Festival audiences will once again have the opportunity to experience a unique encounter with domestic documentary cinema. There are 11 productions taking part in the Polish Competition with a chance to win three awards – the Best Polish Film Award, the Best Production Award in the Polish Competition presented by the post-production studio Smakjam and the Association of Studio Cinemas Award.
Apolonia, Apolonia, dir. Lea Glob (Polish Premiere)
When Danish filmmaker Lea Glob first met Apolonia Sokol in 2009, she appeared to be leading a storybook life, but that was just a first false impression. Over the years, Lea kept returning to film Apolonia as she sought her place in the art world.
Girls’ Stories, dir. Aga Borzym (World Premiere)
Jagoda and Zuzia are friends from the neighbourhood, who are just entering and exploring puberty. Biology, hormones, pimples, first rebellion, first love. The first period - when will it come? They introduce us to the “girlish”’ world that every woman remembers.
Fantastic Matt Parey, dir. Bartosz Paduch (World Premiere)
The film captures the phenomenon of Maciej Parowski – the editor responsible for launching the careers of several generations of Polish fantasy writers. He played a key role in the success of Andrzej Sapkowski’s “The Witcher”.
Leon, dir. Wojciech Gostomczyk (Polish Premiere)
His name is Leon and he is a performance artist. His colourful but also dangerous lifestyle puts him often in conflict with society. The only person who seems to understand him is Manfred Thierry Mugler, iconic fashion designer, his boyfriend.
We Will Not Fade Away, dir. Alisa Kovalenko (Polish Premiere)
In “We Will Not Fade Away”, we follow five Ukrainian teenagers growing up in small towns in the coal mining district, in Donbas. Like the teens around the world, they struggle with the many frustrations of searching for their own identity.
Pianoforte, dir. Jakub Piątek (Polish Premiere)
„Pianoforte” follows an eclectic group of young musicians from around the world who have prepared since they were children for the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition. During the preliminary round, there are 160 of them. Then, about 80. Then 40. At last, only 10 lucky ones make it to the final.
Polish Prayers, dir. Hanna Nobis (Polish Premiere)
Antek grew up in a deeply religious family and radical right-wing environment of traditional catholics in Poland. When he falls in love, doubts begin to set in.
In the Rearview, dir. Maciek Hamela (World Premiere)
The first days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. People facing an uncertain here and now, choose to abandon what they hold most precious as they climb straight into the dusty van with foreign plates. They have a single goal: finding a safe haven.
Solaris Mon Amour, dir. Kuba Mikurda (World Premiere)
A found footage documentary inspired by Stanisław Lem’s ”Solaris”. A trance-like, personal story about loss, mourning & memory. The film consists of excerpts from 70 films produced by the Educational Film Studio in Lodz in the 1960s and the first radio adaptations of ”Solaris".
Vika!, dir. Agnieszka Zwiefka (World Premiere)
84-year-old DJ Vika is a true star of Warsaw nightclubs. Told with staged musical parts "Vika!" is a bitter-sweet portrait of a woman who has to face aging, yet celebrating life till the very end.
In Ukraine, dir. Piotr Pawlus, Tomasz Wolski (Polish Premiere)
Filmmakers Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski depart on a challenging mission to show, rather than tell, what is going on in Ukrainian shelled-out cities and burnt-down villages. What happened to those who stayed or who returned home?
