Discoveries from Poland World Cinema

A documentary presenting the story of a monk and exorcist, Matteo da Agnone. Murder, Love and Forgiveness. Evidence from the late 16th and early 17th centuries and testimonies that will not leave you indifferent. Who was Matteo? What do the archives of the town of Agnone hide? How did the Vatican react to the story? These questions are answered by Fr. Cipriano de Meo, Fr. Nazareno M. Galullo, a charismatic priest, and Prof. Maria Cristina Melloni, an Italian history researcher.

Ahead of Weronika, an outstanding graduate of Warsaw Ballet School, lies the prospect of an international career. It turns out that talent, dedication and hard work are not always a guarantee to success. Sometimes one bad moment wipes out all the plans. However, Weronika isn't one to give up easily.

A holiday camp in Masuria is running a program called "If We Find Each Other." Its aim is to conduct a pedagogical experiment in which children from orphanages choose their own adoptive parents. Some of the children are passive, while others try to "study" the adults in their own way. Maciek, a young psychologist, notices Kasia, a girl on a gluten-free diet, whose illness has long prevented her from finding parents. Basia, Maciek's wife, accepts his choice. When Kasia learns from her friends that she will return to the orphanage after the holidays, she runs away from the center. Basia notices her and convinces the girl to return. After Basia and Maciek visit Professor Kowalewska, Kasia realizes that she finally has parents.

One of the three epitaphs that Robakowski created between 1966 and 1994, in an installation entitled Mr Deer (Self-Epitaph). The static shot from a bird’s-eye perspective shows the artist lying on a red and pink carpet with deer antlers attached to his head. Holding a burning cigarette in his mouth and exhaling smoke, the performer delivers a longer, unintelligible monologue; the words are gibberish, as if he were speaking with his mouth full. Robakowski commented on his self-epitaph: “Today, after almost thirty years, another epitaph appears, this time of ‘Mr Deer’, to personify the desire for arrogant gestures. It is meant to decry the miserable fate of the contemporary artist as a naïve fool, a bootlicker and creator of beautiful ideas and things…”.

An animation describing the madness of war, which runs forward like an unleashed dog. The passing time explodes with blood until history comes full circle and gradually fades away.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the Bałuty district in Łódź, a young man lost in the grind of part-time jobs hides his true self. Harsh words and rough streets fill his days until one person makes him realise there’s more. Together they roam the city on a scooter, sharing meals and moments before it’s time to say goodbye.

Set between conservative and growingly anti-LGBTQ Poland, versus the multi coloured and cosmopolitan universe of Berlin, Germany, Just Girls allows us to witness the daily life choices, of three Polish women as they daily defy intolerance while they pursue their dreams of inner happiness.

A couple of 30-year-olds have been living on the cat's paw for 8 years. He is a staunch opponent of marriage, she comes up with a crazy idea on how to make the proposal happen. Her guy doesn't need to know about everything.

The video shows the worst soccer team in the country. During the season, defeats alone, some even more than twenty to nothing. The president of the sports club is Bohdan Kwasniak (54), founder of LZS Chrzaststawa in 1980, and at the same time its president, coach and still a soccer player. He is an old bachelor, living with his parents, still dreaming of great soccer. The film is full of humor and unusual charm. You can find many brilliant references to our national soccer team.

The documentary opens with the return of Warsaw residents after the war – people walking in rags among the ruins. In time, life comes back to the city. “The 50s are a time of constant openings” – a tram line, an entertainment venue in the Polonia Hotel. The first fashion shows and hairdressing competitions are organised. News about fashion and trends from Western Europe reaches Warsaw.

A film about the inability to make a decision. A world filled with possibilities and a lost heroine who may not want to choose at all.

Amiga Deluxe Paint animation

Somewhere on the coast of the Bering Sea, a father and son make a living fishing in a community that seems almost outside of time. Aliaksandr Tsymbaliuk’s camera takes us in close to the subjects, recording both the harshness of their condition and the rigour of education, softened by paternal love and the universal insouciance of childhood.

A youngster ends up in a rehab centre for young deaf people struggling with addiction. A budding feeling, difficult to name, that draws him to a long-term resident starts to get in the way of his therapy. The film is told entirely in sign language.

Piotr Majdrowicz’s film The Misunderstanding of 1978 presents the story of a young photographer in love with an athlete who he photographs.

Prole 514 dreams about winning the Great Lottery. The lottery winner is transformed and allowed admission into the elite White society, where everyone is beautiful, young and happy and people spend their carefree lives solely on fun and partying. One day, 514's wish comes true... but was this what he really wanted?

Twenty-five year old Judith, lives with her father and works daily in big company as a janitor. Lonely, introverted woman finds outlet for her feelings as a butterfly collector. After an incident of harassment committed by employees, she takes vengeance.

A mysterious letter embroils a successful politician in a long-running extramarital affair and sparks a conflict between three women: his wife, her sister, and his alleged mistress. Soon, his infidelity becomes marginalized as the three women confront the limits of their own honesty while trying to uncover the truth.

Rex, influenced by music, begins to sing. He can recognize a harmony of sounds. The dog decides to sing by the window of a neighbor who plays the piano beautifully. She is better than a boy whose violin is out of tune. However, playing with a stick is not so great when you are a singer.

The story of a pedophile and the nine-year-old victim. Crime and punishment. This obvious division persists until – after several years – the boy comes to the conclusion that justice has not been served and decides to take matters into his own hands. Then the roles reverse. The film tells the story of life before and after the tragedy; it shows who the heroes of this tragedy are today and what consequences they have faced for their actions. It's a film about a situation that changes entire life.

