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From the pre-premiere screening of The Shrew of Destiny to Andrzej Wajda’s Pan Tadeusz, this year’s Gdynia for Kids takes young audiences on a journey through films that entertain, move and inspire conversation. Prepared by the Polish Filmmakers Association as part of the nationwide Polish Cinema for Young Audiences initiative, the programme shows that the first encounter with great cinema can stay with a viewer for a lifetime. 

Thanks to the support of the City of Gdynia, the 51^st PFF attendees who hold accreditation, a pass or a valid ticket will be able to use public transport free of charge within Gdynia’s fare zone.

The Big Five – five filmmakers will reveal which Polish films are especially close to their hearts, films that have shaped who they are today and never cease to amaze them. The screenings will offer a unique opportunity to revisit evergreen classics — the beating heart of our cinema. Katarzyna Herman has chosen My Nikifor by Krzysztof Krauze, Anna Jadowska Night Train by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Henryk Kuźniak At the Height of Summer by Feliks Falk, Paweł Maślona The Illumination by Krzysztof Zanussi, and Wojciech Smarzowski Teddy Bear by Stanisław Bareja.

As part of the 51^st PFF, we have planned no fewer than seven screenings in the Documentaries in Gdynia section – including three in collaboration with the Krakow Film Festival, and one with Millenium Docs Against Gravity film festival. This year’s films in the Documentaries in Gdynia section reveal a broad spectrum of family relationships, paint vivid portraits, engage in self-reflective contemplation and bear witness to solidarity in the face of the trauma of war. 

Five titles for children and youth have been nominated for the Janusz Korczak Golden Lion Cubs Award. The winner will be chosen by public vote. The titles in the running for the award are: The Shrew of Destiny by Marcin Wasilewski, Too Old for Fairy Tales 3 by Kristoffer Rus, The Boy at the Edge of the World by Grzegorz Wacławek and Marta Szymańska, Smartie and Me by Kacper Lisowski, and The Amazing Adventures of Lost Socks 3: Socks in Space! by Elżbieta Wąsik and Paweł Wendorff.

Eight films have been selected for the Perspectives Competition – seven of them are feature-length debuts, whilst one is the director’s second film. The films were selected by Joanna Łapińska, the Artistic Director of the Festival, based on the recommendations of the Organising Committee.

With more than two months to go before the festival, we are announcing the list of films selected for the Main Competition and the Short Film Competition at the 51^st Gdynia Polish Film Festival!

A distinguished Polish film editor is to receive a lifetime achievement award in Gdynia.