Neisse Film Festival: Best film comes from Poland

Görlitz (dpa/sn) At the 21st Neisse Film Festival, the Polish film "Tyle co nic" (As good as nothing) by director Grzegorz Debowski won the award for best feature film. "A highly political and unfortunately all too rare look at people in dire straits. Caught between the guidelines from Brussels, which are often unaware of the conditions on the ground, and life in the village, a small community threatens to tear itself apart," said the jury, explaining its decision at the award ceremony in Görlitz on Saturday, according to a statement from the film festival. The film follows the social division, but also shows hope and a better future.

Magdalena Cielecka and Marta Nieradkiewicz ("Lek" (Fear) by Slawomir Fabicki) were awarded for the best acting performance, Michal Losonsky ("Moc" (Power) by Matyas Prikler) for the best production design and Klaudiusz Chrostowski ("Ultima Thule") for the best screenplay. The jury selected "Skad dokad" (In the Rearview Mirror) by Maciek Hamela as the best documentary film and awarded it the special prize, while "The Silence of 600 Million results" by Sophie Lahusen was named best short film. The audience awards went to the feature film "Rohbau" by Tuna Kaptan and the documentary "Echoes from Borderland" by Lara Milena Brose. The most popular short film was "Na żywo" (Live Broadcast) by Mara Tamkovich.

From May 14 to 19, around 90 feature films, documentaries and short films will be shown at 19 venues at the Neisse Film Festival in the tri-border region of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. In addition to three competitions and various film series, the program includes concerts, exhibitions, readings and parties. This time, the focus is on female perspectives.