JOANNA
Price: $350.00 Code: 2514 |
Directed by Aneta Kopacz
2013, 40 minutes
Purchase: $350 | Classroom rental: $125
2015 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Short Subject, Joanna is a tender and heartbreaking portrait of a young wife and mother facing terminal cancer who, wishing to leave something behind for her eight-year-old son, started writing an online journal that has resonated with millions of devoted readers.
With great visual poetry, the documentary portrays the simple and meaningful moments in Joanna's life with her family. Together they prepare meals, take naps, pick mushrooms and plant trees. In her blog, Joanna describes her daily life with overwhelming honesty and accuracy. Her goals are as simple as a family trip to the lakes, her planning is as short-term as to witness her little son riding a bike for the first time. Diagnosed with untreatable illness, Joanna promises her son that she will do her best to live for as long as possible. She writes down everything she might want him to learn from her when he grows up.
At times, Joanna reads and discusses her writing with her son. "As long as we live, we shouldn't bother thinking about death too much. The most important thing is to live well, that is, to be happy and to share our happiness with the beloved."
Beautifully filmed by renowned cinematographer Lukasz Zal (nominated for an Academy Award for Ida), Joanna is a remarkable one-of-a-kind film, a story about the importance of family and close relationships, about love and thoughtfulness, and the need to treasure every moment in our lives.
—Andrzej Wajda
"Recommended. The viewer observes how a young child comes to terms with his mother’s illness through his interactions with and questions to her about life, and her life, specifically. A good resource for sociology, social work, and health care." - Educational Media Reviews Online
"Presents a portrait of courage and grace. Joanna never feels voyeuristic."
—Washington Post
"Melancholically beautiful."
—Los Angeles Times
"A heartwarming document of the simple pleasures we take for granted."
—The Film Stage
"A candid and deeply moving document of this particular mother/son bond."
—Austin Chronicle
"Highly Recommended."—Video Librarian
2013, 40 minutes
Purchase: $350 | Classroom rental: $125
2015 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Short Subject, Joanna is a tender and heartbreaking portrait of a young wife and mother facing terminal cancer who, wishing to leave something behind for her eight-year-old son, started writing an online journal that has resonated with millions of devoted readers.
With great visual poetry, the documentary portrays the simple and meaningful moments in Joanna's life with her family. Together they prepare meals, take naps, pick mushrooms and plant trees. In her blog, Joanna describes her daily life with overwhelming honesty and accuracy. Her goals are as simple as a family trip to the lakes, her planning is as short-term as to witness her little son riding a bike for the first time. Diagnosed with untreatable illness, Joanna promises her son that she will do her best to live for as long as possible. She writes down everything she might want him to learn from her when he grows up.
At times, Joanna reads and discusses her writing with her son. "As long as we live, we shouldn't bother thinking about death too much. The most important thing is to live well, that is, to be happy and to share our happiness with the beloved."
Beautifully filmed by renowned cinematographer Lukasz Zal (nominated for an Academy Award for Ida), Joanna is a remarkable one-of-a-kind film, a story about the importance of family and close relationships, about love and thoughtfulness, and the need to treasure every moment in our lives.
Subjects & Collections
Eastern Europe Family Relations Health Death & Dying Women's Studies 2015 Academy Award Winners & Nominees Short Films Medicine Directed by Women
Festivals & Awards
Official Selection, Western Psychological Association Film FestivalReviews
"Joanna is an absolutely exceptional character in Polish cinema"—Andrzej Wajda
"Recommended. The viewer observes how a young child comes to terms with his mother’s illness through his interactions with and questions to her about life, and her life, specifically. A good resource for sociology, social work, and health care." - Educational Media Reviews Online
"Presents a portrait of courage and grace. Joanna never feels voyeuristic."
—Washington Post
"Melancholically beautiful."
—Los Angeles Times
"A heartwarming document of the simple pleasures we take for granted."
—The Film Stage
"A candid and deeply moving document of this particular mother/son bond."
—Austin Chronicle
"Highly Recommended."—Video Librarian