The 52nd Krakow Film Festival took place May 28 - June 3, 2012. This year's Dragon of Dragons Award was presented to Czech filmmaker Helena Třeštíková.
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION - Jury: Jacek Bławut – chairman (Poland), Luciano Barisone (Switzerland), Hedva Goldschmidt (Israel), Truls Lie (Norway), Peter Torbiörnsson (Sweden)
Golden Horn Award for the Director of the Best Film
Peter Gerdehag,the director of Women with Cows (Sweden), which depicts the spirit of love and will of the protagonist, who celebrates life and lives in harmony with nature. The visual poetic treatment of director and cinematographer Peter Gerdehag is exquisite in his love for and loyalty to a vision.
Silver Horn Award for the Director of the Best Medium-Length Documentary
Ida Grøn, the director of The Kid and the Clown (Denmark), depicting children’s fight for life and how the clown consumed their fear, which in itself is stronger than cinema.
Silver Horn Award for the Director of the Best Feature-Length Documentary
David Fisher, the director of Six Million and One (Israel/Germany/Austria), which is an exemplary portrayal of what happens to the children of a Holocaust victim who visits the places from his past. The story of denial.
Special Mention
This Man Is a Multi-layered Cake directed by Patricia Mortagne (France).
Award of the Polish Society of Cinematographers
Wojciech Staroń (Poland) for cinematography in Entangled - because it depicts of what it is like for the two protagonists to be stuck in their obsessions while wandering through the labyrinth of human passions.
FIPRESCI Award
The Flat directed by Arnon Goldfinger (Israel, Germany).
Student Jury Award
Motherland or Death directed by Vitaly Mansky (Russia) - for depicting the reality and temperament of Cuba and its residents in accordance with Russian spirit.
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION - Jury: Marcel Łoziński– chairman (Poland), Oxana Cherkasova (Russia), Alessandro Marcionni (Switzerland), Torene Svitil (USA), Kaveh Tehrani (Norway).
Golden Dragon Award for the Director of the Best Film
Alex Lora, the director of Odysseus' Gambit (USA/Spain) - for showing the problem of the Third World in all its complexity.
Silver Dragon Award for the Director of the Best Documentary Film
Marius Iacob, the director of 24 Buckets, 7 Mice, 18 Years (Romania) - for not agreeing with the violations of intimacy of the people living on the margins of ordinary life.
Silver Dragon Award for the Director of the Best Animated Film
Ülo Pikkov, the director of Body Memory (Estonia) - for exceptionally original and yet metaphorical portrayal of Holocaust.
Silver Dragon Award for the Director of the Best Short Fiction Film
Attila Till, the director of Beast (Hungary) - for the ability to portray a brutal situation with the courage that is rarely seen in cinema.
Special Mention
Freestyle Life, directed by Adam Palenta (Poland) - for his sensitivity and respect for the protagonists and in dealing with such a delicate subject.
Prix EFA for the Best European Film (European Film Award 2012 nominatio in the short film category)
Villa Antropoff, directed by Vladimir Leschiov and Kaspar Jancis (Latvia/Estonia)
Don Quijote Award by FICC Jury (International Federation of Film Societies)
Tuba Atlantic, directed by Hallvar Witzø (Norway), which is not a black comedy, but a magical surrealistic trip around what’s really essential for us: are we able to keep fighting, able to trust, to forgive, to listen to each other?
Student Jury Award
The Chronicle of Oldrich S., directed by Rudolf Šmid (Czech Republic) for his incredible view of history, filled with humour and irony, and for the vividness of the image that proves his limitless imagination.
It is our honor to mention that Rudolf Šmíd's documentary has been selected for the festival thanks to this year's East Silver Caravan festival service.
NATIONAL COMPETITION - Jury: Michał Kwieciński – chairman, Marcin Giżycki, Magnus von Horn, Tomek Sikora and Tomasz Wolskihas:
Golden Hobby Horse Award for the Director of the Best Film
Lidia Duda, the director of Entangled, for taking up a difficult subject and finding the appropriate form for it.
Silver Hobby Horse Award for the Director of the Best Documentary Film
Jacek Piotr Bławut, the director of Loneliness of Sound
For a complete list of all winners, please click here.