59th KFF – 2019

dir. Emilia Śniegoska

25′dok2019

The eponymous number shows the difference between the age of both protagonists. A 19-year-old German girl visits 91-year-old Zofia, a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Their relation is based on curiosity and the need to be close to a fellow human being.

dir. Anne Azoulay

25′fab2019

A remarkable debut of an actress, Anne Azoulay. Marie is a physician. She smokes and reads a lot. From time to time, she talks with the dead. Today, she has learnt that her time has come to say goodbye to this world. She has just a few weeks of life left, which is not much. She needs to act fast, dream, laugh and continue to live.

dir. Tomek Popakul

27′anim2019

A young girl escapes from home because she is fed up with what surrounds her. The skinny guy is a freak who lives in a camper. They begin their journey together through the landscapes corroded with acid rains at the same time wandering through consecutive stages of consciousness. A psychedelic trip to the land of hallucinations with an unexpected twist in the finale.

dir. Rachel Leah Jones, Philippe Bellaiche

110′dok2019

For fifty years, Lea Tsemel has been defending lost cases. This Israeli human rights activist became famous as defence counsel for Palestinians, including those charged with terrorism. Diverse archival materials and contemporary footage show a portrait of an unbreakable woman.

dir. Foued Mansour

30′fab2018

With a credible plot and natural acting, this tale is about the encounter between rigour and rebellion and between two examples of loneliness. Ahmed, who works in a public bathhouse, is asked to supervise Mike, a teenager. They differ in terms of age and temperament but share the experience of exclusion. The bond that is being born between the two men will offer a new opportunity to each of them.

dir. Andrea Martignoni, Maria Steinmetz

6′anim2019

A cup of coffee may be a start of a new day or… love for life. A charming story about long beginnings of a relationship and a youthful infatuation from the perspective of an elderly woman, Alba. The first-person narrative as well as old films and photos used in the animation accentuate the authenticity of the story.

dir. Wojciech Szumowski, Michał Przedlacki

55′dok2014

dir. Iiti Yli-Rinne

4′dok2018

The protagonist has no luck with animals. Each of her pets would leave her soon after they came to live under her roof. Numerous cats and dogs did not manage to avoid this curse, neither did a turtle or fish. Even a guinea pig left the unlucky aunt, together with her ex-husband. Amusing and simple cut-out animation.

dir. Krzysztof Wołżański

22′dok2019

A portrait of the family life in the face of the mother’s passing away. Three growing children, including the film director, have accompanied the ill woman for good or for bad, while in the background there are incidents, incomprehensible at first sight, related to the conflict with the confrontational father.

dir. Kosuke Katakura

12′anim2018

dir. Ana Moreira

17′fab2018

In an abandoned waterpark, a girl and a boy are hidden from the outside world. Between the graffitied ruins of the old swimming pools and blunt slides, they find a shelter to grieve from their loss of hopes and dreams. EFA Nomination - Curtas w Vila do Conde.

dir. David Ofek, Tal Michael

51′dok2018

Fear, shame and guilt are the feelings that bed-ridden Unes has to deal with. Many years ago, he dishonoured his Arab family by agreeing to collaborate with the Israeli special service and helping “enemies” to buy land from Palestinians.

dir. Tuuli Teelahti

6′dok2018

The screen is in flames as we are inside a crematorium. No much can be seen and the director focuses on the sound recording of the conversations between the employees. There is no place for mystical experiences in their lives, to the contrary – they perform all their tasks mechanically. Cremation is a simple process which turns a human corpse into ash.

dir. Dekel Berenson

16′fab2018

This portrait of Ashmina, a 13-year-old girl raised in the patriarchal culture of Nepal, is gripping because of its authenticity. While her brother can go to school, she must earn money for the family assembling paragliders for tourists. The director invited amateur actors to collaboration, both the Nepalese and backpackers.

dir. Kelly Holmes

23′fab2018

Historical cinema with a supernatural element. In 1915, in the trenches of World War I, a British unit is cut off from the rest of the army. A gas attack can start any time, but because of an error of a young private, Edwin, soldiers do not have gas masks. But Edwin has one unique ability…

dir. Emmanuelle Antille

94′dok2018

With her talent and timbre, she could have gained the fame of Janis Joplin. Utilising the convention of the road cinema, the director follows the life of Karen Dalton, a folk and blues vocalist and a poet with Indian roots, taking the viewers on a melancholy journey to provincial America.

dir. Mahdi Bakhshi Moqadam

70′dok2019

Davud has been diagnosed with lung cancer. His dream is to build a house for his beloved wife. How to get the money for it when you have no job? The viewers witness the struggle of the protagonist who never ceases to believe that he will provide a safe future for his loved ones.

dir. Jacek Bławut

9′dok1986

The Pardubice horse race, and the drama of the horses taking part.

dir. Mania Akbari, Douglas White

74′dok2019

An intimate documentary where a story about corporeality is interlaced with traumatic experiences from the past. Film letters of the director and her partner are intertwined with medical documentation, family photographs or takes from the underground. What seems to be an accidental collage is a coherent artistic expression of a contemporary woman.

dir. Michał Ciechomski

14′dok2019

The film protagonist operates on the border of two worlds. During the day, he works at a well-known shop selling home furnishings, while after hours he is hired by a “cleaning company” to clean homes after the deaths of their residents.

dir. Bohdan Kosiński

10′dok1977

dir. Marcin Wasilewski, Łukasz Kacprowicz

50′anim2018

Basia is a 5-year old girl with a strong personality who loves gummies and striped clothes. She lives in a city with her parents, two brothers, tortoise Kajetan and a teddy bear friend – Misiek Zdzisiek. Every day, she comes up with new ideas. Sometimes Basia encounters serious problems she has to solve.

dir. Marcin Wasilewski, Łukasz Kacprowicz, Robert Jaszczurowski

50′anim2019

The film is a continuation of the adventures of a nice girl based on a book series by Zofia Stanecka and Marianna Oklejak. Basia, a five-year old girl who loves striped clothes and colourful gummies, returns with a new set of ventures.

