Co-financed by the Polish Film Institute (PISF), Jerzy Skolimowski’s film IO (English title ‘EO’) has been recognised by the New York Film Critics Club (Best International Film award) and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography by Michał Dymek).

It should be recalled that the Polish candidate for an Oscar was also among the five best international films by the American National Board of Review, and the French Cahiers du Cinema placed it fourth on a similar list. The New York Times journalist named the Polish-Italian ‘IO’ as the best film to be presented to a global audience in 2022.

The film ‘IO’ had its world premiere in Cannes, where it received the Jury Prize. It was later presented in the main competitions of the Toronto and Gdynia festivals and opened the New Horizons in Wrocław. More recently, it was awarded the Ribera del Duero Award for Best Director at the Valladolid Film Festival in Spain, and also won the Arab Critics’ Award for Best European Film.

The film’s director Jerzy Skolimowski was also awarded for his film by a group of students from 25 countries, who decided to grant him the European University Film Award (EUFA).

The justification for the verdict states that ‘through the eyes of a donkey, Jerzy Skolimowski depicts a post-human journey through the absurdity of human cruelty and its relationship with nature. The film demonstrates a mastery of cinematic language as a means of expression, depicts a tangle of euphoric and traumatic experiences, and is striking for its colour palette, daunting sound and almost brutalist approach to editing. Traversing Europe without borders, EO embarks on a fleeting journey that is filled with magical realism and allegories. Delighting the viewers, the film allows them to experience metamorphosis and transcendence.”

Adrian Andrzejewski