“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.