ONCE THERE WAS A SEA...

Last human stories from glittering bottom of dying Aral Sea.

Once upon a time there was a sea… Aral Sea. The sea that has vanished.

And along with the sea, seaside life and work disappeared. Only the dead desert terrain remained here, and wrecks of huge fishing boats lying in the sand... and people who have been living on the shores of the dry port for years, dreaming of high water and longing to sail at least once again.

Once There Was a Sea... is a film about consequences of human decisions and actions, how they can affect daily life of one Uzbek town and its inhabitants. As the reporter Ryszard Kapuściński states it: "There is no such a nonsense human mind could not invent."

→ Director: Joanna Kozuch

→ Screenplay: Joanna Kozuch & Katarína Moláková

→ Script Editors: Phil Parker & Barbora Budinská

→ Art Director: Joanna Kozuch

→ Producers: Peter Badač & Joanna Wendorff – Østergaard

→ Animation: Marek Jasaň & Joanna Kozuch & Michaela Mašáňová & Agata Mikina & Marta Magnuska & Jolanta Dudzińska & Matej Babic & Michalina Musialik & Justyna Pazdan & Janusz Martyn

→ Editor: Marek Šulík

→ Visual postproduction: Joanna Kozuch

→ Sound Designer: Dušan Kozák

→ Music: Martin Hasák

→ Voiceovers: Jaroslava Sisáková & Svetlana Škovranová & Jozef Tkáč & Ľudmila Lukačiková & Eugen Libezňuk & Alexander Adam & Igor Latta & Ľubomír Mindoš

→ FIXAFILM ANIMATED IN POLAND BEST PITCH AWARD, Krakow Film Festival Industry Animated in Poland, 2021

→ INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AWARD, 44th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, France 2022

→ SLNKO V SIETI Slovak National Film Award 2021 for The Best Animation

→ BEST SHORT FILM, International Festival of Animated Films ANIFILM, Czechia 2022

→ SPECIAL MENTION, 25th CinemAmbiente Environmental Film Festival, Italy 2022

→ SPECIAL MENTION NATIONAL COMPETITION, 15th International Animated Film Festival ANIMATOR, Poland 2022

→ BEST ANIMATED FILM, Krakow Green Film Festival 2022, Poland 2022

→ IGRIC, National Creative Awards IGRIC 2022

→ BEST SHORT FILM, 8th International Short Film Festival SHORT FORM, Serbia 2022

→ ST. VOJTECH AWARD for the V4 animated film director, 16th Biennial of Animation Bratislava, Slovakia 2022

→ BEST ANIDOC, 17th Animest Internationla Animation Film Festival, Romania 2022

→ BEST SHORT FILM, 48. MFF Ekofilm, Czechia, 2022

→ ANIMALAB AWARD, 18th Sedicicorto Forlì International Film Festival, Italy 2022

→ SPECIAL JURY AWARD, Kaohsiung Film Festival, Taiwan 2022

→ SPECIAL MENTION, CinéOpen, Pontarlier, Francúzsko 2022

→ BEST FILM FOR ADULTS, International Festival of Animated Films TOFUZI, Georgia 2022

→ AGUAESPEJO AWARD, Granada film Fest, Spain 2022

→ JURY SPECIAL MENTION MATIJA ŠTURM, 19th Animateka International Animated Film Festival, Slovenia 2022

→ AUDIENCE AWARD, 29th Etiuda&Anima International Film Festival, Poland 2022

→ STUDENT JURY AWARD, 29th Etiuda&Anima International Film Festival, Poland 2022

→ AWARD OF THE ARTIST DIRECTOR BOGUSLAW ZMUDZINSKI, 29th Etiuda&Anima International Film Festival, Poland 2022

→ HONORABLE MENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS JURY, 16th Zubroffka International Short Film Festival, Poland 2022

→ BEST SHORT ANIMATED FILM, Ecozine Film Festival, Spain 2023

→ Producer: Peter Badač

     www.bfilm.sk

     peter@bfilm.sk

→ Sales & Festivals: MIYU DISTRIBUTION

     www.miyu.fr

     luce.grosjean@miyu.fr

→ Director: Joanna Kozuch

     www.plackartnyj.com

     joannakozuch@yahoo.com