The narrative film ‘Black Shawl’ (Czarna chusta) by Ukrainian director Kamila Boichenko has won the ‘Best Film’ (Best Film) and ‘Best Performance’ (Best Performance) awards at the 8th Cinema Femme Shot Film Festival. Actress Iryna Ostrovska reported this.
According to the synopsis, the film tells the story of Lesia and her daughter Ania, who live in a refugee camp in Poland. They begin receiving messages demanding money in exchange for information about Lesia’s husband, who went missing during the war a year ago. At the camp, Lesia meets her long-time friend Mariia, a widow who, like Lesia, is haunted by the pain of losing a loved one. Over time, their bond grows stronger — the women find comfort in one another through their shared grief. However, Ania begins to suspect that her mother’s relationship with Mariia is turning into something more than friendship.
The roles were played by Ukrainian actresses Iryna Ostrovska, Oksana Cherkashyna and Yelyzaveta Pavlenko.
The film’s producer was the Polish director, screenwriter and founder of the Warsaw Film School — which handled the film’s distribution — Maciej Ślesicki.
Previously, the film was nominated for the international Iris Prize, which honours the best short films on queer themes; it was also screened at Ukraine’s LGBTQIA+ film festival Sunny Bunny and the Kyiv International Short Film Festival.
About Kamila Boichenko:
- a Ukrainian director originally from Kiliia (Izmail district, Odesa region), who now lives in Poland;
- since 2022, she has been advocating for the rights of prisoners of war — after her brother was captured by Russian forces in Mariupol;
- in 2023, Kamila delivered a speech at an OSCE conference to draw attention to the dire situation of prisoners;
- in 2022, she made a short film dedicated to prisoners of war titled ‘Light’.
About the Cinema Femme Shot Film Festival:
- founded in 2018 and dedicated to films by women and gender-expansive filmmakers;
- this year, the festival ran from 11 to 13 October at the historic Music Box theatre in Chicago.