dir. Helena Oborska

24′fab2019

Summer. Heat. Buzzing Insects. Obsession. Visions. Yoga. Peace enclave. Conversations and a mysterious man with his wife. Zofia knows his face and knows that he must remember her, but he denies. Water in the shower becomes boiling. The screeching of cicadas is growing increasingly louder. The atmosphere of the film will remain with the viewer for a long time.

dir. Jean-Marc E. Roy, Philippe David Gagné

21′fab2018

Eggs, sugar, dark cocoa powder, flour and cherries. The sponge cake is layered with cream, the sides are sprinkled with chocolate. The preparation of a tasty dessert is only a prelude to the full reconstruction of a crime investigation, full of surprises, humour and drama. The film grips and bewilders the spectator from the first to the last take.

dir. Agnieszka Chmura

15′fab2019

Hot summer of 1989. The humming of grasses, the buzzing of bees and the never-ending queue at the Polish-Czechoslovak border. After many hours of waiting, a three-person family eventually reaches the border control point. The child’s moaning is increasing and the parents find it more and more difficult to bear the tension. What do they fear the most?

dir. Saki Suwahara

8′anim2019

dir. Yuriko Sasaoka

8′anim2016

dir. Risako Matsumoto

12′anim2019

dir. Sara Hjort Ditlevsen

22′fab2019

This unpretentious debut endears the viewers with its honesty and simplicity. Focused on youth, it is boldly looking into the future. Katrine has not seen her brother since early childhood. She goes to their first meeting with many expectations as well as concerns.

dir. Grzegorz Królikiewicz

6′dok1971

It’s a sporting life. The Kubic brothers – expert gymnasts – are toiling away on the parallel bars, whilst the director looks on with his own kind of creative ‘cruelty’.

dir. Ulu Braun

19′fab2018

A presumably African village, inhabited by Germans. A strange archaeological find is made in a mine and the Museum of Prussian Cultural Heritage is run by a black woman, who presents artefacts from Western consumer culture. The film The film puts our collective image of Africa to the test. EFA Nomination – Berlin International Film Festival.

dir. Carin Goeijers

55′dok2018

The mayor of the Calabrian town of Riace found a way to combat the town’s depopulation and allowed refugees to settle there. When the authorities withdrew funding for the model project, the newly created community was destroyed. One of the tragic victims of this change was a young Nigerian woman.

dir. Aleksandra Świerk

19′fab2018

An intimate story about a mother and a daughter, mourning and acceptance. It has just been 6 months since Weronika’s father died. The women deal with the sudden loss in a completely different way. Only when they are detached from their routines, unbearable for both, and forced to confront each other, may they honestly talk to each other.

dir. Juan Pablo Ruiz

63′dok2019

One day, Micaela and her mother decide to visit the grandmother who lives in a remote village in the mountains. The journey, which leads to the meeting of the three generations of Inca women, becomes an opportunity to reflect upon identity, history and a return to the roots.

dir. Paweł Kędzierski

16′dok1981

dir. Alison McAlpine

78′dok2017

A documentary about human fascination with a starry sky. Nowhere else on Earth is the universe so well visible as over the Atacama desert in Chile. The viewers will discover references to the cinema of Andrzej Kondratiuk and Patricio Guzmán in the film.

dir. Brett Morgen

132′dok2015

On 5 April 1994 the leader of Nirvana joined the ‘27 Club’, i.e. the group of rock artists who lived too fast and died too young. The film directors, who first reached mementoes left by Cobain, try to confront his dark legend. The executive producer is the musician’s daughter who was just 18 months old when her father committed suicide. The film was also approved by the widow after the artist, Courtney Love, who has been hostile to this kind of projects so far.

dir. Aleksandra Maciejczyk

18′dok2018

Wiola and Krzysztof are connected with a headset. It is necessary as it allows the woman to direct her blind husband when he moves on a skiing slope. The trip safety depends on mutual understanding and the trust between the people on both sides of the “connection”.

dir. Sebastian Lang

30′fab2017

Maryna and Tava are working shifts on a milk farm in Eastern Germany. When the farm manager goes on a business trip Tava does not show up at work. The next night Maryna wakes up in her container realizing that she is not alone: Tava is lying next to her, fast asleep, firmly clinging to her. Maryna doesn’t tell anyone that she met Tava. When she returns to her container, the girl has disappeared again. Her tracks are losing themselves at some drinking session in the surrounding countryside. EFA Nomination – Cork Film Festival.

dir. Adam Hanuljak

78′dok2018

Peter Kalmus, an artist and performer, takes you on a journey around his homeland, Slovakia. The protagonist is not afraid of a political confrontation, he organises happenings, fights with the remnants of communism and the manifestations of nationalism. The film is an excellent opportunity to check your knowledge about Poland’s closest neighbour, a country which is not well-known to many Poles.

dir. Einari Paakkanen

55′dok2018

Farrah, a 10-year-old Palestinian girl, comes to Finland with her brothers and mother in search for a better life. Very soon, the girls finds her own place in the new reality: she loves to play outside, discovers that skiing is her passion and takes part in a competition. The only thing that troubles her is her longing for her dad and uncertainty about her future in a foreign country.

dir. Brett Morgen

111′dok2012

dir. Adam Żądło

8′anim2018

Do robots dream about electric love? In the world of machines, everyone follows the rules. The rhythm of work is disturbed by a relationship between two appliances, which will have tragic effects for the entire system. This animated science-fiction film may be both an allegory of totalitarian systems and a reference to the modern world of robotization.

dir. Katarzyna Lesisz

18′dok2018

Wiktor, who is 12, is a ballet school student. All the teachers and the students’ parents will be present at the performance that will determine his promotion to the next grade. Wiktor will be accompanied by his grandmother, but the boy’s dream is to have his father, residing abroad, come to the show. Best Children’s Documentary in the Kids&Docs Competition, IDFA 2018.

