Dying of the Young Deer
DUTCH PREMIERE
Helka leaves her family home and walks through the village to her husband’s house.
The dawn light is cut by the sounds of an axe. In a small room, the breaths of Helka, yesterday’s bride, mingle one last time with those of her family. Helka leaves her family home, making her way through the village to her husband’s house. She carries a quilt filled with goose feathers. Despite the silence of her journey, Helka hears what has never been spoken. Dying of the Young Deer is inspired by a story about the director’s own mother during her time as a young village bride.
SCREENINGS
Sunday 8 November 14:30 (New Talents Competition 2)
Programme section(s): New Talents Competition
Original title: Zza szyby podglądam jak umiera sarna, młoda | Year: 2025 | Runtime: 15′
Country: Poland | Language: Polish | Subtitles: English
Cast: Helka Rząsa, Ewa Cygal, Zdzisław Cygal
Director: Angelika Cygal | Production: Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź | Cinematography: Szczepan Lewandowski | Editing: Michael Stoklosa
FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION)
Polish Film Festival, 2025 | Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, 2025 | Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, 2026 | Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2026 | Minikino Film Week, Bali International Short Film Festival, 2026 | San Sebastián International Film Festival, 2026
DIRECTOR’S BIO
Angelika Cygal grew up in a small farming village in southern Poland, an environment that continues to shape her visual language and storytelling. She is currently studying film directing at the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź. Working across documentary and fiction, she explores rural life, memory and quiet forms of spirituality.
