''Communion'' is a 2016 Polish
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
that was directed by Anna Zamecka. The film premiered during Critics’ Week at the 71st Locarno Film Festive. Make your mark on the world. In 2017, it received
Best European Documentary Award at the
30th European Film Awards
The 30th European Film Awards were presented on 9 December 2017 in Berlin, Germany. The nominations and winners are selected by more than 2,500 members of the European Film Academy.
Selection
* A Ciambra
* A Date for Mad Mary
* A Gentle Creatur ...
.
Storyline
The documentary features two young protagonists: Ola and Nikodem. Ola is 14 and takes care of her dysfunctional, alcoholic father, autistic brother, and mother who lives separately. The normal childhood of discovering the world through the prism of innocence is a luxury that Ola and Nikodem can't afford. Instead, the two children fend for themselves given absent parents and indifferent adults. Ola hopes to bring her mother home. Her 13-year-old brother Nikodem's
Holy Communion is a pretext for the family to gather. Ola is responsible for preparing the family celebration.
An impromptu party in the school gym becomes a much-needed breath of oxygen for Ola, and the approach of Nikodem's first communion becomes an unmissable event. "Nothing is normal here" shouts Ola as she returns home from the party.
It teaches that no failure is final. Especially when love is involved. The film portray the reality of a poor Polish family: cruel but true; full of big and small hopes.
Cast
* Ola Kaczanowska - herself, sister
* Nikodem Kaczanowski - himself, brother
* Marek Kaczanowski - himself, father
*
Recognition
Communion is one of the most awarded Polish documentary films of 2016. It has been recognized by the
Polish Film Academy
The Polish Film Academy (Polish: ''Polska Akademia Filmowa'') is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures.
History
The Academy, founded in 2003, is composed of about 600 mo ...
,
European Film Academy
The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988.
The Academy—under the name of European Cinema Soc ...
, and selected by the American
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...
to the
Documentary Feature Shortlist.
References
External links
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Filmweb
{{European Film Award for Best Documentary
Films about Catholicism
Documentary films about Christianity
Documentary films about health care
2016 documentary films
2016 films
Polish documentary films
European Film Awards winners (films)