The Polish short film ‘Blue Hour’, directed by Stacey Rushchak from the Warsaw Film School, won first place in the category: Best Polish film at the Blaue Blume awards in Berlin. 

This year, Polish filmmakers had their first opportunity to compete for the Blaue Blume award, which has been granted to the most romantic short films for 13 years. There were 14 finalists in the final stage of the competition, and the winner in the Best Polish Film category was selected by a jury consisting of:  Radosław Piwowarski (director and screenwriter), Jerzy Szebesta (film producer), Oktawia Staciewińska (Communications Manager Apart), Katarzyna Drogowska (Player Editorial and Content Data Governor) and Agnieszka Mikulska (graduate of the directing faculty of the Łódź Film School). 

“Blue Hour” is a beautiful story about an enchantment that turns into unexpected love. The jury appreciated the film’s sophisticated form, excellent cinematography and phenomenal acting performances by Monika Szwajnos and Karolina Rzepa. “We unanimously considered this delicate love story to be the best film, deserving to be shown to a wide television audience”, said Radosław Piwowarski, director, and jury member of Blaue Blume Poland.

„Choosing just one film from the final fourteen was very difficult, as the level of the short stories submitted was extremely high. The ingenuity of our young Polish filmmakers and their skill makes us already look forward to the next festival. Viewers can still watch the films on Player and see how talented filmmakers perform in our country”, added Krzysztof Mikulski, CEO of Romance TV Poland.

The Blaue Blume is a prize for the most romantic short films, which has been awarded by the Romance TV station since 2011. It is awarded to German films in the categories: Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor and, as of this year, Best Polish Film.

Adrian Andrzejewski