Ewa Puczyńska received the Eastern Star Award 2024 during the Trieste film festival. The Oscar-nominated producer of the film "The Zone of Interest" was recognized as the person whose work "connects Eastern and Western Europe." The Trieste Film Festival team honored Puszczyńska's production activities, stating that her work has an impact on "building bridges between Eastern and Western Europe". Mainly, the producers' performances in Paweł Pawlikowski's films "Ida" and "Cold War" were presented, which won many awards at the most prestigious film festivals in the world, as well as permanent winners of nominations and statuettes awarded by the film academy. The Trieste Film Festival also recognized the influence of Ewa Puszczyńska and her company Extreme Emotions on the film "The Zone of Interest" by Jonathan Glazer, which closed this year's edition of the event. Ewa Puszczyńska was a guest of the festival in Trieste, where she received the award. “The Zone of Interest” is co-financed by Polish Film Institute and has received the 30% Cash Rebate incentive. Principal photography took place in Poland. 

The Trieste Film Festival also showed appreciation to “Cent'anni” .  During the celebration, which ended on January 27, the documentary film “Cent'anni” directed by Mai Dorotei Prelog was also honored with an award. The documentary tells the story of a filmmaker and cycling enthusiast who experiences a new reality after curing leukemia, which radically changed his life. A film about a rowing journey through the stages of the Giro D'Italia, during which he became the hero himself. The film took part in the documentary film competition. "Cent'anni", as the Italian titles read, is a co-production of Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Serbia and Austria, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The project previously received the Docs-in-Progress Award at the Cannes Film Market in 2021.