dir. Barbora Hollan

30′dok2018

The director’s mother has been struggling with cancer for many years. Despite her disease, she is full of energy. Without hesitation, she accepts the proposal of guest lectures at Harvard University. Unfortunately, she has a relapse and the treatment is extremely expensive. Her stay at the foreign university must be extended and her return to Norway is uncertain.

dir. Ewa Podgórska

78′dok2018

Łódź, once a dynamic industrial centre and “the promised land”, needs a psychological dissection today. During its couch therapy inspired with psychoanalysis, a group of residents answer questions referring to subconsciousness, both individual and collective.

dir. Cordula Kablitz-Post, Paul Dugdale

107′dok2019

The band from Düsseldorf which was established in 1982 has sold over 19 million records so far and does not intend to retire. The documentary registers their recent tour which has also become their political manifesto.

dir. Siavash Shahabi

20′fab2018

The Iranian cinema of moral anxiety which does not provide simple answers and is based on nuances. A conflict between school students ends with a tragedy. The police start an investigation. The students reconstruct the fight. One of them knows more. What is the teacher afraid of? Does he have anything to hide?

dir. Hubert Patynowski

30′fab2019

There are three simple rules that need to be obeyed in the neighbourhood: “First of all: never deceive your mates. Secondly: do not be a loser and always respond to an attack. Thirdly – and the most importantly: do not report to the police. And whoever breaks them, they will suffer.” A clear code of conduct and rap music. You know such guys.

dir. Marta Karwowska

83′fab2017

Julka is 12, goes to a boarding school, and has never had a real friend so far. The upcoming holidays will cause some problems. Julka ends up at her aunt’s in Warsaw. Olek is a boy who lives in the same building. When the children lay their hands on a plan leading to a treasure, the adventure begins.

dir. Niklas Kullström, Martti Kaartinen

86′dok2017

The film tells the story of the old and contemporary Far East as seen from the perspective of a Finnish linguist and diplomat, Gustaf John Ramstedt. Living at the turn of the 20th century, he witnessed the decline of the old order and the beginning of the new era.

dir. Virpi Suutari

26′dok2015

Accompanied by pure-breed Setters, they walk proud through fields holding expensive air guns. In the afternoon, a group of older, elegant and wealthy men devote themselves to their greatest passion - hunting. Associated rather with the British upper classes, this form of entertainment is an excellent excuse for Finns to meet and an important component of their identity, too.

dir. Juho Reinikainen

5′dok2018

Looking for new and stronger stimuli leads the protagonists of the documentary to somewhat unique activities. The teenage girls become involved with a kind of a masochistic therapy which involves tying and compressing each other with ropes. These apparently shocking practices give rise to a reflection upon one’s own corporality and the relationship between power and trust.

dir. Igor Kawecki

17′dok2019

Olaf is 25 years old and lives with his mom and grandmother in a tenement house in the Kazimierz district in Krakow. Their home is actually quite dilapidated. Yet the young man dreams that the house in Brzozowa Street is the centre of the universe.

dir. Ofir Trainin

70′dok2018

Amit feels he is a woman imprisoned in a male body. After coming-out, he finds understanding among the closest family members – his wife supports him in the decision about gender correction. But matters become complicated.

dir. Alina Rudnitskaya, Sergey Vinokurov

76′dok2019

The Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan has no secrets for the film protagonist. Despite his old age, Fateicz runs a seafood farm and is relentless in his struggle with local poachers and the arrogance of the authorities.

dir. Alina Zhdanova

6′anim2015

dir. Saho Nanjo

7′anim2019

dir. Oliver Schwehm

91′dok2018

An adventure film, political thriller and a farce in one. It presents a fascinating episode of the German space quest and its hero - Lutz T. Kayser, a man greater than life. The story involves both genius, bratwurst and the Congolese heart of darkness.

dir. Piotr Andrejew

20′dok1973

dir. Veronica Andersson

29′dok2019

A self-documentary portrait of the life of two artists. He is Mariusz Tarkawian, a young Polish drawer. She is Veronica Andersson, a Swedish director and privately Tarkawian’s partner. They are both working on their own projects, at the same time struggling with complex family relations.

dir. Jörn Donner

93′dok2017

Jörn Donner, a doyen of Finnish cinematography, goes on a journey across Finland to ask fundamental questions to the country’s residents from various social groups. He wants to find out whether it is worth living, loving and dying in the country considered one of the best places to live in the world.

dir. Andrzej Papuziński

13′dok1971

An impressionistic picture – permeated with surrealistic fantasy – of the artistic work of Franciszek Starowieyski, an accomplished draughtsman, creator of posters and stage designer.

dir. Reetta Huhtanen

73′dok2019

Two six-year old boys live in the infamous district of Molenbeek in Brussels. Although they come from two apparently different worlds, they spend time together playing in a carefree way and looking for answers to the most important and the most difficult questions related to religion and their ancestors.

dir. Anna Mantzaris

9′anim2018

Running away from the scene of a road accident is never a good idea, especially if you are the guilty party. The protagonist of the animation comes to this conclusion after pangs of conscience make her life unbearable. A charming animated horror where ghosts are made of felt.

dir. Pavlo Ostrikov

19′fab2017

Roman lives a lonely life in a provincial city and works as a technician. For the first time since graduation, Liuda, his ex-classmate, comes back to town. Nobody has heard anything from her for twenty years, but Roman is set on not losing her again. EFA Nomination – Leuven Short Film Festival.

dir. Enric Ribes

29′dok2018

José Carlos Grey from Spain was a black Republican fighter. During World War II he was imprisoned by Nazis in the Mauthausen concentration camp. Miraculously, he survived the war and returned broken to his family. Many years later, thanks to scarce documents and photographs his daughter tries to revive memories about her late father.

