Russian director Sergei Loznitsa picked up a surprise win in this year's Cracow Film Festival. His work was unusual in that all the footage used was shot over 55 years ago, many moons before the director himself was born.
'Blockade' provides a remarkable insight into the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. Loznitsa managed to track down reels of unused footage that had been sitting in the archives for over half a century. The material offered snapshots of everyday life amongst Russian civilians during the siege. The reels had not initially been used by the state as they were deemed inappropriate for propaganda purposes.
Loznitsa's haunting film presents many stark images of the conflict. The sight of historic St.Petersburg, already impoverished before the war began, and now on the brink of utter desolation, is a disturbing one, as inhabitants struggle with the double-pronged menace of the bitter winter and warfare itself. There is little sight of armed combat itself, but buildings burn and bodies litter the streets.
Other winners this year included the UK's Joseph Feltus for 'Solo Duets' which won Silver Dragon for Best Animated Film, France's Katell Quillevere, who snapped up the prize for Best Short Live Action Feature with ' With All My Might', and Poland's Maciej Drygas, who won Best Documentary Film for his humourous 'One Day in the People's Republic of Poland.'
Over 1315 films were submitted this year from all around the world, reflecting the growing interest in Poland's oldest film festival, which is now in its 46th year.
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