Nearly 200 Titles from Around the World. The 2021 Papaya Rocks Film Festival Kicks Off22.02.2021

The filmmakers, whose films will be available for viewing through the Cinenso platform, will be competing for awards in nine separate categories.

– Putting together the program for this year’s festival was both thrilling and emotional. I was truly struck by the passion of our filmmakers and their eagerness to tread new creative ground in this strange period in our lives. One of the first titles submitted for the 2021 edition of Papaya Rocks Film Festival was Neil Murphy’s The Killing of Time, shot back in peak lockdown in Spain. Other titles explore the tedium and strain of the isolation we have found ourselves in, but still manage to find hope and highlight human spirit and determination – says the festival’s programmer, Niger Asije.

The festival was usually held at London’s Genesis Cinema, but this year, on account of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event moved entirely online. By no means, however, did the shift to an online platform limit filmmaker interest—the organizers managed to put together a program featuring 200 titles and boasting an impressive scope of subjects and styles. This year’s catalog includes live-action feature films, animations, experimental movies and documentaries. The competing filmmakers have drawn on a variety of themes and motifs to tell stories about love, death, issues afflicting minorities, as well as about passion and art, extraordinary individuals who resist simple categorization, transcend their limitations or chase their dreams.

The collection of short film from all around the globe, including quite a lot of Polish titles, has been split into four separate blocks. All of them have been made available online via the Cinenso platform. Audiences will have access to the entire catalog, with individual titles available at certain intervals. Check back with us on February 28 to learn who the winners are!