MATKA / POLKA [MOTHER / POLE] is a meditation on what it means to be a woman in today’s Polish society. As a collection of stories – all verbatim – from waiting rooms, gynaecology chairs, abortion clinics, and bedrooms, the documentary bears witness to everyday acts of patriarchy and systemic violence. Adopting a poetic visual language, MATKA / POLKA breaks the taboo around the experiences, emotions and identity of Polish women who have faced the country's strict reproductive policy and social prejudices to make decisions about their own life and body.
AWARDS
Best Documentary - Women X Film Festival 2022 (UK)
Best Experimental Film - KADIN International Women Filmmakers Festival 2023 (Turkey)
Kinematografek Jury Award - SPEKTRUM Film Festival 2023 (Poland)
Honourable Mention: Short Documentary - Kosice International Film Festival 2022 (Slovakia)
Honourable Mention - Imagine This Women's Film Festival 2022 (USA)
OFFICIAL SELECTION
La Guarimba Film Festival 2022 (Italy)
TIFF Toronto International Women Film Festival (Canada)
Cinema No Estendal 2022 (Portugal)
Doc. Berlin 2022 (Germany)
KIN International Women's Film Festival 2022 (Armenia)
Tallgrass Film Festival 2022 (USA)
CINECITY Brighton Film Festival 2022 (UK)
Imagine This Women's Film Festival 2022 (USA)
Social Justice Film Festival 2022 (USA)
Montreal Feminist Film Festival 2022 (Canada)
Hastings Women's Film Festival 2022 (UK)
Small Axe - Radical Short Film Awards 2022 (UK)
International Social Change Film Festival 2022 (USA)
Nefiltravanae Kino 2023 (Belarus)
Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival 2023 (Germany)
The Midnight Film Festival 2023 (USA)
Female Voices Rock 2023 (USA)
Venice Film Week 2023 (Italy)
Amsterdam Independent Film Festival 2023 (The Netherlands)
SPEKTRUM Film Festival 2023 (Poland)
Written and directed by Joanna Suchomska, edited by me.