One of the most important elements of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema is the “Making Way” Main Competition. As one of the Festival’s two main competitions, it creates an extraordinary space for the world’s best independent filmmakers to present their highly intriguing ideas and juxtapose them with each other. Last year’s competition was won by the film “Power Alley,” directed by Lillah Halli, who is currently working on her next project, “Flehmen.” Every year, the participants of the “Making Way” Main Competition are included in the shortlists of the best independent cinema festivals in the world. For the filmmakers, the Krakow scene is an integral part of their festival itineraries. The grand prize winner will be awarded a $25,000 check.

During the upcoming Festival, we will take an in-depth look at the sometimes painful, sometimes joyful reality that surrounds us, together with the filmmakers of the films presented in Krakow. In line with the title of the cult Bollywood film from years ago – Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sorrow, we firmly believe that the world is never black or white. What is emphatically confirmed by the adventures of the past eighteen years, within the framework of which, truly cinematic, laughter alternated with tears and suffering with laughter. – Grzegorz Stępniak, Artistic Director Mastercard OFF CAMERA. – Grzegorz Stępniak, Artistic Director Mastercard OFF CAMERA.

Below is a list of all the candidates who will compete for the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award.

The Ugly Stepsister, dir. Emilie Blichfeldt

Who doesn’t know the tale of Cinderella? That person is certainly not Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt, who decided to make her feature-length debut out of a somewhat sinister version of the popular story. The protagonist of The Ugly Sister is Elvira (Lea Myren), dreaming that fate will finally smile on her. The biggest obstacle to winning the heart of a prince, and thus starting a new and better life, turns out to be her stepsister. Knowing that it will be difficult for her to compare with the charming Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), Elvira will stop at nothing to become queen of the ball. There are many local versions of the Cinderella tale, but Blichfeldt is closest to the darkness of the Brothers Grimm. Her film is a body horror that fits well with the poetics that have been popular lately, thanks to Titane or Substance, but also takes inspiration from the cinema of David Cronenberg. The Norwegian director, using the formula of costume cinema, talks about very topical issues – the dictates of beauty, unhealthy patterns or how the body is changing. The film, which turned out to be a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and Berlinale, was partly shot in Poland, and we can enjoy Katarzyna Herman and Agnieszka Żulewska in supporting roles.

My Fathers’ Daughter, dir. Egil Pedersen

Teenaged Elvira (youthfully twisted and contrary Sarah Olaussen Eira), raised by a single mother in the far off Northern Norway, feels more and more frustrated with her family situation. Since she was a child, she’s believed that she was conceived in Copenhagen and escapes into her fantasy world firmly convinced her father is a legendary Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (starring as himself here!). Problems with her fellow peers and her own identity, local influencer’s fascination with her story and her mom breaking the news about her girlfriend moving in with them, make Elvira want to leave the small town and Sami culture, that she comes from, behind and never look back. In his bitter-sweet and witty feature debut, the director – Egil Pedersen shows the ups and downs of growing up as the Other, skilfully using coming-of-age movie conventions. His rebellious and emotionally confused protagonist goes through the following adventures, that present the local culture and her origin in all its richness.

Pierce, dir. Nelicia Low

Han (ambiguous and electrifying Tsao You-Ning) gets out of juvenile detention centre after seven years where he was put in after killing his opponent in a fencing match. He finds his younger brother – Jie (youthfully naive Liu Hsiu-Fu) and convinces him that it was all just an accident as he quickly re-builds their bond with the boy who’s hungry for brotherly love and affection. The protagonist starts to train Jie so he would have a bigger chance at winning at the national championships, behind their mother’s back who is clearly terrified of her older son newly established freedom. The key question lingers over the following captivating and uncertain events: is Han innocent after all? The feature debut from Nelicia Low won Best Director Award at Karlovy Vary IFF. This skilfully constructed, multidimensional thriller, with atmospheric cinematography by the Polish DOP – Michał Dymek – makes us doubt the pureness of familiar feelings and intentions. At the same time presenting the great power of desires and needs projected onto the others.

Sister Midnight, dir. Karan Kandhari

Uma (a great role by Radhika Apte) and Gopal (Ashok Pathak) have just entered into an arranged marriage. However, it quickly becomes apparent that both were not ready for it. The man is visibly embarrassed when it comes to even the slightest attempt at physical contact, while the woman, on the other hand, completely fails to find herself in the role of a wife who cares for the household hearth. The heroine would prefer the world to adjust to her, not the other way around. Frustration grows, and the small apartment that the newlyweds occupy begins to be associated with a prison. Uma’s salvation seems to be solitary urban excursions, aimed not only at getting to know Mumbai better, where the film is set, but also herself. It is during these that a second, much darker face awakens in the troubled young woman. Karan Kandhari’s film adopts a genre formula to talk about social and gender roles in a patriarchal reality. Lined with a feminist tone, Sister Midnight evades easy categorization, having elements of both comedy and horror. The film, which premiered in the Director’s Fortnight section of the recent Cannes Film Festival, was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Debut by a British writer, director, or producer.

