Travel Essentials, the feature debut of Kamila Tarabura, produced by us, has won the Perspectives Competition at the 49th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia! Kamila also received an honorable mention in the Directorial Debut or Second Film category. Congratulations!
On Saturday, September 28, the 49th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia concluded with a grand gala. The Golden Lions were awarded to Green Border by Agnieszka Holland. The film also won the Audience Award. The Silver Lions went to Dziewczyna z igłą by Magnus von Horn, which was also honored for cinematography, music, set design, and costumes. The Platinum Lions for lifetime achievement were presented to director Wojciech Marczewski.
It is worth noting that Kamila Tarabura, along with Katarzyna Warzecha, co-directed the awarded Green Border , while Agnieszka Holland provided artistic supervision for Travel Essentials. The cinematographer for both films was Tomasz Naumiuk, Kamila’s husband.
Sapphire Lions for ”Travel Essentials”
A new feature of this year’s festival was the Perspectives Competition, showcasing feature films. The main award, the Sapphire Lions, went to Travel Essentials by Kamila Tarabura, and the statuette was presented by Marta Cienkowska, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. This award also goes to the producers: Andrzej Muszyński (ATM Grupa), Michael Eckelt, and Lennart Lenzing (RIVA Filmproduktion).
In their statement for awarding the Sapphire Lions, the jury said: “For the skillful integration of screenplay, direction, cinematography, and acting, the award goes to a film that addresses the theme of self-destruction and its causes, presented in a universal way through consistent cinematic form.”
“I would like to thank Katarzyna Surmiak-Domańska for her report Mokradełko – everything started from her journey with Halszka… Thanks to her journey, Kasia and I could embark on our own,” said Kamila Tarabura, who also received an honorable mention for Directorial Debut or Second Film and the Dr. Irena Eris Cosmetics Award for “The Boldest Vision.”
Katarzyna Warnke, who not only starred in Travel Essentials but also co-wrote the screenplay, said on stage that the film would not have been possible “without human and artistic sensitivity.” “We would like to dedicate this film to all survivors who bravely fight for truth and to the #metoo movement, through which we are changing the narrative for the better,” she added while receiving the award.
About the Film
How do childhood events shape our adult lives? How do we uncover the most closely guarded family secrets? These are the questions Kamila Tarabura explores in her feature debut, Travel Essentials. It is a story about the search for identity, inspired by Katarzyna Surmiak-Domańska’s powerful report Mokradełko, featuring the characters Ada and Roksana, played by Dagmara Domińczyk, the Polish star of the global hit Succession, and Katarzyna Warnke, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The film’s artistic direction was supervised by Agnieszka Holland.
In the hands of Ada, a renowned journalist living in Hamburg, a mysterious package arrives – a book containing memoirs of a woman who was abused by her father as a child, signed with a personal dedication to Ada. The journalist decides to meet the author, who turns out to be her former school friend, Roksana. Together, they set off on a journey to the town where they grew up to confront Roksana’s mother, a silent witness to her childhood hell. However, upon arrival, they find that Roksana’s mother is fiercely guarding family secrets, maintaining the image of an ideal husband and family. Ada decides to document this complex and intriguing story in a report, though, for her, Roksana’s case isn’t the only unresolved matter. Ada must also confront her own demons from the past, which have been hindering her relationship with her partner, with whom she is now in an advanced stage of pregnancy. Tensions between the two women intensify, and Ada finds it increasingly challenging to keep a professional distance, struggling to discern truth from lies.
Travel Essentials has been in theaters since September 27!
Travel Essentials
Genre: Drama
Production: Poland, 2024
Director: Kamila Tarabura (Absolutni debiutanci)
Screenplay: Kamila Tarabura, Katarzyna Warnke
Cast: Dagmara Domińczyk (Succession, Priscilla), Katarzyna Warnke (Cały ten seks, Kobiety mafii), Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik (Forst, Informacja zwrotna), Piotr Żurawski (Wataha, Król), Andrzej Konopka (Chłopi, Biała odwaga)
The film’s distributor is Kino Świat.
The film was produced by ATM Grupa S.A. and RIVA FILMPRODUKTION GMBH in co-production with CANAL+ Polska S.A., ATM System Sp. z o.o., and Wajda Studio Sp. z o.o.
The film was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein GmbH.
The film was made in Poland with financial support based on the Act on Financial Support for Audiovisual Production, provided by the Polish Film Institute from funds of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
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