POLISH CO-PRODUCTION WINS AT IDFA!
Directed by Lea Golb, “Apolonia, Apolonia” was named the best film of this year's IDFA. The documentary is a Polish-Danish-French production.
The International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam is the largest and one of the most important documentary festivals in the world. Every year it brings together upwards of 280,000 viewers, including more than 3000 guests from the documentary industry, and the films shown at IDFA often later become festival favourites. This year, IDFA has started on 9 November and will continue until 20 November.
When Danish director Lea Glob met Apolonia Sokol in 2009, she seemed to be leading a wonderful, almost fairy-tale life. The talented Apolonia was born in an underground theatre in Paris and grew up among artists. At the age of 20, she was studying at Beaux-Arts de Paris – one of the most prestigious art academies in Europe. Over the years, Lea Glob has been returning to film the charismatic Apolonia, and a special bond has formed between the two young women.
The result is a fascinating portrait that covers 13 years from the life of a young woman trying to find her place in the art world. Apolonia is confident in her talent, but her path is not always easy. Life is not a fairy tale; one of the lessons Apolonia learns is that women painters have to make sacrifices and overcome more obstacles than their male colleagues. This also applies to her friend and long-time roommate, Oksana Shachko, one of the founders of the feminist action group Femen. Apolonia's resilience is put to the test.
The film is produced by Sidsel Siersted for Danish Documentary Production and co-produced by Malgorzata Staroń of Staroń Film.
A list of all winners can be found here.