Once My Mother has been awarded first prize for documentary at the Ann Arbor Polish Film Festival in Michigan.
AAPFF President Danuta Podgorska' citation says: “As President of the Polish Film Festival , it is my great honour to announce the recipient of the Ewa Pieta Award for the Best Non-Feature Film of the festival. Ewa Pieta was a talented documentarian who was taken from us and from the industry when she died unexpectedly at only 38 years of age.
"The award this year goes to a film that was, itself, all things that make up a family – brutal in its honesty, candid in its portrayals, and a constant exploration of what it means to love unconditionally and to forgive. A stunningly poetic, informative and challenging piece, Once My Mother brought our audience to tears and laughter yesterday as we saw ourselves in Sophia Turkiewicz’s attempt to learn, understand and simply accept her mother, her history and her love for her daughter. "
This is the fourth international prize for the film following two in Poland and one in Spain.
Director Sophia Turkiewicz and producer Rod Freedman are at the Sao Paulo International Television Festival, followed by screenings in Chicago and New York.