Still: Crossing - Jacqueline van Vugt

First in line is Jacqueline van Vugt's first feature film Crossing**, taking part in the International Competition where it will celebrate it's international premiere. Van Vugt has previously made several documentaries. Her subjects have varied from Dutch soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina in KPL 70.11.12.078 (1995) to Bosier, the poet and boyfriend of Oscar Wilde, in Two Loves (2000), for which she received a Dutch Academy Award. Her documentary Borders received a FIPRESCI Prize at the 2014 film festival in Kraków. Her new film intertwines three storylines during the two-hour ferry crossing from Morocco to Spain and is produced by Revolver Amsterdam (sales handled by Fortissimo Films).

Selected for Competition 1-2 is Stefanie Kolk's first feature MELK** (Lemming Film, sales: Bendita Film Sales). Last month the film world premiered at the Venice festival in the Giornate degli Autori section. Stefanie’s shorts Clan (2016), Harbour (2017) and Eyes on the Road (2019) all premiered at Locarno. Her films have been shown at festivals around the world, in Dutch cinemas and on Dutch national television. She was a participant in the Berlinale Talents 2019 and Talent en Route at the Netherlands Film Festival 2019.

Israeli-Dutch co-production Swimming With Wings* (Valk Productions) got selected for the festival's Short Film Competition. The film by Daphna Awadish world premiered at Ottawa International Animation Festival where it received an honorable mention. Further festival selections include DOKLeipzig and Anim'est International Animation FF Bucharest. It is a short animated documentary exploring the immigration experience through the eyes of a little Israeli girl learning how to swim with clothes on in the Netherlands. Festival distribution done by Studio Wasa, sales handled by SND Films.

For more information on Warsaw International Film Festival 2023, click here. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund
**Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund and Production Incentive