The 2023 Eagle awards were presented at a ceremony in Warsaw’s Polski Theatre on Monday night, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
EO scoops six Eagle awards
EO took the prizes for best movie, best director (Skolimowski), best screenplay (Ewa Piaskowska and Skolimowski), best cinematography (Michał Dymek), best score (Paweł Mykietyn), and best editing (Agnieszka Glińska).
Speaking via video link from the United States, where he is preparing for the Oscars ceremony, Skolimowski said: “The honours I have received from the Polish Film Academy … represent recognition from professionals, from people who really know this trade, who make films themselves and are really able to appreciate the effort and commitment of the creators ... a big thank you to the Academy.”
The EO director also thanked his collaborators and the movie’s producers.
And the Eagle goes to...
In other main categories, Dawid Ogrodnik won the Eagle award for best actor, for his title role in Johnny, Daniel Jaroszek’s biopic about the charismatic priest and charity activist Father Jan Kaczkowski.
Maria Pakulnis’ role in Johnny brought her the Eagle for best supporting actress, and the movie collected four statuettes in all.
Dorota Pomykała won the Eagle award for best actress for her performance in Anna Jadowska’s Kobieta na dachu (Woman on the Roof).
Andrzej Seweryn was named best supporting actor for his role in Jacek Lusiński’s Śubuk.
Lifetime achievement award for Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
Meanwhile, composer Jan A. P. Kaczmarek received the Eagle award for lifetime achievement.
Kaczmarek, who won an Oscar for best original score for 2004’s Finding Neverland, was unable to attend after being diagnosed with multiple system atrophy (MSA).
The prize was collected on his behalf by his wife Aleksandra, who thanked the Polish film community for supporting Kaczmarek through his illness “with good thoughts, words, and deeds.”
Renowned filmmaker Agnieszka Holland described Kaczmarek, who wrote music for several of her movies, as “an exceptional composer and artist, but also an exceptional human being.”
Jan Holoubek and Bartłomiej Ignaciuk’s Netflix production High Water received the Eagle award for best drama series, while director Damian Kocur collected the prize for best emerging talent.
The ceremony also paid tribute to members of the film community who passed away recently, including Polish actor Franciszek Pieczka and Ukrainian filmmakers who have died on the frontlines of their country’s battle against Russian aggression, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, pnf.pl