Marianne Blicher and her Miss Viborg won the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award – USD 25,000, Songs About Love by Tomek Habowski got the dFlights Award – PLN 100,000 and Sonata by Bartosz Blaschke received the Audience Award. Who else triumphed at the Closing Gala of the 15th Mastercard OFF CAMERA?

- For an incredible emotional journey we went on together with an exceptional protagonist whom we didn't like at first, but who made everyone love her in the end. And that process changed all of us – with these words the Jury of the International Dramatic Competition (Wojciech Smarzowski, Anna Pinnock, David Parfitt) justified granting the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award to Marianne Blicher for Miss Viborg. The film is a touching story about an unusual friendship. Driven by great performances from Ragnhild Kaasgaard and Isabella Møller Hansen. The story shows how two seemingly incompatible worlds can have a common denominator. Independent cinema loves such stories most!

Another Jury, in the composition of a two-time Oscar winner Kim Magnusson, a film producer Trudie Styler, and Grainne Humphreys, was impressed by the number of debut films competing in the Polish Feature Film Competition. The jurors granted the dFlights Award to Songs About Love with a true pleasure. This full of life love story, filmed in black and white, with the use of diverse media, is performed beautifully by actors in the leading roles, Tomasz Włosok and Justyna Święs. The picture has proved a true valentine for creativity.

The audience of the 15th Mastercard OFF CAMERA also awarded their prize. As the most interesting film they chose Sonata by Bartosz Blaschke. The award for Best Actress went to Magdalena Żak. Her boundary-crossing performance, portraying a very complex character of a young woman, won the jury’s hearts. They fell in love with her for the nuances and passion she brought to the role. The award for Best Actor went to Adam Woronowicz. This versatile and emphatic actor made great performances in the jury’s two favorite films. - We loved him for making us laugh to tears in The In-Laws, and for his skilful performance reflecting the political atmosphere in Back Then – justified the jurors. The Festival has always backed young talents. This year, the Mastercard Rising Star Award went to Michał Sikorski for his role in Sonata by Bartosz Blaschke.

The FIPRESCI Award was granted to Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson for Beautiful Beings. The Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce (KIPA) gave special mention to Daria Maślona, for the production of Escape to the Silver Globe. KIPA Award went to Marta Szarzyńska, the producer of Songs About Love.

Once again, winners of the #63 competition, organized by the Warsaw Rising Museum and Onet.pl, were presented. The first prize went to Zuzanna Woińska for Nadzieja (Hope), the second prize for Lustro (Mirror) to Małgorzata Miłek who also won the Onet.pl Special Award, and the third prize was taken by Adam Marciniak for Niezależnie od wszystkiego (No Matter What).

Festival guests not only watched films in open-air and arthouse cinemas but they also visited the city’s attractions. One of their favorite was an exhibition of Vilhelm Hammershøi – an artist considered to be among the most prominent Danish painters of the late 19th and early 20th century, hosted in the National Museum in Krakow. Sunday is another day of Festival screenings. Ola Konieczna will be Oliwier Janiak’s guest in the Film Village.

More information about the independent cinema novelties can be found at www.offcamera.pl.