Siekierzyńska told Poland's PAP news agency that the award marked the 13th accolade for her movie, which “depicts people with intellectual disabilities and the main roles are played by actors with such disabilities.”
She also said that a member of the cast, Marzena Gajewska, who plays Mary, the sister of the main character, Krzysiek, was in July named best female lead at the Shanghai Film Festival.
“For an actress with intellectual disabilities, with Down syndrome, to be named best actress is revolutionary,” Siekierzyńska emphasised.
Amateurs tells the story of Krzysiek and his amateur troupe of actors with intellectual disabilities, called “Personal Property Bureau,” which takes part in a theatre festival, where it earns the right to stage a play.
“Great joy, great opportunity, great expectations - Krzysiek and the actors have been working on an adaptation of Zorba The Greek, and it would be fantastic to show it on a professional stage - but the offer from the theatre director turns out to have strings attached,” the producers wrote in the press book for the film, as quoted by PAP.
The movie, which won two awards at last year’s Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, is available on Netflix until September next year, PAP reported.
Founded in 1999, the Polish Film Festival Los Angeles aims to educate and inform the American public about Polish culture, Polish films and the country in general, organisers said.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, polishfilmla.org