dir. Nara Normande

14′anim2018

For Nara, Guaxuma signifies not only a beach on the Brazilian coast, but also the memories of the time she spent with her best friend, Tayra. Their friendship, however, was broken by a dramatic event. The film combines sand animation with photographs and Brazilian landscapes with the Japanese tradition. Grand Jury Award at the SXSW Film Festival (USA).

dir. Penny Lane

94′dok2019

The Satanic Temple is an American organization which uses satanic symbols to promote progressive ideas, such as social justice or the separation of church and state. For the new category of “believers”, Satan has become a rebellion symbol.

dir. Eunju Ara Choi

5′anim2018

What does a woman feel when she gives her body to numerous men every night? An original journal of an anonymous Korean prostitute revealing her feelings and emotions and depicting her social status. Smoothly changing images show erotic scenes in an ambiguous and understated manner. The animation presents some scenes quite literally, yet leaves a lot to the viewer's imagination.

dir. Sophie B. Jacques

11′fab2019

A bottle of wine and an expression of gratitude for a good stay. The camera slowly moves around the interior of the house that Emilia rented via an online service. Everything seems to be fine, but after the screening the viewers might want to think twice whether they would like to make some extra money in the same way. It is a black comedy directed and edited in a unique way.

dir. Kaisa Astikainen

30′dok2015

In the picturesque Finnish provinces, there lives a marriage whose life has been devoted to cow breeding for almost 40 years. The young generation, not keen to take over the responsibilities from their aging parents, does not appreciate this dedication to rural life. The married couple is forced to take a dramatic decision.

dir. Nadia Parfan

64′dok2019

The municipal district heating company from Ivano-Frankivsk has a cultural offer for its employees. Singing in the company choir, they may forget for a while about the shock of the political system transformation and just spend some time together.

dir. Koya Kamura

28′fab2019

A subtle debut about mourning and remembrance, deeply rooted in the Japanese culture. Two years after the disaster in Fukushima, Murai travels almost every day to the village near the power plant, which is within the restricted area because of contamination. He has a secret mission to carry out for the benefit of its former residents. He also has one more reason, much more important – which is personal.

dir. Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska

85′dok2019

Two women, an ailing 85-year-old lady and her aging daughter devoted to her work, live in the remote Macedonian provinces. The woman is a beekeeper, the activity being the source of income for their modest household. Unexpectedly, a large family moves into the village. Their harmonious life is interrupted. The Best World Documentary Film – Sundance Film Festival 2019.

dir. Grzegorz Koncewicz, Marek Serafiński

13′anim2018

Magazine covers, live transmissions on TV, cheering crowds – sudden fame starts to overwhelm the protagonist. But fear and the sense of entrenchment subside when, step by step, he climbs to the very top. What is awaiting him there? Referring to the myth of Icarus, it is a disturbing film about the creation of idols which combines acting with animation.

dir. Ivana Bosnjak, Thomas Johnson

12′anim2019

The protagonist practices taxidermy. She takes stuffed animals back to the forest. Beforehand she removes films from their heads; developed photos allow her to see the world through the animals' eyes. Finally, she wants to become part of the nature herself...

dir. Elina Hyvärinen

28′dok2018

When Finland and the USSR signed a peace agreement in 1944, not everyone found it a reason to celebrate. As many as 420 thousand Karelians had to leave their homes and move into the land within the Finnish borders. Not until the collapse of the communist behemoth could they make a symbolic return to their homeland. The documentary captures the encounter of the present with the past. The point of reference for archival photos and recordings is a trip made by contemporary Karelians to the land of their ancestors.

dir. Peter Webber

109′dok2019

The film title is the name of the project that brought together reggae veterans. Their meeting not only resulted in an excellent acoustic album, but also confirmed the viability of this music style in the young generation. The film also evokes the atmosphere of the place where this musical phenomenon was born.

dir. Caroline Leaf, Veronika Soul

14′anim1979

One day in the lives of Caroline Leaf and Veronica Soul, who are friends and, above all, film makers. What makes them different is not just the technique of animation but personalities, too. Combining documentary and animation, this short autobiography is also a game played with the form and techniques of animation.

dir. Beryl Magoko

90′dok2018

Beryl Magoko was circumcised when she was a girl. As a grown up woman, she plans to undergo a genital reconstructive surgery. A routine procedure for physicians, it is a difficult experience for the patients who go through it. Will the director, who is also the protagonist, decide to have the operation?

dir. Paweł Ziemilski

62′dok2019

Over 30 years ago, half of the population of a Polish village in Mazury left for Iceland to look better lives. But beautiful frosty landscapes, economic stabilisation and successful personal lives cannot replace relations with the family members who stayed in Poland. What comes to aid is modern technologies and Skype. IDFA 2018 Special Jury Award for Mid-Length Documentary.

dir. Marcin Sauter

23′fab2019

Nikodem wanders through the tundra landscapes of Spitsbergen which include abandoned mines, fallen telegraph poles, old scrap metal and unused railway tracks twisted by frost. There is a desolate town at the end of the world occupied by seagulls, wind, wild animals and the lonely protagonist – a man lost in emptiness.

dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski

12′dok1955

"Watch out! Hooligans!" is a documentary showing the phenomenon of hooliganism among young people from the city. It begins the "blacks series" of Polish documentaries. Such films focus on things that weren’t pictured in films of socialist realism during the last five years.

dir. Saaya Kaneko

8′anim2016

dir. Kamila Józefowicz

69′dok2019

A historical, elegiac fresco about Jews living in small towns of provincial Poland before World War II. The last living witnesses remember not only the joint life of Polish and Jewish communities but also the cruel time of the war.

dir. Mahdi Fleifel

11′dok2018

Immediately after a Palestinian man signs an online petition, he is thrown into a panic-inducing spiral of self-doubt. Over the course of a conversation with an understanding friend, he analyses, deconstructs and interprets the meaning of his choice to publicly support the cultural boycott of Israel. EFA Nomination - Sarajevo Film Festival.

