Polish Film Festival Sydney 2025 I BLOODY TROPHY

BLOODY TROPHY

KRWAWE TROFEUM

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

BLOODY TROPHY

documentary I 2025 I Poland, UK

Original Title: KRWAWE TROFEUM

Duration: 59 min

Language: English, Polish

Director: Ewa Galica

Is there still hope in the fight to save endangered species? A journalist's investigation into the illegal rhino horn trade unexpectedly leads to Poland and the Czech Republic, uncovering a link between the Vietnamese Thai, and Laotian mafia and local trophy hunters, whose trophies mysteriously never make it back home.

Is there still hope in the fight to save endangered species? BLOODY TROPHY is a gripping documentary that delves deep into the dark world of wildlife trafficking. Shot in Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Republic of South Africa, it uncovers how international crime syndicates exploit legal trophy hunting loopholes, recruiting individuals from Europe and Asia to participate in pseudo-hunts in South Africa. The film exposes the intricate network involving Vietnamese, Thai, and Laotian criminal elements, highlighting their methods of operation and the devastating impact on rhino populations.

EWA GALICA

Ewa Galica is a graduate of the University of Warsaw and the Università degli Studi di Siena. She began her career in 2007 at NBC News in London. For the past 14 years, she has been associated with Warner Bros. Discovery Poland (TVN). Galica has received numerous awards for her documentaries at festivals in Poland and around the world.

Her film "Free the Captain", which tells the story of Captain Andrzej Lasota—held in a Mexican prison for nearly two years—won an award at the World Media Festival in Hamburg. Another acclaimed work, "The Bishop's Court and the Pope's Secret", features Mariusz Milewski, who was molested as a child by a priest, and exposes the inner workings of the Church’s justice system.

Her most recent documentary, "The Wagner Group: Putin’s Mercenaries" (2023), presents testimonies of former Wagner Group mercenaries who fled to the West after refusing to accept the group’s brutal methods. It was nominated for the Golden Nymph at the 62nd Monte Carlo Television Festival, won both the Grand Award and Gold Award at the US International Awards in Los Angeles, and received the Silver Dolphin at the Corporate Media & TV Awards in Cannes. Additionally, it was named Best Documentary at the Marbella International Film Festival.