We know the winners of the 16th TAURON American Film Festival in Wrocław
American suburbia — and with it, the spirit of good neighborliness — was the guiding theme of this year’s visual identity and the story we wanted to tell through the 16th TAURON American Film Festival. It also perfectly reflects the essence of the event itself: for years, we’ve been showcasing the finest independent and original cinema from the United States, while you, our audience, have built an engaged, passionate, film-loving community — a true neighborhood, where you choose your favorites. During tonight’s AFF closing gala, we announced the winners of the TAURON Breakthrough and American Docs competitions.
TAURON Breakthrough Competition
In this section, we have gathered creators who are at the beginning of their artistic careers, but who have already caught the attention of international festivals and begun to establish their own style. The Audience Award and a $10,000 prize, funded by the TAURON Group, went to Kate Beecroft, director of East of Wall, the most popular of the 15 titles competing this year.
Set against the stark landscape of South Dakota, East of Wall follows Tabatha and her daughter Porshia as they navigate grief and daily life after loss. This hybrid of documentary and fiction is a subtle story about female strength, loneliness, and the need to survive on one’s own terms.
You can see the winner of the TAURON Breakthrough competition today at 7:15 p.m. at the New Horizons Cinema.
American Docs Competition
Bold, uncompromising voices tackling compelling, often overlooked subjects — that’s what defines the films in the American Docs section. Through them, we discovered stories rooted in U.S. culture, society, and politics that rarely reach the mainstream. Out of the six competing documentaries, the audience chose Natchez, directed by Suzannah Herbert, and we supplemented this award with $5,000.
The residents of Natchez, Mississippi, love to tell stories about their elegant homes. But as Herbert’s camera lingers, the idyllic façades begin to crack, revealing layers of the past that are far less picturesque. Natchez allows us to see the eponymous city as both a fairy-tale land and a haunting record of some of the most shameful chapters of American history.
You can see the winner of the American Docs competition today at 7:00 p.m. at the New Horizons Cinema.
Over 200 screenings at KNH, dozens of meetings, discussions, AFF-ter parties: that's behind us, but we still have nearly two weeks of online screenings ahead of us. Until November 23, you can still invite the 16th TAURON American Film Festival into your homes.
