
Meet The Jury

Main Jury
Bogna Kowalczyk
Director, animator, alum of the world-famous Lodz Film School (Direction of Animation) and The Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology (New Media Arts). Bogna currently works as creative art director, animator and director at Warsaw Production. Her work often combines traditional techniques with a modern approach. Since 2009, she has supported dozens of short films and music videos as animator, CGI expert, script doctor and assistant director. She has made projects for Universal, Sony, Netflix and other brands.
One of her most complex projects is the short animation VANILLA WHIP, which presents the BDSM culture in Warsaw, Poland. Her most experimental work is FIFTH ELEMENT, which was entirely animated in dyed ice. She has also made videos for a contemporary staging of #Hansel#and#Gretel, as well as conceptual concert visuals for the popular jazz band Wojciech Mazolewski Quintet. BOYLESQUE is her full-length feature directorial debut.

Main Jury
Oliwia Nadarzycka
Researcher of film culture, a Ph.D. student at Doctoral School of Humanities (University of Łódź). Organizer of „ANIMOWANE, nieANONIMOWE. Konferencja O! Polskiej Animacji” (2021) and cultural events associated with animation. Member of Polish Animation Research Group and Academic Club of Film Studies. Jury member of festivals. Enthusiast of short cinema: animated and live-action. Main fields of interest: film production and distribution. In free time enjoys working in film production and promotion. More about activities: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/pracownicy/oliwia-nadarzycka.

Main Jury
Karol Starnawski
Film director and script-writer. Graduate of directing department in Polish National Film School in Lodz.
His full-lenght documentary debut „Shadows of empire“ was presented at 59. Krakow Film Festival. Also film won audience prize in Human in Dangeros Film Festival in Lodz. Although Karol Starnawski realised several short fiction and documentaries short movies. Today, he’s wroking on his new documentary picture „Grandpas orchard“. More about: https://kstarnawskidir.wixsite.com/movie

Student Jury
Martyna Gonciarz
Martyna Gonciarz is a student of Film Studies at the University of Lodz and a member of the Film Studies Student Research Group of the University. Member of Polish Animation Research Group, currently working in the project "Animation studios in Gottwaldov and Lodz (1945/47-1990) – Comparative Collective Biography". She is an enthusiast of the Czechoslovak New Wave and the history of animation. In the presented films, she will pay attention to innovative experiments with animation techniques and look for topics of social importance.

Student Jury
Szymon Szul
A second degree student of cultural studies with a specialization in film studies at the University of Łódź. Co-author of the art project "Dzieje jednego pocisku". Winner of two editions of Student Research Grants at the University of Łódź, during which he carried out projects: "The artistic career of Stanisław Lenartowicz in the context of the conditions of functioning of the Studio of Small Film Forms Se-Ma-For in Łódź" and "Between Bednarska and Sezamkowa Streets. Co-productions of the Semafor Film Studio in the 90s". Academic chairman of the Koło Naukowe Filmoznawców at the University of Łódź in the academic year 2021/2022 and member of the Polish Animation Research Group. Scholarship holder of the scientific project "Animation studios in Gottwaldov and Lodz (1945/47-1990) – Comparative Collective Biography", carried out under the CEUS-UNISONO programme (2021-2023), in which he conducts in-depth interviews with the creators of Polish animation.

Student Jury
Weronika Szyma
Animation director. Born in 1996 in Warsaw, Poland. A student of Masters degree in Animation at The Polish National Film School in Łódź. Author of short films, including “Once upon a time in Israel'' (2021), “Lushfulness” (2020) and “A degvil and a rascat” (2018). Working mostly in analog media. Her works concentrate on feminism, body, lingustics, cultures and world conflicts.