Discoveries from Poland World Cinema

An attempt to characterize Alexander Lukashenko's rule. Belarusian intellectuals speak out, drawing attention to the phenomenon of this presidency. Lukashenko, one of the most active opponents of communist rule and an excellent speaker, managed to gather the most talented politicians around him. At the same time, he made excellent use of the Belarusian mentality, skillfully using the media to proclaim the threat from the West and other populist slogans, including promises of universal prosperity. Despite repeatedly violating the constitution, he enjoys unwavering support among ordinary people. But is he a dictator in the full sense of the word?

Two birds compete for a place on the perch.

Once again, Polish poet, musician and artist Wojciech Bąkowski translates the various stages of his ever-fluctuating moods into a series of sober, yet ingenious pencil drawings. The animated translucent frames show a state of lightness. Memories turn inside the head, like projections from the exterior world. (IFFR)

A poetic metaphor about man's eternal pursuit of beauty.

Short film showing the relationship between man and nature.

A grotesque story of a certain family. The protagonist of the film is a successful, multi-talented politician who knows how to adapt to any situation. However, when it comes to domestic matters, he is pushed into a totally defensive position. All this is observed by the protagonist's son, who distances himself from the reality surrounding him by choosing his own way of continuing his father's path.

The engineer sitting behind his desk in his studio is tormented by visions and hallucinations, much like St. Anthony the Hermit once was. Women, apparitions, creatures, and skeletons from the paintings of Bosch and Dali appear. In the drawings he creates, there are more and more mechanical insects and birds, and finally, with the help of a computer, he manages to construct combat aircraft. He begins to control them. Explosions ring out. They are accompanied by the demonic laughter of the demiurge...

A filmed performance at the Satirics Theater in Warsaw, a cabaret theater operating from 1954 to 1975.

The Smolensk disaster as seen through the eyes of foreign correspondents reporting on the events of April 2010.

The courage and steadfastness of Polish pilots was known throughout the world. Their dedication and great fortitude allowed them to fight for a better future for their country.

How low do you have to fall to finally desire to rise from the bottom? How strong do you have to be to do it? Michal Marian Pawlawczyk, the protagonist of Beata Januchta's poignant documentary film, experienced first-hand both extreme debasement and the miracle of rebirth. The film story of Michal covers two and a half years of his life. Michal has been drinking for 30 years, 20 of them heavily. It was alcohol that made him lose his family: his wife left him, taking their then two-year-old son, Maciek.

The documentary presents events from the life of Józef Piłsudski that shaped the image of the Marshal as a statesman, politician, independence activist, and Prime Minister of Poland.

In the world of fashion, banking, and the glamour of a luxury hotel, a man seeks the attention of a beautiful woman.

A reconstruction of the events of the Warsaw Uprising, based on photographs taken over a period of two months by photojournalist Sylwester Braun, known as "Kris."

Based on an erotic short story, the film tells the story of a boy who meets a beautiful lover. It turns out that the mysterious girl is the ghost of a woman who died two years ago.

Few things bring that much happiness as an empty compartment on an night train. That feeling of being all alone with you thoughts, soaked in the transient neon lights slicing up the darkness. A rhythmic clatter of the train helps you to enter that special kind of trance. Time melts away. The darkness is devouring the compartment. Let's hope noone will join you.

Sara is twenty years old, has pretty blond hair and is obsessed with numerology. She reads the near and far future from numbers, which has made her feel safe ever since childhood. Everything changes when she meets Witek.

The filmmakers show the psychological factors involved in a boxer's first fight.

"Dear Mr. President!" - this is how Zosia Kaczynska titled her letter, asking Boleslaw Bierut - on behalf of herself and her three siblings - to release her mother from prison. This letter did not reach the addressee. Most of the requests for clemency, written by convicts and their relatives, already at the beginning of their journey to the head of state received a note in the prosecutor's office or court: leave without further course. Historian and archivist Janusz Kotanski and former political prisoner Janusz Horodniczy followed in the footsteps of documents found in the archives in search of those harmed by Stalin's repressive apparatus.

A documentary about the Jarocin festival in 1990.

A fictional telephone conversation between the filmmaker and his mother on her birthday. A performative reflection on the relationship between public and private spheres in which the maker turns his back to the camera, simultaneously shielding himself, and engages the viewer in the (im)possibility of bridging the gap between the man and his mother. Capturing the intimate conversation seems to be a way of keeping a personal memory alive while it merges with the viewer’s memory.

A popular children's rhyme inspired the artist to create an original visual and sound collage, inspired by the visual achievements of Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneer of cinematography. Here are the individual phases of the horse's movement in a gallop from the photograph of the English master...

