Rubbish dump doc wins Special Jury Prize in Amsterdam

Image: Next Film

The Polish-Danish co-production introduces viewers to Yula, a girl living near Moscow on Europe's largest rubbish dump.

“This is a highly unusual project, especially because the shooting conditions were extremely difficult,'' Polak said in an interview with the Danish Film Institute.

''It’s illegal to be in the landfill and filming is absolutely prohibited,'' she noted.

''No one wants the conditions at the dump to be made public. Everything is illegal. And it’s a dangerous place. You could get killed by wild dogs or run over by heavy machinery.''

However, Polak said she was deeply impressed by the children.

"What's a successful life?

''These people were not successful materially, but for me they were very successful as human beings.

They can feel, they can love, they can share. That doesn’t mean they weren’t flawed, but it’s incredible to come to such a place and be made to feel welcome.”

Hanna Polak was born in Katowice and she studied at cinematography in Moscow. Her 2004 documentary, The Children of Leningradsky, was nominated for an Oscar.

The IDFA is the world's largest festival of documentary films. (nh)

Source: dfi.dk, culture.pl