dir. Aboozar Amini

85′dok2018

Despite all odds, one of the most restless cities in the world tries to live a normal life. Two parallel plots reveal the protagonists: Abbas, a driver whose bus often breaks, and two brothers who have to deal with their problems by themselves during their father’s absence. The result is an intimate portrait of contemporary Afghans.

dir. Pablo Munoz Gomez

15′fab2017

„Santa is capitalist. He brings toys to the rich kids and jumpers to the poor ones” - Nikos, 5 years old. Will he receive a perfect Christmas gift? EFA Nomination – Valladolid International Film Festival.

dir. Amy Goldstein

89′dok2018

She says that music keeps her alive although functioning in the music business has almost killed Kate Nash. This vocalist, who made it to the top with her hit “Foundation”, tells the story of her ups and downs. The film, stylised as a private journal and shot in Europe and the US, is a recording of her tempestuous career and the search for independence.

dir. Michael Frei

9′anim2019

If you want to be one of them, you have to be like them. Following the crowd and having a desire to adjust to others push the protagonists on the verge of a symbolic black hole… Are they in for an apocalypse? This black and white animation shows the phenomena of crowd psychology, conformity and the shaping of social groups.

dir. Wiktoria Szymańska

59′dok2019

Artur is a young and naive man whose lack of adaptation to life led him to homelessness. At the same time, he is an inspired idealist searching for what is the most beautiful around him. Although people assess the protagonist in extreme ways, he still follows his own path.

dir. Tadeusz Makarczyński

11′dok1957

dir. Margherita Pescetti

72′dok2018

Gedalia, an Orthodox Jew, left the United States 20 years ago and, searching for his own place on Earth, moved to Israel. Together with his family, he settled down in a small village in Palestinian territories. Although Gedalia does not care much for politics, a crisis situation reveals the uncertainty related to living in such a place. Audience Award of the Festival dei Popoli 2018.

dir. Pau Ortiz

30′dok2018

The residents of a small Frisian town accepted a family of Syrian immigrants in their community with open arms. Although they ensured decent life conditions for them, the newcomers were not able to find their own place in the small community and left it after a year. But not every member of the family made the decision to leave. Two teenage brothers decided to stay.

dir. Laura Rantanen

10′dok2018

Every year, hundreds of animals die on streets run over by cars. Hedgehogs, owls, rabbits or even foxes fall victim to reckless or fast driving. Abandoned on the sides of roads, they slowly disintegrate. But sometimes, there comes someone that can accelerate this process. A mysterious man with a torch appears late at night when roads are almost empty.

dir. Paweł Wysoczański

79′dok2019

In Jeevodaya, there is an educational and therapeutic centre for lepers and their families. Helena Pyz came here from Poland thirty years ago to help sick and hungry children. Over the years she has begun to feel her weakness more and more acutely but the strength of her character does not allow her to surrender to her own illness.

dir. Bettina Perut, Iván Osnovikoff

78′dok2018

A skatepark is a paradise for young people and home to four-legged creatures, too. Chola and Football are two adorable dogs that have become inseparable components of the park. They play ball, observe the teenagers’ stunts and tricks and, above all, become incidental witnesses of the conversations between young people who are no strangers to drugs, arguments with parents or threats of being thrown out of home. IDFA 2018 Special Jury Award for Feature-Length Documentary.

dir. Setsuka Kawahara

13′anim2019

dir. Agata Baumgart

17′dok2018

There are days when teenage Rena and her mother spend hours in the virtual world of social services. Yet the experience of the Internet does not bring them closer to each other, even though they live in a cramped flat. Can they find a common language to describe “their own” loneliness?

dir. Tomasz Drozdowicz

75′dok2018

With his genius, diligence and inexhaustible temperament, Jerzy Maksymiuk is one of the most charismatic personalities of Polish music. But the film portrait of this conductor, pianist and composer would be incomplete without his wife Ewa, who has always supported and inspired him to continue his work.

dir. Salvador Calvo

24′fab2019

Black and white thriller with a social streak, the energy of Amores perros and expressive music. A story about the life in the world of gangs whose soldiers know only one language – violence. Rape, extortion, brutal beatings… Two families found themselves in the hell from which there is no simple escape.

dir. Vanessa del Campo

21′dok2018

Bedouins, camels and sand – this is what a desert landscape usually looks like. It is similar in Oman, but next to nomads, there are astronauts in spacesuits walking on the sandy land. In the middle of the vast desert, there are makeshift experimental stations which fascinate the local community, in particular two young girls in hijabs.

dir. Jonathan Kolodziej Durand

90′dok2018

Polish refugees in Africa? - very few people still remember this episode of the Second World War. Thousands of women and children had been deported to Soviet gulags, then left the Soviet Union and after many weeks of wandering found their temporary home in the villages of East Africa.

dir. Grzegorz Królikiewicz

9′dok1969

dir. Reber Dosky

15′dok2017

Filmed during the battle of Kobani, this film reveals the women at the heart of the fight against IS. With stoical perseverance and the aid of American airstrikes, these women are leading the fight for freedom. EFA Nomination - Uppsala International Short Film Festival.

dir. Natalia Krawczuk

11′anim2019

Arsenij, who is a train driver, likes his work, his light green underground train car and his small plant. What he hates is passengers and he wants to teach them a lesson. This is the beginning of a black-humour story about a train driver whom you would prefer not to meet. With wit and distance, it focuses on workaholism and various obsessions.

dir. Luke Lorentzen

81′dok2019

The Ochoa family from Mexico City has been living in constant readiness as they own an ambulance which is the only source of income for them. The film shows how parents and children go on a night ride to beat the competition and bring victims to the hospital.

dir. Giulia Tivelli, Flavia Scardini

18′dok2018

Milady was born in 1994. Soon after, she was adopted. She does not know who her biological parents are or why her mother abandoned her immediately after birth. Together with a few other adopted children, she decides to share her story and experiences giving voice to her adoptive parents, too.

