The 2024 Passport Awards were presented at a ceremony at the ATM Studio in Warsaw on Tuesday night.
Polityka's annual prizes, a hallmark of recognition in Polish culture, honor significant contributions in various artistic domains, according to officials.
The prize is a distinction for creators based or working in Poland - who make the fastest progress, who surprise with new achievements, and whose activities bode well for the future. The award's name was conceived as a symbolic passport to the world's art scene - and it is usually given to relatively young creators, often for their breakthrough achievements.
In the film category, director Paweł Maślona received acclaim for his cinematic achievements, particularly his recent work, the Thaddeus Kościuszko-themed western Kos.
The film, praised for its refreshing take on Polish history and its mix of genre lightness and thematic gravity, earned Maślona the Golden Lions at the Gdynia Polish Film Festival last September.
The movie, set for widespread distribution this January, was lauded for "breaking conventions with a sense of irony and for presenting a Poland not known from history textbooks," as mentioned by the award committee. Maślona, in his acceptance speech, emphasized the collaborative nature of filmmaking and dedicated his award to his colleagues and the artistic community.
Katarzyna Szyngiera was recognized in the theatre category for her directorial work, which daringly crosses social and environmental divides. Her direction of 1989, a musical which played on a multiplicity of voices in recounting collective recent history of the country, was particularly noted. Szyngiera expressed her gratitude towards her collaborators and dedicated the recognition to the casts and crews of her productions, 1989 and Lwów nie oddamy.
Pianist and composer Hania Rani received recognition in the music category. Rani, a young but already accomplished and much-awarded musician, has been carving a name for herself in both solo works and collaborations with recognized international artists such as Ólafur Arnalds and the Portico Quartet.
In the realm of digital culture, the independent Krakow-based studio Starward Industries was awarded for its video game The Invincible, based on Stanisław Lem's novel of the same title ("Niezwyciężony.") The studio was celebrated for its artistry and understanding of Lem's work, translating the classic literature into an interactive medium. The game, emphasizing the timely warning against the illusion of anthropocentrism in an era of advancing machine intelligence, was acknowledged for its contribution to the digital cultural landscape.
The special Culture Creator ("Kreator kultury") award was presented to writer, playwright, and screenwriter Józef Hen, honoring his extensive contributions to Polish culture.
Polityka's Passport Awards are annual accolades which highlight the dynamic and diverse nature of Polish cultural achievements, bringing well-deserved recognition to artists who push the boundaries of their respective fields. They have been a fixture on the country's cultural calendar since their establishment in 1993.
This year, organizers have noted an increase in blurring of boundaries between the various creative disciplines.
(rt)
Source: polskieradio24.pl, polityka.pl
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Marcin Matuszewski.