"KAMATHIPURA EXPRESS" BY LEON KORZYŃSKI AMONG THE FINALISTS OF THE STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS
"Kamathipura Express", directed by Leon Korzyński, has been selected as one of the finalists of the Student Academy Awards, the prestigious competition organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Chosen from 2,972 films submitted by 894 film schools from around the world, the film has advanced to the final three in its category and will compete for the Gold, Silver, or Bronze Medal.
Among this year's 16 Student Academy Award winners are two Polish productions, both made at the Warsaw Film School. Alongside "Kamathipura Express", "Kanaan", directed by Dominik Mirecki, has also been recognized.
The medal winners will be announced during the Student Academy Awards ceremony in Toronto on September 14. Student Academy Award recipients automatically become eligible to compete for a nomination at the 99th Academy Awards in the categories of Live Action Short Film, Documentary Short Film, or Animated Short Film.
"Kamathipura Express" follows Osa, a young Polish man living in the slums of Mumbai, who has escaped the responsibilities of adulthood. When he falls in love with Sapna, a teenage dancer whose family is trapped in poverty and debt, their lives are thrown into turmoil. After Sapna's father attempts to sell her to a brothel, the young couple is forced to flee across India in a desperate attempt to escape the brutal reality of Kamathipura, Mumbai's infamous red-light district, and fight for their future together.
The second Polish finalist, "Kanaan", tells the story of two Middle Eastern immigrants who fled the war and found refuge in Poland, where they work illegally in the construction industry. When they discover a dead body while renovating an apartment, they face an impossible moral dilemma: report the crime and risk deportation, or remain silent. The film is a tense and emotionally charged story about desperation, moral responsibility, and the limits of human decency.
Both films were co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.