Anna Spisz

Simona Kossak

Simona Kossak - daughter of the painter Jerzy Kossak and granddaughter of Wojciech - deprived of the talent that has defined her family for generations, grows up without knowing the warmth of her despotic mother. When, after graduation, she leaves everything - home, tradition, social conventions - and takes up a job as a scientist in Białowieża, she starts life on her own terms.

Pianoforte

The world’s most talented young pianists compete in the International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. A rare behind the scenes look at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition, Pianoforte is both a testament to the remarkable power of music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait.

Don’t Mess with Gienek

“Don’t Mess with Gienek” is a tragicomical story about the short-tempered and stubborn Gienek. It is a story about taming an old lion for whom time passes inexorably. Perhaps this is the last moment to overcome and finally fulfil his beloved daughter’s request.

Girls’ Stories

Jagoda and Zuzia giggle in the opening scenes in the way that only 11-year-old girls can. Together they are the center of their own changing world. On the face of it, not much happens in the lives of these Polish best friends, but big changes are on the way. The end of primary school is in sight, and the girls are impatiently awaiting first love, budding breasts and first periods.

Green Border

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

Boylesque

At 82 years old, Lula is every inch the rebel. An openly gay man in communist Poland, he organized underground parties and after-curfew salons of men inside private apartments. He enthusiastically took up drag, despite a fiercely homophobic culture, to free himself from the stifling correctness of the 80s. But now, he's an old, single man in a youth-obsessed world. His friend was crushed by depression and killed himself, but somehow Lula, now Poland's oldest drag queen, remains buoyant. Is he escaping loneliness with his constant clubbing, looking for love yet again to insulate himself against what he knows is coming? Lula isn't waiting for approval. Filmmaker Bogna Kowalczyk's energetic portrait pairs with her subject's kinetic drive, right down to the stellar soundtrack and nimble camerawork. Whether it's meeting fans at Pride or selecting an artist to sculpt his specialty crematorium urn, try to keep up with a man who knows life is to be lived out loud.

Revolution 21

Inspired by a political protest movement, the Teatr 21 – a theatre company of acting enthusiasts with Down’s syndrome – develops a play in which the participants articulate their wishes and demands and at the same time get to abandon themselves with great joy to creative development. Martyna Peszko attentively follows the creation process as it unfolds in a productively bustling rehearsal atmosphere, with musical accents provided by the improvisations of a free jazz trio.

Detective Bruno

For his birthday, eight-year-old Oskar receives a clue about a mysterious treasure hunt left to him by his deceased parents. He immediately hires the best detective he knows: The star of the popular TV series "Detective Bruno". Together, the two embark on a turbulent paper chase and discover far more than just the next clue. A heart-warming family adventure to guess along with!

Too Old for Fairy Tales

In Waldek's life, filled mainly with computer games, there is a real earthquake. During her absence, mum stays under the care of a crazy and unpredictable aunt, who introduces discipline that has been alien to him so far and imposes new duties. But although an extraordinary relative gives Waldek a real survival camp, the boy also receives the most valuable life lesson from her.

Autumn Girl

Polish film and music icon Kalina Jedrusik, a scandalous free-spirited sex symbol, fights for her independence in the prude society of the 1960s.

Leave No Traces

In 1983, communist Poland is shaken by the case of high school student Grzegorz Przemyk, who is beaten to death by police. The only witness of the beating becomes the number one enemy of the state.

Other People

Warsaw, Poland. Kamil, a street rapper who spends his time going from party to party, begins a love affair with Iwona, a wealthy married woman.

The Balcony Movie

Composed from the conversations that the director holds with people passing by in the street under his Warsaw apartment, each story in 'The Balcony Movie' is unique and deals with the way we try to cope with life as individuals. All together, they create a self-portrait of contemporary human life, and the passers-by present a composite picture of today's world.

Magnesium

A western, inspired by the likes of Tarantino and Leone, set in the 1920s in the borderland between Poland and the USSR: Twin brothers plan to rob a rival Mafia style family, an instance of female empowerment in that it is run by sisters.

The Man with the Magic Box

A man stricken with amnesia, discovers a mysterious radio whose music brings back troubling memories from his forgotten past.

The Last Family

Beksiński is a gentle man with arachnophobia, despite his hardcore sexual fantasies and his fondness for painting disturbing dystopian works. Beksiński is a family man who wants only the best for his loving wife Zofia, neurotic son Tomasz and the couple's aging mothers. His daily painting to classical music eventually pays off and he makes a name for himself in contemporary art. Good Catholic woman Zofia tries to hold the family together, but troubled son Tomasz proves to be a handful with his violent outbursts and suicidal threats. Their relief is brief when he starts dating women and becomes a radio presenter and movie translator, and the concerned parents must be on constant watch to prevent their son from hurting himself. But Beksiński never believed that family life would always be sunshine and rainbows. As he tapes everything with his beloved camcorder, the 28-year Beksiński saga unfolds through paintings, near-death experiences, dance music trends and funerals...

Warsaw by Night

Four woman, each with their own theory about love. Iga is married and lives in a happy relationship but deeply fantasies about extreme experiences. In her search she uncovers various shades of loves, like the modern femme fatale (Joanna) and a woman (Agata) who is being cheated on. An attractive 30 year old (Roma) is searching for a man who will turn her life upside and desperate for this life changing moment. Set in modern Warsaw, where one night can change anybodies life.

Body

A busy attorney, worried that his anorexic daughter Olga, who is still grieving her recently deceased mother, might try to harm herself, sends her to see a psychiatrist who's dealing with her own loss in an unusual way.