dir. Stanley Nelson

113′dok2019

The films collects the known and unknown facts about the life of the author of “Kind of Blue”. Miles Davis went down in history not only as an extraordinary trumpeter, creator of cool jazz and a tireless experimenter, but also a film score composer and a man who lived his own life on his own terms.

dir. Amanda Tasse

9′dok2018

Turritopsis dohrnii, a small hydrozoan, knows the great secret of nature – immortality. This unremarkable medusa, which can last in the never-ending cycle of reincarnations, has become an inspiration for a film impression about the common fate of living beings and galaxies.

dir. Bogdan Dziworski

8′dok1975

In his first film about sports Dziworski presented Janusz Pyciak-Peciak before the sportsman became the world and Olympic champion. But ,,Modern Pentathlon" is, above all, a little treaty about the physical endurance of man. The impression is that the characters are in some kind of trance: they sweat their guts out during training, take part in gruelling competitions, fight until they arrive at the point of complete exhaustion, and then go back to the monotonous routine of exercise.

dir. Khris Cembe

13′anim2018

A dark story about growing up without a mother, in the shadow of father's illegal dealings. The animation shows a male world full of smuggled tobacco but also of violence and brutality. What will a little boy do when he witnesses a horrendous crime?

dir. Juna Sulieman

71′dok2018

She has lived a long life and her eventful biography might be shared by a few Arab women. Although locked in the walls of her home, she is still trying to control the world. The senior lady from Nazareth has not said her last word yet and presents her righteous views about everything in the lens of her own granddaughter.

dir. Dinara Droukarova

14′fab2018

A deeply moving and subtly filmed story about the last farewell between a daughter and a mother. A lesson in humility and, above all, the acceptance of the order of life and death by means of the intimate ritual of washing the dead woman’s body. Black and white photographs and a slow rhythm assist in telling a story that is true for each and every one of us. Best Live Action Short at the 34th Warsaw Film Festival.

dir. Grzegorz Paprzycki

29′dok2019

The ironic title of the documentary refers to the exacerbation of radical sentiments in Poland in the last few years. According to the information at the beginning, it is a “non-chronological documentation of selected social events”. The director juxtaposes rallies, demonstrations and street riots as well as speeches of antifascist organisations.

dir. Małgorzata Szumowska

50′dok2005

dir. Damian Kocur

30′fab2019

Her professional situation forces Rozalia, an actress, to move from Warsaw to Wałbrzych. The change means she will be employed full time at a local theatre and her son, Kazik, will go to a new school. Also, a new man appears in her life. Unexpected events in Rozalia’s life start to intertwine with her part on stage.

dir. Claude Barras

66′anim2016

After an unexpected death of his mother, a 9-year old boy called Zucchini becomes friends with a nice policeman, Raymond, and ends up in a children’s home with other kids of the same age. Initially, Zucchini finds it difficult to adjust to a new place, but gradually he makes friends whose support he can count on when needed.

dir. Yves Piat

17′fab2018

A comedy which has won the hearts of festival spectators at Clermont-Ferrand and Aspen. At the border with Algeria, two brothers, Abdallah and Mohammed, find a lonely donkey wearing headphones on its ears and carrying bags full of white powder on its back. The boys decide to bring the load home. Audience Award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

dir. Paweł Powolny

17′fab2019

Who can help, if not the grandpa? Marta and Michał are expecting a child. They would like to live together, but not with parents, whose flat is too small, or housemates, who are too loud. They have no money and the grandfather has been living alone since his wife’s death. How will Wiesław, a former policeman hiding a gun in the cupboard, react to his granddaughter’s idea?

dir. Maciej Szumowski

90′dok2002

dir. Łukasz Czajka

56′dok2019

Recently, this story has been presented in the feature film “The Zookeeper's Wife”. Now, we can learn more about its real-life protagonists – Antonina and Jan Żabińskis. Before WWII, they ran the Warsaw zoo which, during the war, gave shelter to many people, mostly Jews.

dir. Stian Servoss, Benjamin Langeland

72′dok2019

She comes from the land of fiords, used to be called the child prodigy of Björk and is one of the most charismatic vocalists of the young generation. In the film, Aurora Aksnes opens the door to her magic world. The spectators can see the portrait of an artist who tries to salvage her independent spirit and child-like sensitivity.

dir. Vuk Mitevski

11′anim2019

Macedonia, as a stop in the Balkan migration trail, is a direct witness to the suffering of thousands of people. “One of Many” shows a love story taking place in the background of the refugee crisis. Visual metaphors and abstract images make the story more poetic and brutality less literal.

dir. Stanisław Horodecki

26′fab2019

History is not a closed chapter. Next generations have to come to terms with its consequences. Taking care of his grandfather suffering from Alzheimer’s, Karol discovers a family secret related to the dramatic events of December 1970. Demons of the past force the boy to make the most difficult decision in his young life.

dir. Włodzimierz Borowik

16′dok1957

dir. Jesse Alk

77′dok2019

Kolkata, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, is also inhabited by tens of thousands of stray dogs. For four eccentric protagonists, saving animals is a life mission and a test of humanity.

dir. Thanasis Neofotistos

13′fab2018

Face pace, suspense and one take. Thanks to its precise form, this seemingly trivial story grips the viewer as if it was a vortex. An actress is in a rush to a rehearsal when she discovers that her son stayed home alone. The woman must deal with the crisis situation using only her phone and fast pace while walking through a dangerous district of Athens. Grand Jury Prize at the Hollywood Film Festival.

dir. Maciej Szumowski

116′dok1971

dir. Izabela Plucińska

15′anim2019

In a small hotel in France, there is a man who tries to stop his hunger for love by eating excessively. Unexpectedly, his left foot transforms into his lost lover, Susanne. Still, this is just the beginning of a surreal story, made of plasticine, about loneliness, jealousy and love.

