“Trains” Nominated in Two Categories at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards
Maciej J. Drygas’s film Trains has received two nominations at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. The Critics Choice Association, which brings together American and Canadian film critics, nominated the film in the Best Archival Documentary category. In addition, Paweł Szymański received a nomination for Best Score.
The announcement of the nominations coincides with the film’s theatrical premiere on the West Coast of the United States. From October 16 to 21, a series of screenings will take place in Los Angeles, featuring Q&A sessions with the director Maciej J. Drygas and producer Vita Želakeviciute. The list of upcoming screenings is available at https://www.trainsdoc.com/
Earlier, Trains premiered in theaters on the East Coast, where the director and producer also met audiences following several screenings in New York. EPF Media is handling the U.S. distribution of the film.
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards will be presented for the tenth time this year. The winners will be announced during a gala ceremony taking place on November 9 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. It is worth noting that Trains is the first Polish documentary film ever nominated for this award. The full list of this year’s nominees is available on the event’s official website.
Trains is a deeply personal and contemplative journey through the 20th century, composed entirely of archival film footage. In this wordless, visually striking film—filled with both beauty and bitterness—the fascination with travel turns into a curse, and tears of joy blend with the pain of despair.
The U.S. theatrical release accompanies the film’s promotional campaign aimed at securing an Academy Award nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category. The film, which won both the Grand Prize and the Best Editing Award at last year’s IDFA Festival in Amsterdam, has been officially submitted for Oscar consideration. International promotion of the film is handled by IKH Pictures Promotion, and the Oscar campaign has been co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
"Trains" hits US and German cinemas as Oscar promotion gathers pace
Multi award-winning international documentary at film festivals, Trains, directed by Maciej J. Drygas, has entered the repertoires of cinemas in the United States and Germany.
The German premiere took place on October 2, following a prior screening for Berlin audiences at the September filmPOLSKA festival. For distribution in the German market, dejavu-film handles the release, and a detailed schedule of screenings—covering Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Mannheim, Hanover and other cities—is available on the distributor’s website.
In the United States, the film is distributed by EPF Media, a company specializing in documentary and auteur cinema. The premiere screening occurred on October 2 at the Maysles Documentary Center in New York, and in the subsequent days the film will also be shown at DCTV’s Firehouse. From October 2 to 5, director Maciej J. Drygas and producer Vita Želakeviciūtė will participate in events. From mid-month, Trains will also be shown on the West Coast — Los Angeles screenings will include Q&A discussions and press meetings.
The U.S. theatrical distribution is part of a broad campaign promoting the film in the context of its submission to the Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature category.
Trains is a unique compilation of a vast array of authentic archival materials, guiding viewers through the history of nearly the entire 20th century. The film traces the journey of man “from creation to destruction, from ordinary labor to industrial machinery, from hope to despair,” linking the technical sphere of railways with the dramas of human fates and becoming a symbolic reflection on the human condition in an era of rapid upheaval.
The film's Oscar promotion was co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.
International promotion of the film is handled by IKH Pictures Promotion.