Discoveries from Poland World Cinema

In the 1970s, plaques commemorating four generals, commanders of the Home Army—Michał Tokarzewski, Stefan Grot Rowecki, Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, and Leopold Okulicki—were placed in St. Hyacinth's Church in Warsaw's Old Town. The film presents little-known fragments of their biographies.

World War II. Kulak of Polish descent has been robbed. A man is so desperate that he decides to go through a minefield to pick apples for his dying son.

Staff at the vacation home are preparing to welcome refugees.

A short film from the Lodz film school.

A bored young woman interacts with the stranded objects of a black-and-white room, which take on their own lives as she begins to dream.

The year 2019, declared the Year of Stanislaw Moniuszko (18191872) by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and UNESCO, abounds in a series of events commemorating the work of the father of the Polish national opera. The Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz has also joined the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Stanislaw Moniuszko, publishing DVDs with the performance of Halka in a star cast, directed by Natalia Babiska and under the baton of Piotr Wajrak. The producers of the Bydgoszcz show suggest a refreshed, reinterpreted view of Halka, finding a broader historical and social background therein, and looking for, also in the music that follows the truth about interpersonal relationships discovered between the lines in an extremely natural way, Moniuszkos phenomenon, which escapes an easy categorisation.

Pigeon breeders (men mostly) are a special kind of enthusiasts. Their hobby includes an element of competition – a long-distance race of carrier pigeons.

Things are escaping from the filthy apartment that the small owner does not respect.

A teenage girl describes the clash with bureaucracy and housing perturbations her parents experienced.

Amelia, an attractive middle-aged woman, has been living in a marriage with a reconstructor of medieval battles for many years. The relationship gradually falls into routine, and does not give the woman sexual fulfillment. What has been dormant all life will begin to wake up when a mysterious package is found at the door of the apartment.

On colorful German postcards and photos, WW I looks like a great adventure for men. It is enough to compare them with documentary photos describing that terrible period to reveal the whole falsity of the iconographic project of the war.

A young boy accidentally travels back in time to the year 2999 and is forced to find himself in this futuristic world. He does not yet know that his decisions will lead to a galactic war...

Tadeusz Mazowiecki, the first prime minister of free Poland, takes us through successive stages of the political transformation at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. He ponders, listens and negotiates sharply. He must be aware he’s making a great revolution. What values and ideals inspired this transformation? What can we learn from him today? “Make Revolutions by Phone: A Short Movie about Tadeusz Mazowiecki ” is a documentary essay based entirely on archival materials from various periods of Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s life, edited in a creative way suggesting that Mazowiecki is conducting the conversation with himself. Dynamic animations and young alternative music give a counterpoint to the story.

An attempt to summarize the director's life and work to date, starting from his early youth and ending with his work on "Pan Tadeusz".

The Film introduces the silhouette of Sergei Paradzhanov-a great, eccentric master. It shows his house, the environment in which he lived and worked. It uses unique fragments of materials documenting the director's work on the film set and archival photographs unconventional photo shoots.

The moment of respite or agitation? Letting mind free or fighting with thoughts?

Christmas Eve morning arrives – the first in Filemon's life. Final preparations for the evening dinner are underway. Boniface tells his friend about the custom of giving each other "stars" – meaning presents. Filemon takes this literally and decides to give Boniface a star for Christmas.

Documentary about the Polish fandom and various collectible Star Wars items from 70's and 80's. This is a sentimental retro journey to the times of PRL (Polish People's Republic), where passion and fantasy were meeting up with the sad reality of life under the communist oppression.

Camera going through the rooms one by one, each completely differnt from one another, till it cannot go forward anymore.

Inspired by mythical story about Ikar, it shows eternal desire to be free. But absolut freedom is not achievable…

Morgue worker starts talking to the dead.

A claustrophobic journey into spaces never seen before. ‘The Tough’ carries a lot of meanings: defiant, vicious, resistant, relentless, strong, resilient, cold, hard. The explorer has reason to choose this name for his discovery - a place deep below snowy ground. And why? The unknown stirs his imagination, pushes him forward. The camera follows him, step by step, taking part in the exploration of the spaces which more and more fiercely resist the delicate human shape.

