2018-12-16 16:08 update: 2018-12-17, 20:17
Photo: PAP/EPA/CRISTINA QUICLER / POOL POOL
President Andrzej Duda has congratulated the creators of the film 'Cold War' after the movie scooped five statuettes at the 31st European Film Awards gala in Seville on Saturday.
'Cold War', directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, was awarded statuettes in the categories of best film, best screenwriters, director, best actress and editor of the year.
The film was seen as one of the favourites for awards at the gala and in total could have won six statuettes, together with the earlier awarded prize for Jarosław Kamiński as film editor of the year. Pawlikowski and his team, including the film’s producers Ewa Puszczyńska and Tanya Seghatchian, accepted the most prestigious statuette for best European film of the year.
Pawlikowski was also awarded statuettes for best director and best screenwriter. He also accepted Joanna Kulig's statuette for best European actress of the year as she was unable to attend the gala.
President Andrzej Duda congratulated the Polish filmmakers via Twitter, "Big CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. Paweł Pawlikowski and the team, and in particular to Ms. Joanna Kulig, for their fantastic success in Seville! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the Oscars and for Ms. Joanna! BRAVO!" wrote the president.
'Cold War' revolves around a love story between two people who cannot live without each other, yet cannot be together. Regarded as a masterpiece, the film is the Polish candidate for the 2019 Oscars. Earlier in the year Pawlikowski was awarded with the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the film also won Golden Lions at the 43rd Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia. Pawlikowski's previous film 'Ida' won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of 2014.
Polish director Damian Nenow and Spanish director Raul de la Fuente also won a statuette at the European Film Awards for their animated feature film 'Another Day of Life'. The film is based on veteran Polish Press Agency (PAP) journalist Ryszard Kapuściński's book about the Angolan Civil War first published in 1976.
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