The festival, held at Scandinavia House in Manhattan, featured seven feature films and several documentaries over three days. Online screenings will continue until June 16, with the audience award to be announced thereafter.
The main award, named after renowned director Krzysztof Kieślowski, "Beyond Borders," was awarded to Holland's "Green Border," a feature that depicts the hardships of migrants caught in the Belarus–European Union border crisis.
The jury praised the film for its powerful depiction of human drama that transcends time and borders, urging viewers to reflect deeply on humanity's core values. "The Green Border is more than a film; it is a reflection on humanity touching its deepest values," the jury stated.
Maja Komorowska won the Elżbieta Czyżewska Award for Best Actress for her role as a grandmother in "Kajtek Czarodziej," directed by Magdalena Łazarkiewicz. The jury lauded her performance as "a magnetic acting performance, a positive character whose warmth and ethos remain with the viewer long after watching the film."
Also honored for a role in "Kajtek Czarodziej" was Eryk Biedunkiewicz, who played Antoś. He was recognized for "creating a character that captivates the viewer's heart and a magical talent that takes us into the beautiful, colorful, and yet difficult world of adulthood."
The Festival's Special Award for Direction and Production went to Jan Holoubek's "Doppelgänger. Sobowtór". The jury commended the film for its "brilliantly created world in a psychological thriller, taking us back to the times of solidarity and showing two sides of the personality of a communist intelligence agent in the era of the Iron Curtain."
The jury was chaired by Italian-Polish actress and screenwriter Karolina Porcari. Festival director Hanna Hartowicz noted that the audience award will be announced on June 16 following the conclusion of the online screenings on the NYPFF website.
(jh)
Source: IAR