditions of great auteurs, but also for efficiently finding an individual language, style and sense of humour. For treating the medium of film as a vehicle taking its viewers on a fascinating journey around the physical and metaphysical world (…)”.

The award for the Best Cinematography was received by Paweł Chorzępa for the film ‘ZUD’, directed by Marta Minorowicz. Paweł Chorzępa is a graduate of the Radio and Television department at the University of Śląsk in Katowice. The Jury justified their award as follows: “For strong and mature photography created using very modest locations in documentary conditions. For the skill of placing the camera in the appropriate place and showing hope in the unravelling story.” During the Gala, Paweł Chorzępa said: “Thank you for the award, particularly because of where I am receiving it. I always wanted to study here”.

An award in the Andrzej Munk competition reveals the newcomers whose film careers are worth keeping an eye on. For its creators, apart from prestige, it is supposed to bring promotional support for their debuting projects. The competition first took place in 1965, and it was Jerzy Skolimowski who won (for his film ‘Walkover’). During its 50 year hisotry, laureates of the award have included: Krzysztof Kieślowski, Andrzej Żuławski, Mariusz Grzegorzek and Łukasz Barczyk, among others. At this year’s competition, nominees were selected from eighteen debuting features.

During the Gala, Soniamiki performed to accompanying footage from Munk’s filmography. She is well known to take musical inspirations from films.