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A puppet animation inspired by Nicolai Gogol’s likewise entitled short story about a poor student of painting who chances upon a mysterious picture at a fair and buys it, little knowing that this event will radically change his life. Set in the realities of 19th-century Russia, the story is permeated with the mood of horror and mystery.

The nine-minute-long stop-motion animation (twenty-five frames per second) features four puppet protagonists and three set designs. The world created by the artists is an exaggeration of reality, interlaced with elements of fairy-tale and horror. While showing the profound vulnerability of human nature to material temptations, The Portrait inquires into the basic hierarchy of values.

Marta Mikołajczyk (1994) – won the second award and the Audience’s Award at the Prime Stage Competition for the Best BA Graduation Projects in 2019. She took part in puppet workshops on the Art of Puppet Development, organized by the WJT Studio, Momakin, Lodz Film Commission, and EC1 Lodz – the City of Culture. Professionally involved with the scenography industry, she has contributed to the set design of an animated film entitled Zapomniana książka [A Forgotten Book] and now works with stage design in public space. She is interested in scale modeling, drawing, and art history.

Agnieszka Buczyńska (1995) – won the second award and the Audience’s Award at the Prime Stage Competition for the Best BA Graduation Projects in 2019. She took part in puppet workshops on the Art of Puppet Development, organized by the WJT Studio, Momakin, Lodz Film Commission, and EC1 Lodz – the City of Culture. She co-created dolls for “Events 1970” and costumes for the puppet film “BRIDGE”. She is interested in animation and designing characters and environments for animated films.