POLISH ANIMATED FILMS AWARDED IN KOSOVO
We enter the new month with new statuettes for Polish animation. Mariusz Wilczyński's “Kill It and Leave This Town” and Katarzyna Warzecha's “We Have One Heart” returned triumphantly from the Anibar International Animation Festival in Kosovo.
Anibar International Animation Festival was established by a group of enthusiasts and activists in 2010. It's entirely dedicated to animated films. Each year the programme features the most interesting films from around the world, but also includes workshops, debates, and seminars.
During this year's edition, the award for the best feature-length animation went to Mariusz Wilczyński. The awarded “Kill It and Leave This Town” tells the story of a man who – fleeing despair after the loss of his loved ones – hides in a safe land of memories, where time stands still and all his loved ones are still alive. Over the years, the city keeps developing in his imagination. One day, childhood heroes and idols known from literature and cartoons, who are eternally young in the minds of future generations, arrive uninvited. When the protagonist discovers that everyone has grown old and there is no such thing as eternal youth, he decides to return to real life.
In turn, Katarzyna Warzecha's animation was honoured with a special mention in the Human Rights competition. “We Have One Heart” tells the story of Adam. After his mother's death, he finds letters exchanged years ago by his parents: a Polish woman and a Kurd living in Iraq. It creates an opportunity to learn more about his father, whom he has never met. The combination of animated drawings and archival materials takes us back almost 40 years into the past, lets us feel the emotions of lovers living in different parts of the world and discover an extraordinary family secret.
A list of all winners can be found here.