Film Fund: “Three Songs” Wins Grand Prix at Festival in Estonia
A documentary by Bydgoszcz-based director Krzysztof Nowicki has won the Grand Prix for outstanding artistic merit at the 40th Pärnu International Documentary and Science Film Festival in Estonia. Three Songs was produced in cooperation with the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund.
The jury of the Estonian festival presented two equal awards for outstanding artistic merit: one to Three Songs and the other to the Chilean documentary South of Winter, Lies the Snow, directed by Sebastian Vidal Campos.
The Pärnu International Documentary and Science Film Festival focuses on films of high artistic and scientific value, with particular emphasis on the survival of indigenous peoples and their disappearing cultures. Screenings take place both in the well-known Estonian resort town and in other cities. The films are also broadcast on Estonian public television.
“For Krzysztof Nowicki’s film, the award in Estonia marks another milestone on its international festival journey, which has included earlier screenings at events such as the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival in South Korea,” reports the Bydgoszcz-based Koloroffon Association, the documentary’s producer.
Three Songs premiered in June this year and received recognition at the 45th “Young and Film” Festival of Film Debuts in Koszalin. On Sunday (18 October), the day after receiving the award in Pärnu, the documentary had its local premiere at the Fonomo Music & Film Festival in Bydgoszcz.
Three Songs was produced in cooperation with our Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund. The documentary tells the story of members of Bydgoszcz’s Czarny Karzeł Choir, who, while facing various life challenges and personal crises, find support, renewed energy and a sense of belonging through singing together.
“The film focuses on the therapeutic and social dimensions of collective singing, where technical skills take a back seat to building relationships between people,” explains Koloroffon.
Krzysztof Nowicki is a director, screenwriter and producer. He founded the Stealtheapple film group and initiated the activities of Koloroffon in 2007. His portfolio includes short documentaries screened and awarded at festivals in Poland and abroad, including The Oldest Man in the World, Swimming Pool, There Used to Be a Cinema Here, 21, Homestay and Leocadia’s Dream. Three Songs is his feature-length debut.
Dariusz Czołgowski
Promotion Department
20 October 2026