IGA LIS’S “THE QUEEN AND THE SMOKEHOUSE” WINS TWO AWARDS AT GOEAST

Iga Lis’s “The Queen and the Smokehouse” has received two distinctions at the 26th edition of goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film in Wiesbaden. The film won the Audience Award, presented this year with the support of the DFF Patrons’ Circle, as well as a Special Mention from the jury.

For The Queen and the Smokehouse and its director, this marks another important recognition on the film’s international journey. We recently reported that the documentary had been selected for the True/False Film Fest in the United States and the Thessaloniki festival, and that it had also won Best Film at a festival in Brittany. The awards at goEast therefore confirm the growing international interest in the film.

In its statement, the jury highlighted the film’s exceptional sensitivity and maturity:

“For its fresh, intimate and empathetic portrayal of a generation drifting away, with careful attention to both place and character, we decided to award a Special Mention to a promising young voice of Polish cinema”.

The protagonist of The Queen and the Smokehouse is Miecia, known as the “Queen of Łeba”, who has been running a local smokehouse for 40 years – a place of great importance to the local community. Amid the bustle of tourists in the seaside town, she has built not only her own business, but also a space with which many people have bound their lives, doing so with humour, discipline and unwavering standards. When health problems force her to slow down, however, the future of the smokehouse is called into question. Set in Łeba, a town marked by its post-communist legacy, the film tells a story of ambition, identity, work culture and the sacrifices made in the name of securing loved ones’ safety.

The Queen and the Smokehouse was produced by Munk Studio, operating under the Polish Filmmakers Association, and Silver Frame. The film’s international festival distribution and sales are handled by KFF Sales.

More information about the festival and the other films can be found here.