"While putting together this year's Shortlist, I imagined a grand museum building. Don't worry—I'm not talking about an old-fashioned institution with dusty collections and world-weary staff. What I have in mind is a contemporary space where the selected films form a catalog of the dreams, fears, and desires that define the creators of Polish short cinema. Knowing from experience that being a curator is the best job in the world, I decided to divide the Museum into fifteen separate departments and place each of them in the care of a different person. (…)" – writes Piotr Czerkawski in the curatorial text (the whole text is available at nowehoryzonty.pl/artykul.).

The Shortlist is the competitive short film section of the New Horizons Film Festival. The creators of 15 films, including productions from the Lodz Film School, will compete for the Zuzanna Jagoda Kolska Award:

SUMMER OF SMOOTH ASPHALT dir. Maria Dakszewicz
I’M PAINTING A SELF-PORTRAIT, BUT ALLI SEE IS MY SISTER’S FACE dir. Helena Stańczyk
MIX dir. Klaudia Szott
TRACES dir. Olga Papacz
AXLES dir. Jakub Krzyszpin

as well as:

LET’S LEAVE IT UNTITLED dir. Mieszko Chomka (directing student; prod. Wajda School)
SPIRITUS SANCTUS dir. Michał Toczek (directing graduate; prod. Munk Studio)
WOODEATERS dir. Julia Pełka (cinematography and TV production graduate; prod. Parallax Film)


Shortlist Programme  nowehoryzonty.pl/program/index

The 26th New Horizons International Film Festival runs from 23, July to 2, August.