CANNES – On Saturday, during the gala of the 75^th Cannes Film Festival, Jerzy Skolimowski’s “EO” and Charlotte Vandermeersch's and Felix Van Groeningenem’s “Eight Mountains” won the Jury Prize ex aequo.

 “EO”, whose main character is a donkey, was inspired by “Hasard Balthazar”, a film directed by Robert Bresson in 1966. Jerzy Skolimowski was fascinated with Bresson’s minimalistic filming style which he described as "stripped of all sentimentalism, nonchalant, almost indifferent". The title of the Polish director’s film is onomatopoeic and mimics the sound made by the main character.

 The film explores the world through the eyes of the donkey who performs at the circus with a young, gentle artist, Kasandra. One day, the donkey must leave the circus and embarks on a fable-like journey of discovery. Along his way, he encounters various people, and his trajectory is both positive and dangerous.

 “From this perspective, the matters that absorb us on a daily basis seem trivial, apparent, pretend,” Jerzy Skolimowski explained in an interview. “On purpose in my film, the episodes with humans are so short. Our dramas can be told in a few words. A donkey's life requires a full-length movie,” he added.

 This film marks Skolimowski’s first experience of directing animals. He observed that they were "incapable of faking anything. They quite simply just are." He presents this story of a donkey to highlight innocence, a value he said is essential in a cynical and heartless world. Thus, “EO” is a manifesto in defense of delicacy, tenderness, empathy, everything we consider as weaknesses. The film contains pro-ecological message and stresses the importance of treating animals with dignity.

 “I would like to thank my six donkeys. “EO” is a Polish-Italian co-production. Most of the film was shot in Poland and I chose a certain type of Italian donkey that has a cross on his back, of this type of donkey in Poland we only have two,” told Jerzy Skolimowski at the awards ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival.

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