Gdynia for Children at the 51st PFF – Polish Film Festival

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. 

– There is no cinema for ‘minor matters’. There are only stories told with more or less honesty. Contemporary films for children and young people increasingly treat their protagonists with the utmost seriousness – they do not shy away from difficult subjects, simplify emotions or offer easy answers. Instead of instructing, they try to understand. Instead of lecturing, they invite dialogue – says Grzegorz Łoszewski, President of the Polish Filmmakers Association, co-organiser of the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.

These words perfectly capture the idea that has guided Gdynia for Kids for years. It is an initiative that introduces young audiences to ambitious, diverse and open-minded cinema, while reminding adults that children’s sensitivity doesn’t need simplification but trust. The programme makes no distinction between ‘important’ and ‘entertaining’ films. There is room for laughter, adventure and imagination or stories about loneliness, growing up, family, war and the search for one’s own identity.

This year’s edition opens with a special event – the world premiere of The Shrew of Destiny and a meeting with its creators. Directed by Marcin Wasilewski, the animated film is an adaptation of Tomasz Samojlik’s popular comic book series. It is a humorous story about the great adventures of Europe’s smallest mammals which combines family cinema with reflections on environmental issues and the threats posed by modern civilisation. Young audiences at Gdynia for Kids will be among the first ones in Poland to see The Shrew of Destiny. This preview screening perfectly captures the spirit of the entire section: on the one hand, it follows the most exciting developments in contemporary cinema for young audiences; on the other, it remains a space for discovering new filmmakers, characters and themes.

From feature films to documentaries to animation

Further screenings and events as part of Gdynia for Children will take place daily until Friday 25^th September at the Musical Theatre and the Consulate of Culture. The exceptionally rich and varied Gdynia for Children programme shows how much cinema for young audiences has changed. The protagonists of this year’s films live in a world full of challenges. They grapple with neurodiversity, migration, war, disability, online hate and family crises. At the same time, they never lose their curiosity about the world or their thirst for adventure.

Films such as: Too Old for Fairy Tales 3, LARP, Loss of Balance, Pixie. The New Beginning and The Boy at the Edge of the World are made in different styles and conventions. However, they show that cinema for young audiences doesn’t have to choose between entertainment and responsibility. The most compelling films can combine the two, offering stories full of humour, emotion and authentic experiences.

The programme is complemented by documentaries, as well as live-action and animated short films. Titles include: The Queen and the Smokehouse, The Wind Over Aleppo, Autokar, Dad’s Not Home, or Hushes and Phonics. They encourage audiences to take a closer look at the world around them, foster empathy and show that film can also be a way of understanding reality.

A tribute to Andrzej Wajda

The Andrzej Wajda Year holds a special place in this year’s programme. Gdynia for Kids joins the nationwide celebrations by inviting teenage audiences to a screening of Pan Tadeusz – a film that, for many, was their first encounter with the work of one of Poland’s greatest directors. This cinematic adaptation of Adam Mickiewicz’s national epic remains not only a spectacular historical film, but also a story of growing up, community and memory. In a programme aimed at young audiences, the presence of Wajda’s work serves as a reminder that a classic is not merely a museum piece, but can remain a living experience for generations to come.

In Gdynia, however, it is not just the programme that matters. The meetings with filmmakers, discussions and educational sessions after the films are equally important. But above all, there is the opportunity to experience cinema together with peers – something no screen at home can replace. It’s been a long time since Gdynia for Kids became more than just a section accompanying the Polish Film Festival. It is a place where the next generation of Polish cinema audiences is taking shape. This is where the youngest viewers discover for the first time that film can entertain and move them, but also ask questions that do not always have simple answers. Because the first encounter with great cinema often turns out to be the most important one.

We invite organised school and nursery groups to get in touch and book places for free performances at the Musical Theatre and the Consulate of Culture, as well as accompanying events. Contakt: Renata Smagacka, phone 503 430 345, e-mail address: r.smagacka@sfp.org.pl

• Harmonogram 22. edycji sekcji Gdynia Dzieciom

• Regulamin przeglądu Gdynia Dzieciom organizowanego w Gdyni w dniach 21-25 września 2026 r. przez Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich z siedzibą Warszawie przy wsparciu Pomorskiej Fundacji Filmowej w Gdyni

The Gdynia for Children section is organised by the Polish Filmmakers Association in collaboration with the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia. The project has received financial support from the Polish Film Institute. The Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the Minister of Education and UNICEF Poland have assumed honorary patronage of the project. Partners include the Film Educators’ Team, the O!PLA National Independent Animation Festival, the Wysłuchani Foundation, the Feature and Documentary Film Studio, the Gdynia City Museum and the Dbam o Mój Z@sięg Foundation, whilst media patrons include: Polskie Radio Dzieciom, Filmweb, SFP Film Magazine, the monthly magazine KINO, and Jacek Cygan (TVTok).

The 22^nd edition of the Polish Film for Young Audiences festival, which begins in early September, will visit the following locations outside Gdynia: Brzeg Dolny, Cieszyn, Gdańsk, Głowno, Hażlach, Ińsko, Janów Podlaski, Kielce, Knyszyn, Lębork, Lublin, Ornetę, Pomiechówek, Tarnobrzeg, Tarnów, Tczew, Toruń, Warszawę, Zamość and Żory. The ambassadors for 2026 Polish Film for Young Audiences festival are the director and screenwriter Magdalena Nieć and the teenage actor Maciej Karaś, well known to viewers of the series Too Old for Fairy Tales. Kasia Augustyniak is the designer behind this year’s Polish Film for Young Audiences festival visual identity.