Competition films at the 51st Polish Film Festival – Polish Film Festival

There are 16 films in the Main Competition. Among them are 5 feature-length directing debuts.

In accordance with the regulations of the 51^st PFF, the films for the Main Competition were selected by: the Artistic Director of the Festival, Joanna Łapińska, with the support of the Selection Board she appointed (an advisory body comprising, this year, director Leszek Dawid and directors Mara Tamkovich and Marta Minorowicz) and the Organising Committee.

As Joanna Łapińska says: “We have an interesting year ahead of us. A varied one. Big names are returning with new films. We’ve been looking forward to these films. It’s also great to see young filmmakers represented in the Main Competition. May this be an edition of discoveries – I hope there will be as many of them as possible. May this year’s selection of sixteen films serve as an excellent starting point for a conversation about the contemporary world, the role of Polish cinema and its future.”

MAIN COMPETITION OF THE 51^ST PFF

The Time That Never Came, directed by: Julia Rogowska, writted by: Małgorzata Piłacińska, produced by: Krystyna Kantor

Good Boy, directed by: Jan Komasa,  written by: Bartek Bartosik, Naqqash Khalid, producers: Ewa Piaskowska, Jerzy Skolimowski 

Wild, Wild East,  directed by: Jan Holoubek,  written by: Aleksandra Takuska, producers: Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Bogna Szewczyk-Skupień 

Exotic,  written and directed by: Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska, producers: Magdalena Sztorc, Anna Zajączkowska

Liquid States, directed by: Maria Wider, written by: Maria Wider, Magdalena Kućka and Aleksandra Arent, produced by: Jerzy Kapuściński, Magdalena Tomanek and Katarzyna Malinowska 

Hot Spot,  directed by: Agnieszka Smoczyńska,  written by: Robert Bolesto, producers: Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Bogna Szewczyk-Skupień, Gregory Jankilevitsch 

A Free Woman,  written and directed by: Eliza Godlewska, Alan Ruczyński, producers: Kamil Janik, Patrycja Strzyżewska

Less of a Stranger, directed by: Kristoffer Rus, written by: Wiktor Piątkowski and Joanna Kozłowska, produced by: Kristoffer Rus, Akos Erdos, Mikołaj Wit and Dariusz Goczał

Our Revolution,  directed by: Piotr Domalewski, producer: Robert Kijak 

Fatherland,  directed by: Paweł Pawlikowski,  written by: Paweł Pawlikowski, Henk Handloegten, producer: Ewa Puszczyńska 

Gorky Resort, directed: by Łukasz Palkowski, written by: Dżamila Ankiewicz, Agatha Dominik and Robert Gliński, producer: Marek Nowowiejski

Tell Me What You Feel,  directed by: Łukasz Ronduda,  written by: Łukasz Ronduda, Agata K. Koschmieder, producer: Natalia Grzegorzek 

Through the Wall,  written and directed by: Maciej Sobieszczański, producers: Zbigniew Domagalski, Agnieszka Będkowska 

Picasso's Mermaid,  directed by: Janusz Zaorski,  written by: Roman Jarosz, producer: Dariusz Głowala 

Tears of Neon,  directed by: Karolina Bielawska,  written by: Karolina Bielawska, Małgorzata Gospodarek, producers: Mariusz Włodarski, Agnieszka Wasiak

Winter of the Crow,  directed by: Kasia Adamik,  written by: Sandra Buchta, Kasia Adamik, Lucinda Coxon, producers: Olga Chajdas, Stanisław Dziedzic

 

A total of 28 films produced by film schools, film studios and production companies have been shortlisted for the Short Film Competition at the 51^st Polish Film Festival. The films were selected by the festival’s artistic director, with the support of her appointed advisers – director Łukasz Grzegorzek and journalist and film critic Joanna Najbor.

 

SHORT FILM COMPETITION AT THE 51^ST PFF

The Last Family Tape, directed by: Jakub Jakubik, produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi

Guts, directed by: Anja Zalewska, produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi

Brother, directed by: Karol Janiuk, produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi

Chôra, directed by: Klaudia Szott, produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi

Recess,  directed by: Jan Saczek,  produced by: Szkoła Filmowa im. Krzysztofa Kieślowskiego Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach 

Weird to be Human,  directed by: Jan Grabowski,  produced by: Anda Films 

Honeymoon,  directed by: Jakub Wenda,  produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi 

The Knot,  directed by: Izabela Zubrycka,  produced by: Telewizja Polska S.A.  

Coma,  directed by: Tomasz Gąsiorowski,  produced by: Warszawska Szkoła Filmowa 

Kontrewers,  directed by: Zuza Banasińska,  produced by: ALE ALE 

Cats on Glass,  directed by: Katarzyna Sikorska,  produced by: Telewizja Polska S.A. 

A short film abour war, directed by: Nadim Suleiman, produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi

Shiner, directed by: Mieszko Chomka, produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi 

Męki i fantazje garbatego czeladnika, directed by: Maciej Tyburski, produkcja: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi

Altar Boyo, directed by: Dominik Hadziewicz, produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi

Princessy,  directed by: Franciszek Korolczuk,  produced by: Warszawska Szkoła Filmowa 

The Seedling,  directed by: Iga Bujarkiewicz,  produced by: Telewizja Polska S.A. 

Synthetic Hearts,  directed by: Michał Łukowicz,  produced by: Szkoła Filmowa im. Krzysztofa Kieślowskiego Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach 

Spiritus Sanctus,  directed by: Michał Toczek,  produced by: Studio Munka – Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich 

Case No,  directed by: Patrycja Polkowska,  produced by: Studio Munka – Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich 

Freestyle,  directed by: Kacper Nowak-Gocławski,  produced by: Gdyńska Szkoła Filmowa 

Noise of Waves,  directed by: Tomasz Wróbel,  produced by: Rizz Films 

Dream up the Title,  directed by: Klaudia Fortuniak,  produced by: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi 

Perfect Balance,  directed by: Katarzyna Warzecha,  produced by: Wajda Studio 

Vodka, Nibbles and Pure Beauty,  directed by: Katarzyna Kosajda,  produced by: Telewizja Polska S.A.  

They were all named Anzhelika,  directed by: Alexandra Sasha Kutsen,  produced by: Warszawska Szkoła Filmowa 

Bad Ideas,  directed by: Jan Bujnowski,  produced by: Ignis Films 

Sad Men Are Hard to Look at,  directed by: Paulina Michta,  produced by: Szkoła Filmowa im. Krzysztofa Kieślowskiego Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach 

 

As Artistic Director Joanna Łapińska states: “The state of the world around us, its fears and possible scenarios for the future are also explored by the filmmakers in this year’s Short Film Competition. It is a vivid and diverse chorus of voices, both thematically and stylistically, whose common thread is undoubtedly a fresh, bold perspective. It is no wonder that the short film format has had a loyal audience in Gdynia for years. How much poorer would our view of new Polish cinema be without these films?”

A list of films selected for the Perspectives Competition will be announced by the end of July. 

The 51^st Polish Film Festival will take place from 21^st to 26^th September 2026 in Gdynia. The festival is organised by the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.