Jagoda Murczyńska Film Criticism Competition on Asian Cinema

First Prize – PLN 13,000

Marta Tychowska

for the essay “Small but Certain Happiness: On Jeon Go-woon’s Microhabitat”

Jury statement: for literary clarity and an uncompromising freedom in film criticism that makes everyone feel welcome to explore Asian cinema. For its brilliance and for creating space for an encounter with another person’s sensibility, prompting reflection on what is close to us.

Second Prize – PLN 5,000

Piotr Wąsala

for the essay “Palimpsest: On the New Films of Hong Sang-soo”

Jury statement: for the depth and breadth of his analysis. For introducing a motif that offers a fresh perspective on the idea that Hong Sang-soo’s films are repetitive, highlighting changes and the evolution of the director’s style.

In addition to the cash prizes, the winners will also receive statuettes designed by visual artist and film editor Laura Pawela.

Honourable Mentions

This year, the jury also awarded three honourable mentions:

Jagoda Janowska

for the essay “Drive My Car: On the Scope of Red Saabs”

Jury statement: for a probing approach that refuses to compromise, whether in exploring layers of meaning or in the uninhibited use of language. For writing about a seemingly familiar film in a way that reignites curiosity.

Andrzej Diurczak

for the essay “From Bushido to Contract: Deconstruction, Globalisation and Corporate Re-Orientalism in Post-2000 Sword and Shadow Cinema”

Jury statement: for his rigour and expertise in contemporary Japanese sword-and-shadow cinema, his distinctive perspective and convincing interpretations, and for demystifying the cinematic ethos of the warrior – sharp as a katana and as poignant as a samurai’s grief.

Monika Babińska

for the essay “Let’s Drink to a Failed Life: On Loneliness and What We Cannot Say Sober”

Jury statement: for the pleasure of reading (and, as the essay makes clear, of writing) about loneliness, approached in a way that differs from what we most often encounter in international writing on Asian cinema. For making Hong Sang-soo’s films feel even closer to everyday life.

Recipients of the honourable mentions will receive passes to the 20th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival, along with certificates.

The winning essays, or excerpts thereof, will be published in the print edition and/or on the website of “Ekrany” quarterly, the competition’s media partner, as well as on the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival website.

Our warmest congratulations to all the winners and honourees! We would also like to thank all participants for submitting their work and encourage everyone to enter future editions of the Jagoda Murczyńska Competition.

About the Competition

After the first two editions of the Competition, we know that this initiative fills an important gap in Polish film studies. The standard of the texts awarded so far has been very high, and the prizes we have awarded have allowed the winners to pursue their interest in Asian cinema. We are delighted that they continue their research work, and not only in Poland. We are already curious to see what this year’s entries will be about!

With the entrants of the Jagoda Murczyńska Competition in mind, we have prepared a series of three free webinars to help with work on a competition essay or video essay. You are warmly invited to take part!

Webinars accompanying the Competition

Jagoda Murczyńska

Jagoda Murczyńska (1982–2022) was a film and cultural studies scholar, as well as a co-founder and programmer of the Five Flavours Film Festival. For years, with her characteristic sensitivity, she was responsible for the Festival’s selection, consistently bringing to Poland films that expressed her passions and interests. The main areas of her research were the cinema of Southeast Asia, above all films made by women, as well as the theory and practice of film costume. 

Jagoda also wrote extensively, and her texts on Asian cinema were an inspiration, becoming a point of reference for others. Her critical gaze was marked by a keen attention to cultural nuance and empathy for characters suffering from violence, exclusion and social inequality. She was also unrivalled in discerning the meanings contained in cinematic images of nature and everyday rituals.

In order to honour Jagoda’s memory and continue her mission of promoting Asian cinema in Poland, the founders of the Jagoda Murczyńska Foundation and the Arteria Art Foundation, the organiser of Five Flavours, once again invite writers on Asian cinema to take part in the Competition.

Conditions of Entry

The competition task is to write a piece of film criticism or – for the first time in the history of the Competition – to create a video essay on Asian cinema. The work must not have been previously published, either in full or in part. The text should be 10,000–15,000 characters long (including spaces). The video essay should be no longer than 10 minutes. The subject of the competition entry must concern the contemporary cinema of East, Southeast and South Asia after 2000.

Entries must be accompanied by a short biographical note. There is no age limit.

Competition entries should be sent to festiwal@piecsmakow.pl.

The deadline for submissions is 13 September at midnight.

The submitted texts will be assessed by a jury comprising Maria Dutkiewicz, Maja Korbecka and Barbara Szczekała.

The winners will be announced on 13 October, and the awards ceremony will take place during the 20th Five Flavours Festival, before the special screening dedicated to Jagoda’s memory.

Prizes

The main prize of the competition is PLN 13,000, and the second prize is PLN 5,000. The winners of these prizes will also receive statuettes designed by visual artist and film editor Laura Pawela.

Authors who additionally receive an honourable mention from the Jury will receive passes to the 20th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival, along with certificates.

The winning essays, or excerpts thereof, will be published in the print edition and/or on the website of “Ekrany” quarterly, the competition’s media partner, as well as on the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival website. 

Competition Jury

Here is the jury of the third edition of the Jagoda Murczyńska Film Criticism Competition on Asian Cinema:

Maria Dutkiewicz

Master of Arts, script consultant, communications specialist, educator, MS Word operator. She writes about film and culture. Winner of the Grand Prix of the Krzysztof Mętrak Award (2025) and the Grand Prix of the Jagoda Murczyńska Award (2025) for film criticism. She prefers good questions to good answers.
(photo by Miłosz Kasiura)

Maja Korbecka

Film critic and film historian. She publishes in Senses of Cinema, the Chinese film magazine Popular Cinema (大众电影), the Taiwanese magazine Funscreen (放映週報) and other periodicals. In July 2025 she defended her PhD at the Graduate School of East Asian Studies at Freie Universität Berlin; her doctoral dissertation is entitled "China’s Art Cinema at Film Festivals". 

Barbara Szczekała

PhD in art studies, film scholar. Author of the book Mind-game films. Gry z narracją i widzem (2018). Deputy editor-in-chief of "Ekrany" magazine. Her interests include contemporary cinema, film narrative and the viewer’s experience. She teaches film education with romantic passion and a positivist mission. 

Competition Rules

Participation in the competition is tantamount to accepting the rules:

Rules of the Jagoda Murczyńska Competition

Key Dates

• 15 May 2026 – announcement of the competition
• 13 September 2026 – deadline for submissions
• 13 October 2026 – announcement of the Jury’s verdict

Previous Editions

First edition of the Competition (2024)

Second edition of the Competition (2025)

Organisers

The competition is organised by the Jagoda Murczyńska Foundation and the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival.

The competition is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.

Jagoda Murczyńska Foundation

The Foundation was established to support and preserve the values close to Jagoda Murczyńska – festival programmer, film and cultural studies scholar. In her texts and programming decisions, Jagoda always championed films that emphasised the strength of women, opposed discrimination, and opened audiences to different cultures and sensibilities. The Foundation’s mission is to carry out cultural, educational and social initiatives inspired by Jagoda Murczyńska’s legacy, particularly in the area of film culture and intercultural dialogue.

Foundation website