WINNERS OF THE 51ST PFF – Polish Film Festival

We now know the winners of the Golden and Silver Lions, as well as the individual awards in the Main Competition, and the winners of the Perspectives Competition and the Short Film Competition, who were honoured at the Closing Gala of the 51^st Polish Film Festival, on Saturday 26^th September 2026, at the Musical Theatre in Gdynia.

The Main Competition Jury of the 51^st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, comprising:

Chairperson of the Jury:
Krzysztof Zanussi 

Members of the Jury:
Przemysław Chruścielewski
Jagna Dobesz 
Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik
Mikołaj Trzaska 
Marcin Wierzchosławski 
Ita Zbroniec-Zajt 

granted the following awards:

The GRAND PRIZE of the 51^st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, the ‘GOLDEN LIONS’, for Best Film, THROUGH THE WALL, is awarded to director MACIEJ SOBIESZCZAŃSKI and producers ZBIGNIEW DOMAGALSKI and AGNIESZKA BĘDKOWSKA.

The ‘SILVER LIONS’ award at the 51^st Polish Film Festival for the film TELL ME WHAT YOU FEEL goes to director ŁUKASZ RONDUDA and producer NATALIA GRZEGOREK.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS go to:
for directing, the film FATHERLAND: PAWEŁ PAWLIKOWSKI

for screenplay, the film GOOD BOY: BARTEK BARTOSIK, NAQQASH KHALID

for cinematography, the film THROUGH THE WALL: JOLANTA DYLEWSKA

for music, the film HOT SPOT: MARCIN MACUK I ZUZANNA WROŃSKA

for set decoration, the film FATHERLAND: KATARZYNA SOBAŃSKA, MARCEL SŁAWIŃSKI

for sound, the film HOT SPOT: MARCIN LENARCZYK

for editing, the film GOOD BOY: AGNIESZKA GLIŃSKA

for make-up, the film VIOLETTA VILLAS: Anne Cathrine Sauerberg, Thomas Foldberg, Agnieszka Józefina Sasim, Aneta Brzozowska

for costume design, the film HOT SPOT: KATARZYNA LEWIŃSKA

for professional acting debut, the film TELL ME WHAT YOU FEEL: JAN SAŁASIŃSKI

for actress in a supporting role, the film EXOTIC: MONIKA FRAJCZYK

for actor in a supporting role, the film OUR REVOLUTION: JACEK KOMAN

for actress in a leading role, the film EXOTIC: JAŚMINA POLAK

for actor in a leading role, the film GOOD BOY: ANSON BOON

AUDIENCE AWARD:
GOOD BOY, directed by Jan Komasa

ANDRZEJ ŻUŁAWSKI ‘GOLDEN CLAW’ AWARD: HOT SPOT for the director Agnieszka Smoczyńska and producers (Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Bogna Szewczyk-Skupień, Gregory Jankilevitsch)

The Jury of the AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTING DEBUT OR SECOND FILM  at the 51^st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, comprising:

Chairperson of the Jury:
Sławomir Fabicki 

Members of the Jury:
Magdalena Piekorz
Wojciech Staroń

having taken into account the artistic merit of the work and the level of professionalism, the jury awarded a single prize of PLN 15,000 to the creators of the film A FREE WOMAN, directed by Eliza Godlewska and Alan Ruczyński.

The PERSPECTIVES COMPETITION Jury, comprising:

Chairperson of the Jury:
Dorota Kędzierzawska 

Members of the Jury:
Elwira Pluta 
Jacek Poniedziałek

having watched the 8 films shortlisted for the Perspectives Competition, granted the following awards:

The 'SAPPHIRE LIONS' of the 51st Polish FIlm Festival in Gdynia to the film EMPTY POCKETS directed by Filip Bojarski and producers Jerzy Kapuściński and Magdalena Tomanek

An award for outstanding artistic contribution to Julia Totoszko for the film NICE WOMEN, directed by: Maria Wojtyszko, Jakub Krofta

The partners of the Perspectives competition are KGHM Polska Miedź and Telewizja Polska SA

PLATINUM LIONS for lifetime achievements was presented to Halina Prugar-Ketling

The Jury of the Short Film Competition comprising:
Ewa Braun – Chairperson of the Jury
Joanna Szymańska 
Bartosz M. Kowalski 

Having watched 28 films shortlisted to the Short Film Competition granted the following awards:

The Lucjan Bokiniec Award for Best Short Film
A cash prize of PLN 15,000. The prize is sponsored by Energa SA, the Festival’s Patron.
Case No directed by: Patrycja Polkowska

Nagroda Specjalna 
Nagroda finansowa w wysokości 10 000 PLN oraz świadczenie w postaci licencji niewyłącznej o wartości 15 000 PLN od Wytwórni Filmów Oświatowych 
„Wszystkie miały na imię Anżelika”, reżyseria: Aleksandra „Sasha” Kutsen

Wyróżnienie
Nagroda finansowa w wysokości 5 000 PLN 
„Kołtunica”, reżyseria: Izabela Zubrycka

Special Mention
A cash prize of PLN 5,000
The Knot, directed by Izabela Zubrycka

Award for Best Cinematographer
Production support worth PLN 20,000 in the form of equipment hire – funded by Heliograf

Patryk Roman for the film Recess, directed by Jana Saczka