The event showcases films that explore fishermen’s daily lives and cultures.
The protagonist of The Queen and the Smokehouse is Miecia, a woman affectionately known as the local “queen,” who has run her smokehouse in a Baltic seaside resort for over four decades.
According to the producer’s note, “more than a workplace, the smokehouse is a social hub and a point of reference for the community around it. When declining health forces Miecia to loosen her grip on the business, a fragile transition begins, exposing the uncertain future of both the smokehouse and the people whose lives orbit around it.”
Lis, 25, is a history graduate from the London School of Economics. She describes her feature-length debut as “a tale about the last bastions of authenticity in places consumed by tourism” and a reflection “on the passage of time [and] a story of female strength in the pursuit of success and dedication to providing for loved ones.”
Lis’ film received an award for Best Cinematography at the Festival of Debut Film in Koszalin, northern Poland.
It was also shown at the FIPADOC Documentary Film Festival in Biarritz, France and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece.
(mk)