“BLOSSOMING” BY KAMILA SERWICKA WINS THE GRAND PRIX OF SEMAINE DE LA CRITIQUE IN LOCARNO
“Blossoming” by Kamila Serwicka has won the Grand Prix of Semaine de la Critique at the Locarno Film Festival. The jury praised the courage and uncompromising honesty of this intimate documentary, in which the director observes her own family over the course of more than five years, exploring the far-reaching effects of domestic violence across generations. Produced by Adriana Rędzia of Lumisenta, the film was also recognised for its precise visual language and sound work, which forms one of the foundations of its emotional power.
Semaine de la Critique was established in 1990 by the Swiss Association of Film Journalists in collaboration with the Locarno Film Festival. Each year, only seven feature-length documentaries are selected for the programme and presented as world or international premieres. The section focuses on innovative, auteur-driven cinema that defies conventional trends, seeks new ways of portraying reality and pushes the boundaries of its audiovisual representation.
It was precisely Serwicka’s formal courage and the deeply personal nature of her film that the jury particularly emphasised. In their statement, the jurors described “Blossoming” as a courageous, moving and deeply personal film about domestic violence and its far-reaching effects on the entire family. They also highlighted the director’s distinctive cinematic approach, which allows her to address an exceptionally sensitive subject with remarkable honesty and consistency.
“Blossoming” is an intimate story of growing up in the shadow of family tensions and experiences passed down from one generation to the next. Serwicka is not only the film’s director but also one of its protagonists. For more than five years, she observed the everyday lives of those closest to her: her sisters, parents and grandmother. From this material, she has created an emotional portrait of a home that serves both as a place of refuge and a space for painful confrontations.
At the heart of the film is the relationship between the three sisters, their mother and grandmother, as well as the family’s complex bond with their father. Serwicka’s personal voice-over guides the audience through a story about the desire for closeness, the process of becoming independent and the gradual reclaiming of one’s own voice. At the same time, the director refrains from explaining the family relationships explicitly. Instead, she allows the dynamics between the protagonists, experiences accumulated over the years and unspoken wounds to reveal themselves gradually before the camera.
This approach to storytelling was particularly appreciated by the jury. The jurors stressed Serwicka’s ability to make family dynamics and wounds palpable without the need to explain them directly. They also praised the film’s precise and atmospheric visual approach, as well as its sound work, which contributes significantly to the documentary’s emotional power. In their view, the filmmaker draws impressively on both her personal experience and her filmmaking talent, creating a work that reaches its audience directly and stays with them long after the screening. The jury described “Blossoming” as an important film.
The award in Locarno marks a success at one of the world’s longest-established film festivals. Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, the Locarno Film Festival emerged as a space for cultural renewal, artistic freedom and freedom of expression, giving a platform to filmmakers seeking new ways of telling stories. Throughout its history, the festival has remained committed to daring, avant-garde, uncompromising and innovative cinema. Kamila Serwicka’s deeply personal documentary has now found its place within this tradition.
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