Apolonia, Apolonia

Apolonia, Apolonia
Promotional poster
Directed byLea Glob
Written byLea Glob
Produced by
  • Sidsel Lønvig Siersted
  • Malgorzata Staron
Starring
Cinematography
  • Lea Glob
  • Maggie Olkuska
  • Magda Bojdo
Edited by
  • Andreas Bøggild Monies
  • Thor Ochsner
Music byJonas Struck
Production
companies
Release dates
  • November 2022 (2022-11) (IDFA)
  • 23 March 2023 (2023-03-23) (Denmark)
Running time
116 minutes
Countries
  • Denmark
  • Poland
  • France
Languages
  • Danish
  • French
  • English
  • Polish
  • Russian
Box officeUS$$6,207[1]

Apolonia, Apolonia is a 2022 documentary film directed by Lea Glob. The film is a coming-of-age story of a girl, who finds her place in the art world, narrated through 13 years.[2] The film produced by Danish Documentary Production, HBO Max Central Europe and Staron Film won the IDFA Award for Best Film at the 35th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in international competition in November 2022. It was one of the 15 finalist films in the December shortlists for Best Documentary Feature at the 96th Academy Awards.[3][4]

A Denmark, Poland and France co-production film, it was released in Denmark cinemas on 23 March 2023.[5]

Content

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The film follows the journey of Apolonia Sokol, a gifted artist who was born in a Parisian underground theater and raised in a vibrant French artistic scene with a group of bohemians and hippies in the 1990s. She got into the Beaux-Arts de Paris when she was 21. Lea Glob, a Danish filmmaker, met her in France in 2009 and was intrigued by her adventurous life. Lea kept filming Apolonia over the years, as Apolonia tried to carve out her space in the art world and dealt with the challenges and pleasures of being a woman, relating to others, accepting her body and expressing her creativity. After thirteen years, the two women still share their insights on each other's lives in this documentary film about art, love, motherhood, sexuality, representation and how to thrive as a woman in a world ruled by patriarchy, capitalism and war without losing your identity.

Cast

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Release

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The film had its world premiere on 10 November 2022 at the 35th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in international competition,[6][7] where it won IDFA Award for Best Film.[8] It was screened at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in the first week of March 2023.[9] On 19 March 2023, it was screened at the Sofia International Film Festival in International Documentary Competition section.[10]

The film competed at the 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival in 'Documentary Competition' and won the Firebird Award in April 2023.[11] The film was screened at the Tribeca Festival in Viewpoints section for its North American premiere on 8 June 2023.[12]

The film was also screened at 2023 BFI London Film Festival in 'Strand' section under 'Create' theme on 6 October 2023.[13]

In January 2024, the North American rights of the film were acquired by Grasshopper Film and Documentary+. The film was released in DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema in New York, and launched on streaming platform DOCUMENTARY+ on January 12, 2024.[14]

It will be released in French theaters on 27 March 2024.[15]

Reception

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On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 25 reviews with an average rating of 7.1/10.[16] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]

Guy Lodge reviewing at IDFA (Competition), for Variety wrote, "Sokol’s paintings, slightly distorted large-scale portraits of human subjects in eerie states of repose, are striking, but never quite as intriguing as their restless, endlessly self-doubting creator."[18] Marta Bałaga's review in Cineuropa wrote, "Glob can’t take her eyes off this woman, whether she is celebrating, breaking down or cutting her own bangs, and the feeling is frankly contagious."[19] Lovia Gyarkye for Hollywood Reporter described the film as "A heartfelt reflection on a fitful artistic journey." Gyarkye closing the review wrote, "Apolonia is no longer just a subject but a confidant, and she pulled not only Glob but us, too, into her orbit."[20] Neil Young writing in Screen International felt that the film was "The absorbingly intimate portrait of an artist as a young woman over the transformative span of 13 years."[21]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
IDFA 17 November 2022 Best Feature Length documentary Apolonia, Apolonia Won [22]
Göteborg International Film Festival 5 February 2023 Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary Won [23]
Sofia International Film Festival 25 March 2023 Best Documentary Award Won [24]
CPH:DOX 26 March 2023 Politiken DOX-Award Won [25]
One World Film Festival 31 March 2023 Best Film Won [26]
Hong Kong International Film Festival 9 April 2023 Firebird Award Won [27]
Millennium Docs Against Gravity 1 June 2023 Grand Prix - Bank Millennium Award Won [28]
Gotham Independent Film Awards November 27, 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [29]
European Film Awards 9 December 2023 Best European Documentary Nominated [30]
IDA Documentary Awards 12 December 2023 Best Feature Documentary Nominated [31]
Best Director Lea Glob Nominated
Best Editing Andreas Bøggild Monies, Thor Ochsner Nominated
Best Writing Lea Glob, Andreas Bøggild Monies Nominated
Robert Award 3 February 2024 Best Documentary Feature Apolonia, Apolonia Won [32]
Best Editing Andreas Bøggild Monies, Thor Ochsner Won
Best Score Jonas Struck Won
Best Director Lea Glob Won
Best Sound design Anna Zarnecka-Wójcik, Jacques Pedersen Won

