40 films in 5 five blocks, 3 winners and 2 accompanying attractions. The sixth edition of Cinerama Fest, a film festival which presents audiovisual productions by students of the University of Gdańsk and beyond, is behind us. This year, the first three places went to an animation, a music video and a video collage. On November 17 and 18, the cinema screen was taken over by young filmmakers at the UG Film Centre.

After two days of screenings, the jury, comprising Kamil Bryl, ania włodarska (spelling at the request of the juror) and Marta Maciejewska, decided to award the Golden Cassette to Jagoda Janowska's film 'Wszystko jest remiksem', which combines various techniques to set a series of images in motion - from classic cartoon animation to stop-motion animation.

- 'Taking first place in the sixth edition of the Cinerama Fest is a great honour for which I am very grateful to the esteemed Jury. "Wszystko jest remiksem" is a nod to the Polish school of animation, which constantly inspires me. The film is the result of filtering the works of its eminent creators through my sensibility, which was shaped throughout my studies at the University of Gdańsk. My special thanks go to co-author Weronika Leszczyńska, music author Robert Szordykowski and all the lecturers who have contributed to deepening my knowledge of film,' - said Jagoda Janowska.

The Silver and Bronze Cassettes were awarded to the music video of a band Aluzja titled 'Catching up', directed by Andrzej Habas, and to the video collage titled 'Pospolite Myślenie', directed by Karolina Płanik, which addresses the problems of people on the threshold of adulthood. The audience also chose their own winner. The Audience Award went to 'The Kinda Blues' by Mikołaj Mizak.

In addition to the main awards, the jury handed out distinctions to four films: 'Mała czarna' by Weronika Dziurdziewicz, 'PronoMen' by Igor Król, 'Warzywa i Owoce' by Maciej Jankowski and 'VIBE' by Michał Marks. Between screenings, we asked the participants about their impressions of the screenings:

- 'I was captivated by "Manifest of the Living Body". It is a very entertaining film in terms of form. The beautiful cinematography makes it stand out stylistically. I also like the fact that it is not literal, the message can be felt intuitively,' - says Martyna Kiedrowska, a second-year student of Film and Audiovisual Culture.

- 'The animation "Mol" was the most memorable for me, I liked the atmosphere created by the lighting and the detailed set design. I also made a film, so I realise how much work, time and effort it requires,' - Jakub Wadecki, a second-year student of Audiovisual Form Production, co-creator of the film 'Green Screen'. 

During the jury deliberations, festival participants watched a performance by stand-up artists Tomasz Waberski and Natan Maciej Milaszewski. Meanwhile, on the first day of the event, in the 'interval' between screenings, its organisers dr Grzegorz Fortuna-Skowron and Krystian Kujda talked about the Octopus film festival in Gdańsk. 

- 'Octopus is mainly a fan festival, made by film fans for film enthusiasts. We identify ourselves as fans of cinema first and foremost, and only then as organisers and film scholars. That is why there is a certain note of madness in all of this, and at the same time, we are very keen for our festival to be linked to the Gdansk Film Fund, for the main competition to thrive. On the one hand, we are trying to show films in unconventional locations that will boost the reception of the film, and on the other hand, we are trying to develop the path of the main competition, which will bring more people from the film industry to our festival,' - said Krystian Kujda. 

- 'From the beginning, we have kept in mind that watching films together will never be replaced by streaming services. Netflix at home will never provide as much excitement as watching films together with other cinema fans. We are trying to offer viewers something they don't have at home. A potential viewer might see 2015's The Witch in the comfort of their home, but they won't watch it in a real forest with a real goat at their side. We are trying to bolster the impression that a public screening with people is an irreplaceable experience,' - said dr Grzegorz-Fortuna Skowron.