dir. Paul Simma

59′dok2018

In a small village in the north of Finland, the family of reindeer breeders tries to deal with the influx of tourists who use the pasture land to ride their snowmobiles. To bring the problem to everyone’s attention, they use yoik – a traditional form of song of the indigenous inhabitants of Lapland.

dir. Marcel Łoziński

12′dok1986

An inconspicuous street survey on young people presents the spectrum of manipulation available to television. Thanks to image and sound edition it is possible to turn the original picture and message of contributions around. Łoziński first records a variety of answers to the question about the condition of young people at present provided by random passers‐by and then shows how the material obtained may be manipulated, depending on the filmmaker’s needs.

dir. Tomasz Zygadło

16′dok1971

Ideological indoctrination begins as early as in elementary school when pupils receive instruction in a form tutor period. Children, however, do not succumb to this kind of propaganda so easily. Golden Dragon (1971).

dir. Rati Tsiteladze

15′dok2018

What does it mean to be a stranger in your own home and country? „Prisoner of Society” is an intimate journey into the world and mind of a young transgender woman, trapped between her personal desire for freedom and traditional expectations of her parents that threatens their unity as a family. EFA Nomination – Tampere Film Festival.

dir. Maksim Shved

52′dok2019

A film about contemporary Belarus, freedom and art. A mysterious artist appears on the streets of Minsk and starts to paint. Passers-by, intrigued, want to know what he is creating, but the artist will not reveal his secret. Step by step, the viewers learn more about him. His name is Zahar Cudin and he is one of the most promising Belorussian painters.

dir. Katariina Lillqvist

18′anim2016

A young man occasionally plays the accordion in the harbour bars. Unexpectedly, he is denounced by a barman and falls into the hands of a dangerous policeman. The representative of the authorities wants to find out about his life. This is the beginning of an extremely melancholy puppet animation which abounds with magic, although the protagonist struggled with poverty, deaths of family members and the civil war in Spain in the past.

dir. Piotr Milczarek

5′anim2018

It would have been an ordinary day in the life of the corporation employees if not for the man who suddenly started falling from the roof of the tall office building. Narrated using sarcasm and visual minimalism, “Rain” is a story of a superman who fights with an unquestioning community and blind adherence to group thinking.

dir. Andrzej Czarnecki

20′dok1986

An extremely well-organised and intelligent community of rats and a man who is uncompromising in exterminating them wherever they are.

dir. Mateusz Lenart

6′anim2019

A dystopian vision of the world destroyed as a result of a mysterious disaster. The protagonist, who survived, devotes his time to incessant electricity generation and remembering old habits. The continuous repetition of activities becomes his escape from emptiness and, at the same time, a prison from which he cannot free himself.

dir. Alicja Kot

10′anim2019

On this train, couples demonstrate their feelings for each other without restraint. Observing others, a young stewardess tries to dampen her own loneliness. Will another journey change her life? A melancholy animation about the need of love in the atmosphere of the 19th century Paris, old cinema and red lanterns of Asia.

dir. Emmanuelle Fleytoux

20′fab2017

In this outstanding directorial debut, Anouck has found herself in a toxic triangle, torn between the two men whom she loves and who are at each other’s throats. Living with a partner and a younger brother under the same roof is no longer possible. Anouck has to take some drastic measures. EFA Nomination - Krakow Film Festival.

dir. Jakub Radej

30′fab2019

Jakub Radej, an author of the recognised documentary “Dust”, returns with a fiction film about a family entangled in history. In 1982, two brothers who are miners represent two different attitudes towards communist oppression. While Janek chooses active involvement into democratic opposition, Tadek wants to remain neutral. The conflict is inevitable.

dir. Kuba Gryżewski

14′fab2019

Guess, who is coming for lunch today? Parents are not always fond of their children’s choices. When Stefan meets his daughter’s new partner, he is unable to hide his disappointment. He will go to any lengths to dissuade the girl from her love choice.

dir. Stephen Nomura Schible

102′dok2017

He is known as a composer of the scores for Bertolucci’s films who has recently made music for „The Revenant”. This time, Sakamoto presents himself as a musical experimenter as well as a man struggling with a serious disease. He is looking for new sounds in nature ranging from the North Pole to Africa, the cradle of humankind.

dir. Fabrice Joubert

14′fab2018

Full of suspense, the film is a story about responsibility and courage in a crisis situation. It turns out that Gus Van Sant did not exhaust the topic of school shootings with his 2003 film “Elephant” and today, it is more topical than two decades ago. A group of primary school students finish their classes. Shooting sounds can be heard from behind the door.

dir. Caroline Leaf

10′anim1969

Piotruś lives in harmony with his friends: a cat, a small bird and a little duck. Their calm life together is disturbed by the sudden appearance of a wolf. The boy and the animals will have to unite forces to chase the beast away. An animated variation on Sergei Prokofiev’s musical fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf”.

dir. Antti Heikki Pesonen

8′fab2012

A job interview is one of the most stressful experiences in human life. Elegant apparel or extensive professional experience does not help. Even the best prepared candidate applying for a dream position must struggle with tension and nervousness unless they have no interest in the job.

dir. Kama Veymont

65′dok2019

The documentary reveals consecutive layers of the post-war trauma that go far beyond the single story of Tereska. Meeting people who are linked to Aneta and Patryk’s investigation in different ways is a value in itself, regardless of its results.

dir. Karol Starnawski

76′dok2018

On the frontiers of the former Soviet Empire there are conflicts that the world public opinion forgot about a long time ago. People living there wish for one thing only: a peaceful life. It is a common denominator for Alexei, Timur and Alexander's stories, even though their homelands are miles away from one another.

dir. Petar Krumov

24′fab2017

Macho is a poor boy, who skips school to work on a construction site. The only ray of light for him is his girlfriend, Donna. Yet, she is ashamed of his mother, who works as a janitor in their school. Macho has to choose between his mother and his love, and he finds his own way to deal with his emotions. EFA Nomination - Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

dir. Siqi Song

8′anim2018

The younger sister was irritating, but when she grew up a little, she turned into an excellent companion to play with. What would have happened if she had never been born? The film is a sad and poignant story about the Chinese policy of one child presented by charming characters made of felt. Jury Award for the Best Animation at Aspen Shortsfest (USA).

