The protagonist of ‘Silent Trees’ is a 16-year-old Kurdish girl Runa. After her mom’s tragic death on the Polish-Belarusian border, she has to take care of her four younger brothers and her helpless father.
While in a refugee camp, Runa escapes from the grim reality into her sketchbook. Slamdance describes the Polish entry on its website as “a partially animated coming-of-age story in the times of a global refugee crisis.”
Zwiefka is an acclaimed Polish director, whose films cross the border between documentary and fiction. She is a member of the European Film Academy.
‘Silent Trees’ won the top award at this year’s Kraków Film Festival, one of Europe’s oldest events dedicated to documentary and animated shorts.
'Silent Trees' (2024), directed by Agnieszka Zwiefka
The Slamdance Film Festival ranks among the world's major events showcasing independent cinema. It was established by a group of rebellious directors whose works had been rejected by Sundance Festival. Held annually since 1995 in Park City, Utah, Slamdance has now moved to Los Angeles, where it opens on February 20.
(mk/ m p)