Gulizar, dir. Belkıs Bayrak

Twenty-something-year-old Gülizar (a superb performance from Ecem Uzun) grew up in a loving yet traditional Turkish family and dreams of living through something beyond a harsh set of patriarchal rules that she’s been familiar with since birth. She sees her upcoming marriage to a Kosovian man Emre (Bekir Behrem) as an opportunity for just that. During the bus trip to her fiancé’s home, Gülizar gets sexually assaulted, she doesn’t tell anyone about the incident, burying all the shame and trauma inside as those feelings start to overshadow the wedding preparations. The atmosphere around the bride-to be and her future husband becomes more and more tense as their relationship goes through a big crisis. In her feature debut which had its world premiere at San Sebastian IFF, Belkis Bayrak uses the narrative tools of a realistic psychological drama to tell a story of a young woman who decides to fight for herself. Her strong protagonist tries to take control over her life against all odds and the status quo very much hostile towards women.

Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump, dir. Emilios Avraam

Smaragda (wonderfully tragicomical Niovi Charlambous) – a mature woman and a former star and host of a TV programme for kids – moves to her late mother’s house to take care of her dog. She goes through the grief phase in the style characteristic of her optimistic and slightly childishly naive nature. As she does not plan on spending her days alone on the couch. Smaragda’s adventures and diverse social roles that she takes on – an animator at a holiday resort, an entertaining friend and a typical “single lady” and a daughter in mourning – mark out the rhythm and pace of the following plot lines taking place in the burning Cypriot heat. In addition, the protagonist dreams of going back to show business, against all odds and rules of the game, and makes various attempts to get hired as an actress. Emilios Avraam in his feature debut takes a close, empathetic, and tender look at the central character. Drawing the audience’s attention at several oppressive visibility norms around women of certain age.

It’s Not My Film, dir. Maria Zbąska

Wanda and Janek have been together “forever”. However, after ten years together, their relationship resembles a charger cable that has been bitten by a dog – seemingly still charging but feel that something is wrong. After another argument, it’s hard to even say what about, the protagonists make an important decision to go on a last-chance trip. They buy a sled, load only the necessary things on it and set off along the shores of the winter Baltic Sea. From Miedzyzdroje all the way to Piaski. If they do not leave the beach and do not break the rules of the trip – they will overcome the crisis and perhaps stay together forever. If they fail, they may never see each other again. In the opinion of many, Maria Zbąska’s feature debut, which is a charming combination of comedy of manners and road cinema, was the biggest positive surprise of the last Gdynia Film Festival. The intimate story about a couple going through a crisis captivates with sincerity and authenticity, so that we can all see ourselves in it as in a mirror. As a result, despite the title, we quickly learn that this is a film of very many of us.

Chlorophyll, dir. Ivana Gloria

Young, green-haired Maia (enigmatic and fascinating performance from Sarah Short) is fed up with the city life and decides to go to the countryside. She starts a job at an orange orchard and is being introduced into their world by the eccentric and lonesome owner – Two (Michele Ragno). Who sees immediately that the girl has some unique and special about her. He devotes nearly as much time to her as he does to his precious trees and the protagonist literally blossoms under his watchful eye. Their bucolic utopia, marked out by the laws and rules of botanics, is suddenly interrupted though by the arrival of the man’s father and brother who have their own plans around the estate.

The Good Sister , dir. Sarah Miro Fischer

After a stormy end to their relationship, Rose (Marie Bloching) moves in with her older brother Samuel (Anton Weil). Their relationship, based on closeness and mutual support, is quickly put to a serious test. The heroine is shocked when one day she receives a letter with a summons to testify in a completely unexpected case. The subject of the case is an accusation of rape that Samuel allegedly committed on another woman. Rose’s world turns upside down, because it is difficult for her to accept the thought that her beloved brother could commit such a thing. The clearly stunned heroine must confront this situation and the image of Samuel she has had all these years. Sarah Miro Fischer’s debut film focuses on the intimate relationship between siblings, but also on the idealized image we can create of loved ones. The German director puts her heroine before a serious dilemma – is female solidarity and being in accordance with one’s values ​​or family ties more important, no matter what. Fischer’s film is finally a story about how to talk about the trauma we experience from a completely unexpected angle.

Rabia, dir. Mareike Engelhardt

Jessica (Megan Northam’s moving performance) is a 19-year-old French girl who travels to Syria with her friend Laila (Natacha Krief), tempted by the prospect of a new life. Even on board the plane, the two cannot hide their excitement about what they believe will be a complete change from their grey everyday existence. The young women want to join the Islamic State and find themselves in a home for future wives of fighters. The place is run with an iron fist by a woman called Madame (Lubna Azabal). Jessica, renamed Rabia, quickly realises that absolute obedience is required of the women there, and the only way to cope is to renounce her own needs and submit completely. The protagonist becomes Madame’s assistant, only to realise how little separates the victim from the perpetrator in these circumstances. Mareike Engelhardt’s feature debut is based on actual events and is just one drop in the ocean of the problem. It is estimated that 42,000 people from 110 countries joined the Islamic State between 2013 and 2016. The German director looks at the issue from the inside, creating an intimate, shocking portrait of the mechanism of indoctrination and the associated illusion of a new, better life.

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