Short Film – 15 m‘ – German
Three generations of a family won’t stop fighting an incurable disease.
Patrycia is confronted with her mother’s dementia diagnosis. Her teenage daughter Lena doesn’t accept that „there’s nothing you can do“. Together, Patrycia and her daughter explore ways to help their grandmother access her memories. But, unaware of their many attempts, grandmother Magdalena stays graciously unpredictable.
Patrycia premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Bengaluru International Short Film Festival in the festival’s inclusive category, featuring short films focusing on fighting societal stigmas.
The film had its German festival premiere at the 20th FILMZ – Festival of German Cinema at the historical arthouse cinema Capitol in Mainz. Further cinema screenings took place in Frankfurt, Germany (visionale) and Kemerovo, Russia (VISION International Short Film Festival).
Patrycia premiered in the United Kingdom at the Tonnau Short Film Fest in Aberystwyth, Wales, and won the award „Best Documentary“, regarding the hybrid, observing nature of the film.
Director’s Statement
„Due to the autobiographical nature of this film, I decided to work with family members as actors, for they have lived through the experiences they depict on screen. With my grandmother suffering from memory loss herself, the picture became a hybrid of fiction and documentary, making the shooting of the film as emotional and unpredictable as the character she portrays. There is a certain truth to her performance, the kind of truth I am looking for in writing and directing film.“