Films in the Perspectives Competition of the 50^th Polish Film Festival

It’s time to discover the list of films selected to compete in the Perspectives Competition of the 50^th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. The selection was made by the Artistic Director Joanna Łapińska, supported by the recommendation of the Organising Committee

Eight films have been selected for the Perspectives Competition, including 5 feature-length debuts.

Joanna Łapińska says: “After the well-received first edition of the Perspectives Competition, this year’s eight competition films will once again let us take a broader look at new Polish cinema. The purpose of this competition is to help more films reach viewers. And it’s happening – after last year’s edition, titles from the Perspectives Competition were constantly present at various festivals, reviews, in cinemas, and in conversations. This year will introduce new titles to the circulation of films. I’m very happy about that!”

PERSPECTIVES COMPETITION of the 50^th PFF

13 Days Till Summer, directed by: Bartosz M. Kowalski, written by: Bartosz M. Kowalski, Mirella Zaradkiewicz, Thor Magnusson, producer: Jan Kwieciński

Budapest Diaries, written and directed by: Rafał Kapeliński, producers: Małgorzata Domin, Dominika Mandla

Glorious Summer, written and directed by: Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak, producers: Maria Gołoś, Monika Matuszewska

Woodland, written and directed by: Joanna Zastróżna, producer: Patrycja Ryłko-Khamis

North South, directed by: Sebastian Pańczyk, directorial cooperation: Kuba Grabowski, written by: Sebastian Pańczyk, Kuba Grabowski, producers: Kuba Grabowski, Dawid Szynol, Anna Pietkun

Beautiful!, directed by: Katia Priwieziencew, written by: Katarzyna Sarnowska, producer: Kuba Kosma, Katarzyna Sarnowska

This Is Not Happening, written, directed and produced by: Artur Wyrzykowski

Hitler Is Truly Dead, directed by: Monika Strzępka, written by: Paweł Demirski, producers: Jerzy Kapuściński, Ewa Jastrzębska, Magdalena Tomanek

Films presented in the Perspectives Competition will compete for the Sapphire Lions award and the financial award of PLN 50,000 (PLN 30,000 for the film’s director and PLN 20,000 for the producer).  The Jury of the Competition will also select the winner of the award for an outstanding artistic contribution to the filmmaking process. The value of the award is PLN 15,000, whereas the statuette is reserved for representatives of all film professions, except for directors and producers, included in the Sapphire Lions award.

Additionally, films from the Perspectives Competition compete for two other Festival awards: the award for directing debut or second film and the “Golden Claw” award, which are granted in the cross-section system, together with the Main Competition.

KGHM Polska Miedź is the partner of the Perspectives Competition.

The 50^th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia will take place on 22^nd–27^th September 2025. The producer of the Festival is the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.