Jola Kudela - Director of mixed-media films
Jola Kudela is a Polish-born director of animated and mixed-media films, working between London, Paris and Warsaw.
She trained in animation and VFX at the Łódź Film School and at Gobelins in Paris, then spent fifteen years inside the industry: on Flame in advertising, as a compositing supervisor on game cinematics across Europe and India, and as a Nuke compositor in London on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Chronicles of Narnia, Dark Shadows and Fast & Furious 6 (MPC, DNEG), and at The Mill and Mac Guff (Despicable Me). She was visual supervisor on Pathé’s Animal Kingdom: Let’s Go Ape and art director on Studio 100’s Vic the Viking and the Magic Sword.
Her own films, experimental shorts and music videos for composers Poppy Ackroyd, Julia Kent and Katie Gately, have won more than 25 international festival awards. She has directed for ARTE / Karambolage and made commercials for Samsung, Orange and Nestlé. 600 Years of Łódź won first prize at FilmAT 2024. Most recently she created generative-AI period shots and title design for an Opus Film series.
She is now developing her first animated feature, A Door to the Woods, co-written with Aga Lesiewicz, with Polish and French producers, development support from PISF and CNC region Nouvelle Aquitane, and Dominique Pinon attached.
Contact: yola (at) yolart (dot) net
Her art practice: YOLA → yolart.net
AWARDS
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First prize in the international competition at the 18th FilmAT Festival in the tourism/city promotion category - Warsaw 2024
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- Best Musical Short Film at International Sound Future Award in NY 2022
- Honorable Mention at Paris Film Awards 2022
- Best Experimental Short Film - Florence Film Awards 2022
- Best Experimental Short Film - Hollywood Gold Awards 2022
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- Best Experimental Film at Super Shorts Film Festival NewYork 2021
- Best Experimental Film at Obskuur Ghent Film Festival 2021
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- Golden Reel International Film Festival in Singapore 2021
- BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC VIDEO AWARD at High Tatras Film & Video Festival in Slovakia 2021
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- 3th Award Digital Ars - Digital Poland Foundation - Warsaw 2021
- “Short Film Market Picks” the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival 2021
- BEST @Home COVID-19 EXPERIMENTAL SHORT - Mindfield Film Festival • Albuquerque 2020 - Diamond Award
- BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - Mindfield Film Festival - Albuquerque 2020 - Diamond Award for Julia Kent
- HONOURABLE MENTION - UK Seasonal Short Film Festivals London 2020
- HONOURABLE MENTION - Around International Film Festival Amsterdam 2020
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- FilmArte Festival Berlin 2019 - Jury Special Award
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- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY in a MUSIC VIDEO - NYC Indie Film Festival - New York 2018
- BEST MUSIC VIDEO - Los Angeles Short Film Festival 2018
- BEST MUSIC CLIP - Best Independents Film Festival - Filmboard Karlsruhe e. V. dec 2017
- GRAND PRIX - Yach Film Festiwal in Opole Poland - 2107
- BEST MUSIC VIDEO AWARD - Directors Cut Film Festival 2017 in Toronto, 19 Nov 2017
- AWARD of MERIT MUSIC VIDEO - Best Shorts Competition in La Jolla California, July 4, 2017
- PLATINUM WINNER - International Independent Film Awards - Summer Session 2017 in Encino California, June 25, 2017
- BEST SPECIAL STUFF - International Music Video Underground 2017 in Los Angeles, 2017
- JURRY AWARD - Best Music Video - ARFF Paris // Around International Film Festival - 2018
- AWARD of RECOGNITION BEST VIDEOCLIP July 2017, Gold Movie Awards Goddess Nike in London winner of monthly edition
- TMCLFF Award of Recognition - London
- HONORABLE MENTION - Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards - Paramount Studios - Hollywood California
- Best Music Video: Diamond Award - 2017 Mindfield Film Festival - Los Angeles
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- AWARD of MERIT: Experimental - Best Shorts Competition - California - 2017
- BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM Play Paris Film Festival - monthly edition - 2017
- BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM - Around International Film Festival Amsterdam - 2017
- HONORABLE MENTION - The Global Shorts - Los Angeles, CA | USA - 2017
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THUNDERBIRDS HIP HOP promo
TEX AVERY promo for Cartoon Network
Hidden Faces of Crime
Nominated for Best Foreign Language promo at Promax UK 2012