Listicle

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Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
Variety 2023 Winner's Circle at Doc NYC Included [33]
17th Cinema Eye Honors The Unforgettables Included [34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  2. ^ Glob, Lea (23 March 2023). "Apolonia, Apolonia". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  3. ^ "96th Oscars Shortlists Announced for 10 Categories". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  4. ^ Davis, Clayton (21 December 2023). "Oscar Shortlists Announced for 10 Categories: 'Barbie' Leads the Way". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia DK/Dokumentarfilm 2022" [Apolonia, Apolonia, DK/Documentary film]. The Danish Film Institute (in Danish). 20 March 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  6. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (8 November 2022). "IDFA all ready to kick off". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  7. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (10 November 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: Trailer for IDFA International Competition title Apolonia, Apolonia". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  8. ^ Bałaga, Marta (21 November 2022). "IDFA crowns Apolonia, Apolonia as its champion". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia". Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia". Sofia International Film Festival. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  11. ^ "HKIFF47 Announces Winners of Firebird Award and FIPRESCI Prize". Hong Kong International Film Festiva. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia North American premiere". Tribeca Festival. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  13. ^ Ntim, Zac (31 August 2023). "BFI London Film Festival Full Lineup: 'The Book Of Clarence' World Premiere; Scorsese, Miyazaki, Lanthimos & Fincher Among Headline Galas". Deadline. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  14. ^ Carey, Matthew (11 January 2024). "Oscar-Contending Doc 'Apolonia, Apolonia' Acquired By Grasshopper Film And Documentary+ For NA Distribution". Deadline. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia: 27 mars 2024 en salle - Documentaire" [Apolonia, Apolonia: March 27, 2024 in theaters - Documentary]. AlloCiné (in French). 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia (2022, Biography/Documentary)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Apolonia, Apolonia". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  18. ^ Lodge, Guy (14 November 2022). "'Apolonia, Apolonia' Review: An Artist Loses and Finds Herself in a Quest for Validation". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  19. ^ Bałaga, Marta (21 November 2022). "Review: Apolonia, Apolonia". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  20. ^ Lovia Gyarkye (18 December 2023). "'Apolonia, Apolonia' Review: Sincere Meditations on Art, Motherhood and Friendship". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  21. ^ Neil Young (18 November 2022). "'Apolonia, Apolonia': IDFA Review". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  22. ^ "'Apolonia, Apolonia' wins at IDFA". Danish Film Institute. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  23. ^ "The winners at Göteborg Film Festival 2023". Göteborg International Film Festival. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  24. ^ "The Awards: 27th Sofia International Film Festival". Sofia International Film Festival. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  25. ^ Economou, Vassilis (27 March 2023). "Motherland triumphs at CPH:DOX". Cineuropa. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  26. ^ "The Award for Best Film goes to Apolonia, Apolonia by Lea Glob". One World Film Festival. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Stonewalling, 'Apolonia, Apolonia', Totem Among Winners of Hong Kong Film Festival 2023 Firebird Awards". VIMooZ. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Winners of the 20th edition of the MDAG festival. Grand Prix - Bank Millennium Award for "Apolonia Apolonia"". Bank Millennium. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  29. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (24 October 2023). "Gotham Awards Nominations: All of Us Strangers Tops Movie List; Ryan Gosling Gets Barbie Nom with Budget Caps Removed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  30. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (7 November 2023). "'Fallen Leaves' & 'The Zone Of Interest' Top European Film Award Nominations In Main Categories". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  31. ^ Carey, Matthew (21 November 2023). "'Apolonia, Apolonia,' 'The Mother Of All Lies,' 'Milisuthando' Lead Way As IDA Documentary Awards Announces Nominees – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  32. ^ "Apollonia, Apollonia". Robert Award. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  33. ^ Davis, Clayton (17 October 2023). "DOC NYC, Key Indicator for Oscars' Documentary Feature Category, Announces Shortlist Including 'American Symphony' and 'Every Body'". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  34. ^ Carey, Matthew (19 October 2023). "'The 1619 Project,' 'Nothing Lasts Forever' Lead Charge As Cinema Eye Honors Announces First Round Of Documentary Nominations [Full List]". Deadline. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
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