Here are three films of the Cinematographers' Debuts Competition under patronage of Polish Filmmakers Association! The rest of the competition's line-up will be announced shortly.



Way Home

Andreas Kannengießer's feature debut is a film of great maturity, both in terms of narrative and production values. This is a story of a few people trying to cope with death or decrepitude of those dearest to them, searching for sparse moments of real happiness in their lives full of mundane chores. “Way Home" makes one reflect on the shortness of life, but also stimulates to use the earthly time more consciously. German filmmaker is very self-assured in directing the film, to the point that he simultaneously develops several plots, each emphasizing the characters' mental state, and shifting between the present and the past. “Way Home" is, above all, a tale of human joys and sorrows.

"Way Home"
Stephan Fallucchi's work is also very mature, although he is only at the beginning of his career. Fallucchi's cinematography is very close to the protagonists, accentuating all their dilemmas and emotions; barely visible hesitations, sighs of sorrow, tired looks. Once in a while the cinematographer composes the shot in a more eye-catching manner, i.e. by framing the scene through the use of mirrors, but this never interferes with the narrative structure of the film. For throughout the whole movie Fallucchi tries to be as close to reality as possible, thus enhancing physical and spiritual fallacies of given characters.

Original title: Vergiss dein Ende
Directed by: Andreas Kannengießer
Cinematography: Stephan Fallucchi


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North Sea Texas

Bavo Defurne, the director of “North Sea Texas", has found the protagonists of his story in the far suburbs, full of broken families and the type of imagination that makes riding a motorbike a true experience helpful in coping with the sad reality. For the role of the main hero Defurne has chosen a teenager Pim, a boy starting to explore his identity and sexuality. Through his adventures and weird experiences the director has told a charming story concerning the teenagers' rites-of-passage, a story that will make everyone reminisce their early years' memories; joy of falling in love, bitterness of first rejection, fascination with discovering subsequent rules governing the world outside the window.

"North Sea Texas"
The rhythm of Pim's journey is being beaten by Anton Mertens's cinematography. Due to this the film adopts a first person perspective, and that gives “North Sea Texas" a charming feeling of sweet naivety. Mertens accentuates Pim's dramatic experiences both through pictorial shots capturing the overwhelming beauty and ruggedness of nature, and contrasting the boy's vulnerability transforming into a manhood against human-made creations and all the characters that mean something to him. The cinematographer also puts the emphasis on the interior scenes, delivering the impression of the boy's inner world through eye-catching, colorful wallpapers and quite ornately designed walls.

Original title: Noordzee, Texas
Directed by: Bavo Defurne
Cinematography: Anton Mertens


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With Every Heartbeat

In her film Alexandra-Therese Keining tries to answer a very important question: is love, which throughout the years has became only a safe habit, a sufficient reason to turn down a potential true affection? Or the other way around, the director asks if the newfound strong feeling towards another person justifies destroying the world that was built with somebody else, though at present it became more of a prison. Throwing two young and vulnerable women into a commotion of the heart, the Swedish filmmaker is able to play against the viewers' expectations, though she does not ridicule her characters, nor ironically judge them.

"With Every Heartbeat"
Who else would be better to tell a story of a women's forbidden women love affair than the women filmmakers? Ragna Jorming, “With Every Heartbeat's" cinematographer, completes the director's vision with her wonderful ideas. The film's frames are filled with vivid sensuality that is accomplished via the use of seductive lighting of two lovers' bodies and - through the use of production design and thoughtful lensing - creating slightly unreal scenery for their romance. At the same time there is something disquieting in Jorming's images (sterile scenes symbolizing the disappearance of a feeling contrast with rainbow-like moments of newfound passion), and that does not allow judging any of the film's characters.

Original title: Kyss Mig
Directed by: Alexandra-Therese Keining
Cinematography: Ragna Jorming




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Cinematographers' Debuts Competition (together with Directors' Debuts Competition) was initiated in 2010 due to the Festival's increasing openness to the noteworthy artists and the new film phenomena they create. The idea of creating additional competition section was a natural consequence of our previous activities. For years we have been promoting innovative projects that combine intellectual freedom, remarkable insight into world affairs and a desire to inspire other artists of the screen.

Cinematographers' Debuts Competition brings new discoveries: great movies of high artistic value and great filmmakers whose new ventures surprise not only the Jury members but all audiences around the world as well.


Competition organized under the patronage of Polish Filmmakers Association