Lights and colours are melting, transforming, pulsating. A play between abstraction and figurativeness, accompanying the music of Danish sound artist Sofie Birch. The experimental music video explores cinematic means of expression – discovering a way to not only accompany but interact with Birch’s sounds.

The story behind the production of the anti-Polish propaganda film Heimkehr (Return to the Fatherland), shot in Chorzele in 1941 on the initiative of Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda of the Third Reich.

An impressionistic description of the camp experience of Xawery Dunikowski (1875-1964), sculptor, painter and educator, prisoner of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp (1940-45).

A documentary short constructed from the photo album of a German officer, tracing his movements across multiple World War II fronts. The film transforms private souvenirs into stark testimony, exposing how personal mementos intersect with the broader history of the war.

A documentary about a Polish film director Jerzy Kawalerowicz.

A film about two times refugees and their ability to maintain creativity in a time of political terror, repressed culture and fatal bombings. The experience of Belarusian creators who went through two catastrophic transformations in a short period of time. Their lives have been destroyed twice in two years, but they have the strength and energy to carry on. Create and inspire others. They establish Belarus outside the geographical borders of Belarus.

A record of one day in the life of a chronically ill man. It begins and ends with a fragment from a poem by Horace, who recommends to appreciate every dawn.

The film follows kickboxer Marek Piotrowski’s rise to fame after winning the amateur world championship and moving to the US, where he becomes the US and World Champion. His success attracts Hollywood stars and a movie offer. However, after a knockout loss to Ricky Roufus and a defeat to Rob Kaman, his health and life decline. Facing personal struggles, including a divorce and the revelation he isn’t his son’s father, he returns to Poland to rebuild his life.

A documentary film about the Laboratory Theatre of 13 Rows.

Magda and Paweł seem to have different expectations of life: she needs a bit of craziness, and he needs a bit of normality. Even though Magda cannot imagine living in the countryside, following Paweł's will, they decide to buy a farm near Serock. Magda and Paweł, not without problems, buy the farm from old farmers. The youngsters start to manage the homestead, at the same time they undergo some mental changes. Paweł's father dies, his mother decides to be an adviser to her son and Magda. The girl begins to trust life, however, she loses her first baby. Paweł finds it difficult to get along with the local farming club. The spouses share with us their fears, hopes and reflections.

Children, absorbed in drawing and painting, share their thoughts and preferences with the filmmaker. Not restricted by any convention, they experience their adventure with art.

A SOV underground splatter film from Poland.

The film consists of over a dozen animated epigrams connected by the motif of being trapped in a loop of absurdity. In a colourful labyrinth of observations, the protagonists try to make sense of nonsense – or stay mindlessly within it.

An animated film with documentary elements. The protagonists perform repetitive tasks at a CD factory. Observation of the production line is a pretext for seeking meaning, purpose, and time within the system.

A day in the life of women from the "Nawojka" Dormitory at the Cracow Jagiellonian University. In the 15th century, the patroness of the dormitory tried to study at the university disguised as a man. Today, more than 700 female students studying humanities or science live here.

A man escapes from a city to the bosom of nature. The problem is that he takes a lot of things with him. He would like to be free as a bird, but the things take control over the man and do not let him go.

This film tells a shocking and brutal story that has been kept a secret in Poland for over 60 years. It tells the story of a pogrom in 1941 in Jedwabne, Poland and explores the implications of the past for present constructions and negotiations of personal, national and religious identity.

Saxophone, Double Bass, Drums. Three little stories told through the medium of movement. A painterly visualization of the music of the band KWAŚNY DESZCZ (sour rain).

Adam doesn't say much. When we observe him in his daily activities, he seems withdrawn. He comes to life in the shooting range and the Equality March, proudly holding the blue, pink and white flag. Adam knows who he really is and will do anything to finally feel like himself.

The inhabitants of the village of Tichilesti in eastern Romania live far away from civilization, in the quiet among dogs and cats that roam the streets. However, this tranquillity portends death as Tichilesti was where lepers were sent years ago.

Short film by acclaimed polish director Zbigniew Rybczynski. Included in The Workshop of the Film Form

On the Polish-Belarusan borderland the pace of life is slow, but underneath the surface of things, the density of it leads beyond understanding. Life and death do not mean the persistence and disappearance of biological processes here, they are impenetrable forces that constitute reality. This is where the Whisperer lives. She heals people using the power of words, gestures and images. Rough nature, religious ceremonies and pagan rituals are what you will encounter along the path to this state of mind.

A writer shows up at the clinic where his friend is being treated for drug addiction.