Zoyka and the Bird

10 year old Zoyka worries a lot about the world and her mother seems to be walking on air. Zoyka fears that the wind might blow her away. Every day, she stuffs her mother’s pockets with stones, to which she adds a lucky stone – a gift from her dad. One day, Zoyka eats candy – a gift from the mysterious Madina. Next day, she wakes up with a scary bird in her belly and mother gone to work without the stones. Fearing strong winds, she decides to find her. Together with her friend, Mietek, she walks through the city, escaping perils and discovering superpowers. She loses the lucky stone and meets Madina, who suggests getting rid of the Bird. It upsets Zoyka. She runs away and, after a quarrel with Mietek, gets in trouble with bullies. Mietek rescues her, but they notice many more people flying above the ground. With Madina’s advice, Zoyka tells a story about the Bird. It comes out of her mouth, becoming strong and beautiful. Zoyka flies on its back and saves her mother and everyone else.

Director’s statement
Children often struggle to understand and cope with strong emotions. But they feel them – a squeezed stomach, or one filled with butterflies. A lump in the throat, a burning in the chest, or the whole body exploding with unstoppable joy - we've all been there.
In my story, all those secret, sometimes shameful sensations, take the form of a mysterious, slightly unpleasant Bird, with its clenching claws, ruffling feathers and aharp beek. The bird appears, because the girl worries too much and her imagination shows her possible catastrophic scenarios, which everyone around ignores, leading to more frustration. The story of the relation of Zoyka and the Bird is a story of the girl coming to know and accepting the strong emotions that she feels, which can be a superpower as well as a limitation. Telling a story can be a way of getting in touch with those emotions, so that they can become our strength and let us fly.