27/03/2018 - Piotr Domalewski’s debut feature has scooped the Eagle for Best Film, while Ruben Östlund’s The Square was named Best European Film

The winners of the 2018 Polish Film Awards (© PwC/Przemyslaw Blechman)

The Polish Film Awards (the so-called “Eagles”) have been presented for the 20^th time. Dariusz Jabłoński, the president of the Polish Film Academy (PFA), which chooses the winners, said in his opening statement: “Polish filmmakers need an award that is granted democratically by filmmakers.” Actor Maciej Stuhr, who hosted the ceremony, made a number of references to the Eagles’ history, as well as Polish politics. For the third year in a row, the PFA called for the release of Ukrainian director Oleh Sentsov, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on terrorism charges in 2015.

The special 20^th Anniversary Eagle was given to Roman Polański’s The Pianist [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which won eight Eagles back in 2002. “Years ago, The Pianist won many awards – the Palme d’Or, the Oscars – but they were given to me by my colleagues. This award is especially important for me because it was handed out by the audience,” said Polański, who picked up his Eagle personally. Another special accolade, a Lifetime Achievement Award, was presented to veteran Polish actor-director Jerzy Stuhr, who has worked with Krzysztof Kieślowski, Feliks Falk and Nanni Moretti, among countless others.

Piotr Domalewski’s Silent Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
interview: Piotr Domalewski
film profile] picked up ten awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Domalewski), Best Actor (Dawid Ogrodnik), Best Supporting Actor (Arkadiusz Jakubik), Best Supporting Actress (Agnieszka Suchora), Best Cinematography (Piotr Sobocińsk Jr), Best Sound (Jerzy Murawski, Kacper Habisiak and Marcin Kasiński), Discovery of the Year (presented to Domalewski) and the Audience Award. Two Eagles were bestowed upon The Art of Loving [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Magdalena Boczarska was named Best Actress and Radzimir Dębski snagged Best Music) and upon Loving Vincent [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dorota Kobiela
film profile] (Justyna Wierszyńska and Dorota Kobiela took home the Best Editing Award, while Matthew Button, Andrzej Rafał Waltenberger and Maria Duffek were awarded for Best Production Design). Cristobal Pidre, Florence Scholtes and Małgorzata Zacharska, who worked on Marie Curie, The Courage of Knowledge [+see also:
trailer
interview: Marie Noëlle
film profile], won Best Costumes. 21 x New York [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Piotr Stasik won Best Feature Documentary and Pack 2 Best TV Show. Finally, Best European Film went to the Palme d’Or-winning The Square [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile] by Ruben Östlund. 

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film
Silent Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dawid Ogrodnik
interview: Piotr Domalewski
film profile] - Piotr Domalewski

Best Director
Piotr Domalewski – Silent Night  

Best Screenplay 
Piotr Domalewski – Silent Night  

Best Actress 
Magdalena Boczarska – The Art of Loving [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Actor
Dawid Ogrodnik – Silent Night

Best Supporting Actress 
Agnieszka Suchora – Silent Night

Best Supporting Actor 
Arkadiusz Jakubik – Silent Night

Best Editing 
Justyna Wierszyńska, Dorota Kobiela – Loving Vincent [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dorota Kobiela
film profile] (UK/Poland)

Best Sound
Jerzy Murawski, Kacper Habisiak, Marcin Kasiński - Silent Night

Best Cinematography 
Piotr Sobociński Jr – Silent Night

Best Music 
Radzimir Dębski – The Art of Loving          

Best Costumes
Cristobal Pidre, Florence Scholtes, Małgorzata Zacharska – Marie Curie, The Courage of Knowledge [+see also:
trailer
interview: Marie Noëlle
film profile] (Germany/France/Poland)

Best Production Design 
Matthew Button, Andrzej Rafał Waltenberger, Maria Duffek – Loving Vincent

Audience Award 
Silent Night - Piotr Domalewski

Best Documentary 
21 x New York [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Piotr Stasik

Best European Film
The Square [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile] – Ruben Östlund (Sweden/Germany/France/Denmark/USA)

Discovery of the Year
Piotr Domalewski

Lifetime Achievement Award
Jerzy Stuhr

20^th Anniversary Eagle
The Pianist [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Roman Polański (France/Germany/Poland/UK)