Redyk is a ceremonial exit of shepherds with sheep flocks to the mountains. The sheep graze there. The Great Redyk is a post-war propaganda film with exceptional shots awarded in Cannes.

A biographical film about Józef Konrad Korzeniowski, better known as Joseph Conrad, a world-famous English writer of Polish origin. Before Conrad started to deal with literature, however, he worked for many years as a sailor. In this profession he rose to the rank of captain. He later used the experience gained in the seas around the world in numerous novels and short stories, earning himself a reputation as a classic of marine literature.

A former retired seaman moves in with his daughter and her family. Unable to find the desired peace, he spends more and more time away from home.

Agata is a member of the rowing sports club. At the next competition, she is going to sail in the team of the "eight". During this time she meets Robert, their relationship turns into love. Robert, however, turns out to be unworthy of her feelings, cheating on the girl by cheating on her with other women. Among them is Agata's trainer. The girl experiences it very much.

It’s 2020. A virus has taken over the world. People are dying in masses. The economy has fallen (or so it seems). Unemployment remains a relevant and widely ignored problem. In this setting, an accident happens in the city of Lodz. They say a blue crystal fell from the sky and killed a homeless man. Miłosz and Tomek, two random guys, find the body and the rock.

A very personal reflection on life and passing away. The director made it in 2006; after he suffered a massive stroke in spring 2005. He describes his struggle with a serious illness, returning with memories to the time when he was healthy. The documentary is interspersed with archival footage from Gzów, as well as excerpts from the director's previous films (Stardust and Time Spindle).

Colargol, after numerous preparations and tests, takes a trip around the Earth's globe with Raven and Rat. After an emergency landing, they build a new rocket and set off towards the Phantasmagoria constellation.

A story showing that the devil is not as black as he is painted.

A Warsaw Pollena-Uroda cosmetics factory radio broadcaster is working on a programme investigating the workers' sense of factory ownership. The workers' answers come as a surprise, especially to the management. About the ruling and the ruled in communist Poland.

Paper cutouts over images of mixed colorful liquids, creating hypnotizing swirls and aesthetic explosions, as well as combining original and futurological sounds. Starting with the relentless hunting of antelopes, the geometric cutouts show the constant struggle between the warring groups. We have been observing it since the primeval times, when the tools of the battles were arches and spears, through the times of the domination of swords, later replaced by firearms. The increasing automation and power of war machines, the emergence of tanks and aircraft, eventually the use of weapons of mass destruction lead to total annihilation

Animated film, about the formation of the Master - inspired by the work of Roman Polanski. Surrealistic picture with elements of macabre absurdity situation, metaphorical struggle of matter in shaping man and creator. The "body substance" slides off the window, like the hero of the film "The Tenant." Paradoxically, another collapse is shaping up a human figure who finally performs a master perfect somersault and strongly lands on the ground. The fully formed pratagonist is Roman Polanski - famous film director.

During World War II, Jewish artists fight for survival through music, theater and film creativity.

About collective consciousness, how not being accountable for our actions pushes us to follow the crowd, and could lead to tragedy. The consequences of collective hypnosis for those fighting against it and on the crowd.

A documentary impression by Władysław Ślesicki showing the life of women - the joys and sorrows of motherhood, the hardships of everyday life. The individual sequences, made using the observation method, form a mosaic portrait of a mother.

A metropolitan woman on a train, lost in her thoughts, is forced by an intense experience to break out of her bubble and connect with another passenger, despite seemingly having nothing in common.

A portrait of 99-year-old polish textile artist Krystyna-Wojtyna Drouet in her day-to-day life in a small studio in Warsaw. Her hands weave wool threads on the loom, intertwining with verses of her poetry, memories, photos from travels and recipes for natural dyes, revealing a sensorial and poetic glimpse into her inner world.

Sonderkommandos were work units of Nazi death camp prisoners, composed almost entirely of Jews, who were forced, on threat of their own deaths, to aid with the disposal of gas chamber victims during The Holocaust. This film interviews the survivors.

short film by Petr Makaj

The story takes place somewhere in Eastern Europe. The authorities declare a state of siege. A visually impaired old man becomes the commander. One theory applies - there is an enemy all around! The manipulated inhabitants of the Homo sovieticus trust the news without reservations and prepare to defend themselves. The city becomes a closed fortress. The authoritarian authorities introduce morning gymnastics. Volunteer patriots willing to die for the cause appear. The protagonist, internally torn, wants to escape. The authorities decide to fire a cannon at the supposed enemy. Although nothing remains, everything is under control. The fortress becomes a bygone history, but the demons of war never sleep

A film about emotional boundaries, both individual and relationship-related.Two women and one man create erotic spectacle which reveals their involvement and loneliness resulting from getting lost in their relationship.

The documentary depicts the celebrations of the 15th anniversary of the socialist Polish state. The entire country celebrates industrial successes and progress in rebuilding the homeland from post-war destruction.

A 16-year-old girl living in Ustka meets a boy with whom she falls in love at first sight. When Paweł goes to his hometown of Poznań, the girl decides to be with her beloved at all costs.

In this bloodthirsty and festive installment of the "Bad Exorcist" series, a homicidal fish avoids being eaten for dinner by attacking the diners first.

Kazimierz Kutz's student film. While playing soldier a boy is told to stand guard, but his friends finish the game, forget all about him, and go home. He stays there into the night not daring to move from the spot because he'd given his word of honor he wouldn't move until ordered.

The insane government bureaucracy at a state pension window.