Kocur's feature debut Bread and Salt follows the story of talented pianist Tymek, a student at the Warsaw Academy of Music, who returns to his hometown for a vacation.
It is a small town where time has stood still. The central meeting point for local youth is the newly created kebab bar. Tymek witnesses a growing conflict between Arab workers at the bar and his friends from the neighborhood. The conflict leads to tragedy.
The film is inspired by true events and all the actors are non-professionals.
The Passport Awards, presented annually by the Polityka weekly magazine, recognize talented and promising artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, performers and activists in Polish culture.
Previous recipients include Krzysztof Warlikowski, Grzegorz Jarzyna, Mirosław Bałka, Leon Tarasewicz, Paweł Mykietyn, Rafał Blechacz, Małgorzata Szumowska, Andrzej Jakimowski, Krzysztof Krauze and Dorota Kędzierzawska.
"There is big competition (in the film category), but if I win I think I'm going to say that I hope I could make another film in this country, about this country and about these people because I love this country and ... at the same time, and I understand the people here very well," Kocur told Radio Poland's Danuta Isler before the awards ceremony.
Click on the audio player above to hear the interview.