The Dress (2020 film)

The Dress (Polish: Sukienka) is a Polish graduation short drama film from the Warsaw Film School, written and directed by Tadeusz Łysiak [pl].^[1] The film covers the topics of disability and intimacy, sexual assault and loneliness. It premiered at the Kraków Film Festival on June 2, 2020, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 94th Academy Awards.^[2]

The Dress
Poster
Polish	Sukienka
Directed by	Tadeusz Łysiak [pl]
Written by	Tadeusz Łysiak
Produced by	Ewa Brzózka Błażej Kafarski Monika Ossowska Maciej Ślesicki
Starring	Anna Dzieduszycka Dorota Pomykala Szymon Piotr Warszawski Lea Oleksiak
Edited by	Mariusz Gos
Music by	Jan Królikowski
Production companies	Warsaw Film School Dobro Głośno Polish Film Institute
Distributed by	Salaud Morisset The Animation Showcase
Release date	June 2, 2020 (2020-06-02) (Kraków Film Festival)
Running time	30 minutes
Country	Poland
Language	Polish

Plot

Julia, a woman of short stature in her thirties, longs for love, intimacy and a relationship. After her work shift cleaning motel rooms, she sits in a local pub to play on slot machines, until she meets Bogdan. Before the dream date, however, Julia needs to buy a new dress.

Cast

• Anna Dzieduszycka as Julka
• Dorota Pomykała as Renata
• Szymon Piotr Warszawski as Bogdan
• Lea Oleksiak as the Saleswoman

Reception

The film covers the topics of disability and intimacy, sexual assault and loneliness. The film has been praised for his authentic disability representation still hard to find in the cinema industry.^[3][4]

Accolades

The short film has been screened over 60 film festivals around the world, and awarded 17 times, including:

Year	Presenter/Festival	Award/Category	Status
2020	Moscow International Film Festival	Best Short Film	Nominated[5]
	Camerimage	Student Etudes Competition	Nominated[6]
2021	Atlanta Film Festival	Best Narrative Short	Won[7]
2022	Academy Awards	Best Live Action Short Film	Nominated[8]