The final stages of alcohol addiction are juxtaposed with the official attitude of Polish authorities towards the success of the ever-growing national alcohol industry.

The adventures of a plush dog that take place in a child's room.

The film follows a few people in their twenties experiencing love-Adrian, Jacus, Wiesia, The Crystal Girl and Wasyl. Adrian is in his final year studying philosophy. During a lecture on the nature of love, he notices Magda, a socially engaged journalist who has her own radio talk-show. They start dating. Jacus, who shares a dorm room with Adrian, is hopelessly in love with Wasyl. Unable to deal with his unrequited love, Jacus is driven to psychosis. Adrian’s sister Wiesia is soon to be married to Szymon. They are looking for a flat together. When Adrian drops by for a visit, he realizes that Szymon is physically abusing his sister. Wiesia, however, is in denial.

The reality presented in the film Oh God might be described using such terms as inertia or chaos. The characters feature lack of willingness to take any action, they are passive and indifferent, unable to create their own reality. The author presents a world that loses its original shapes and loses its identity. Groaning “oh God” as a main theme combines it all: grimace, sigh and a quiet whisper of despair over our own impotence.

Twin brothers, Rysiek and Stefan live in an orphanage run by nuns. The orphanage is situated in a small Silesian town, where the Poles and the Germans live next to one another. The boys are unlucky to grow up in one of the worst periods in the history of the place - during the Third Reich. They will soon be parted only to meet again in extremely unpleasant circumstances a dozen or so years later.

An Islamic world tour is documented here by visits to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Qatar, to highlight events post 9/11, including footage taken a few years before. The directors of the film traveled for ten years throughout these countries under heavy Muslim influence, and met with clan leaders, mullahs, and other strict followers of the Quran.

The near future. The world is plunged into the chaos of war. Failed scientific experiments have led to the emergence of a deadly disease that turns people into bloodthirsty zombies. Soon, the plague spreads across the globe. Four deserters from the Western Front fight their way through areas controlled by the "transformed," searching for a safe haven.

A film based on a legend telling where the salt in the sea came from

n a ministerial office, representatives of major political factions meet to decide which famous Poles should appear on newly denominated banknotes. Despite heated debate, none of the proposed historical figures gains universal approval, revealing how political decisions are often made elsewhere. A satirical comedy written and directed by Juliusz Machulski.

Third stand-up comedy special by comedian Irina Prikhodko. Recorded in June 2024 in Warsaw, Poland.

Documentary reconstruction of the ascent of Mnich mountain located in the High Tatras. Climbers overcome the famous, difficult climbing route along the north-eastern wall, called Variant R. Sergiusz Sprudin shows the hardship and effort of daredevils reaching the top.

The change of the political system that occurred in Poland in the early 1990s brought not only hopes related to the social and economic transformation, but also anxieties and fears. At the time, such fears were treated as evidence of incompatibility with the new capitalist order and thus consistently relegated to the margins of public debate. The film is an attempt to recall the traumatic experiences of this period.

Experimental short film

Two friends in New York City try to discover the events of the night before in time for one of them to catch a flight back to her home country.

The film addresses the passage of time by making a comparison between rivers and the main character's life.

A short movie that centers on the personal experiences and identities of three non-heteronormative individuals: a bisexual gender fluid individual, a cisgender gay man, and a bisexual transgender male. Through a stylized and artistic approach utilizing black and white cinematography, the film delves into the sensualities and gender expressions of its protagonists. The film's use of monochromatic visual storytelling enhances its aesthetic sophistication and stylization, while the cinematography's intimacy and rawness allows the audience to form a deep emotional connection with the characters and their desires.

"No Excuses" raises questions about human complexity, where woman are competing alongside men in a male dominated crossfit gym.

The story of a boy who really wants to be stroked by his Mommy. Unfortunately, the woman's attention is completely focused on her beloved dog. What is the boy capable of to get his Mommy's attention…?

Young anti-establishment artists and art students with experiences and observations of life under communism.

If it's a vacation, then collective meetings and obtaining the Mountain Tourist Badge are mandatory, "banditry is the first, still primitive form of class struggle."

A movie director and a TV CEO set out to make a movie about the decline of the human race and civilization.