dir. Caroline Leaf

5′anim2004

Humiliated, demeaned, made to work from dawn to dusk, forcibly separated from their families – this is what the everyday life of slaves in the American South was like before the Civil War. The animation presents scenes from the lives of African Americans at that time, who dreamt about freedom quietly, late at night.

dir. Sophie Koko Gate

7′anim2018

An old-school, funky and camp animation about being different and striving for perfection. Tanya, using genetic experiments creates an ideal lover – a gigantic, metallic slug. Will it meet her expectations? A psychedelic trip to the world of weirdos in which anything can happen.

dir. Amanda Sans, Miquel Galofré

79′dok2013

The main penitentiary in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, has implemented a programme of rehabilitation through music. Criminals of various types become artists, performers and producers of reggae, music that soothes the soul, which is of great importance in the environment full of violence. In their songs, prisoners strengthen their sense of identity, express penitence for the crimes committed and, at the same time, warn those who have not broken the law yet.

dir. Jie Shen

9′anim2019

Breathe in, breathe out. Each immersion in water evokes fragments of memories. Chaotically combined shots show two intertwining stories. What happened in the swimming pool? Only the camera knows it and it is lying smashed on the bottom of the pool. An intriguing animation with long, leisurely shots and the sound of a ticking bomb in the background.

dir. Casey Tebo

94′dok2018

How did it happen that the leader of a hard rock band, Aerosmith, ended up on the stage in Nashville? In 2016, almost 70-year old Steven Tyler started his solo career by recording a hit country music album. His brilliant performance shows the picture of a free and restless spirit that has found a new place for himself.

dir. Sera Martikainen

28′dok2018

Do you reveal your dreams to anyone or do you prefer to keep them for yourself only? A group of people of various age get together deliberately for the purpose of telling others about their dreams. They do not have any prophetic inclinations, they do not want to work through traumas or find some hidden sense. They are open, ready to understand others and have the need to listen to one another.

dir. Jola Bańkowska

5′anim2019

This animation is like a story on Instagram – a seemingly chaotic collection of scenes that create a foretaste of the characters’ lives. We can observe artists who work in virtual reality or children for whom a mobile phone is more interesting than a playground. The film is an ironic take on the world full of likes, Internet friends and loneliness.

dir. Michał Toczek

20′dok2018

The life of the main protagonist could become the basis for a feature film script. The ambitious boy spends part of the day picking strawberries together with his father. Yet Hubert wants to become a disco polo singer, as famous as Zenek Martyniuk, so after work he focuses on his musical passion.

dir. Florian Baron

83′dok2018

How are veterans of recent wars trying to find themselves in civil life conditions? After their return from Afghanistan or Iraq, James, Joe, Justin, Mike and Torrie tend to their physical and mental wounds. The film is a recording of their traumatic memories and alienation from reality.

dir. Andrei Kutsila

50′dok2018

A double portrait set against the background of the landscape of Suwalszczyzna. An eminent Polish painter, Andrzej Strumiłło, invites his friend Maria, a Belorussian painter, to his manor house. For Maria, several decades his junior, the visit is an opportunity to experience a different way of life. For Strumiłło – it is the time of summaries and farewells.

dir. Joona Tena

85′fab2018

After Spiderman and Superman, the time has come for Supermars! Emilia is a nice and sensitive girl who cares about nature. She has a bit unruly guinea pig that by coincidence bites her in the finger. This seemingly trivial incident completely changes the protagonist’s life.

dir. Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis

21′dok2018

A suspenseful, gloomy documentary about the virtual world of players to which the brutal reality unexpectedly demands access. A young man calls the police station to inform them that he has just killed his family. The frightening call must have been one of the pranks made by bored Internet users, but a special police unit, SWAT, is sent to the place.

dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski

16′dok1980

dir. Piotr Jaworski

73′dok2019

Does doctor Jan Terelak belong to an 'elitist' group of the most unethical experimenters? The Polish scientist tested boundaries of human mental resilience in extreme conditions of solitude in Antarctica. The starting point for Piotr Jaworski's documentary is the psychologist's journal.

dir. Nikolaus Geyrhalter

112′dok2018

Picturesque and idyllic Tirol has become the stage for the changes occurring in the European Union today. In 2016, the borders between Austria and Italy were closed in order to stop the influx of immigrants from the south. The accounts provided by the residents of the region as well as tourists reveal a different picture than the one presented by the media.

dir. Vera Krichevskaya

105′dok2018

He was a lawyer, politician, mayor of Saint Petersburg and a mentor of Vladimir Putin. He witnessed and participated in the most important political changes of the 1990s, created the new post-communist constitution but also contributed to the growth of corruption. The portrait of Anatoly Sobchak is created by his family members, friends and collaborators.

dir. Ramón Gieling

90′dok2018

Twenty homeless people who are regular singers at a choir in Amsterdam are staging an opera inspired by Luis Buñuel’s “Los Olvidados”. The preparations are progressing with difficulty at times, but new quality is being developed at the contact point between life and art. The process of joint creation becomes an autotherapy.

dir. Stanisław Cuske

19′dok2019

The older marriage sails out on a cruise on the lakes, where they have spent the entire one’s life. The enclosed space of the yacht provokes reflection on the future as well on what has passed. In the evenings old melodies resound.

dir. Laëtitia Martinoni

10′fab2018

Alice is happy, although she is at the hospital, just out of surgery. She is very ill and totally bald. However, she is in love with her surgeon. He is her savior and comes to see her every evening. Each of his visits is a magical moment for Alice and helps her forget her unbearable situation. Alice escapes into her own dream world and makes her life over into a sweeter, love-filled one .... EFA Nomination - Drama International Short Film Festival.

dir. Władysław Ślesicki

24′dok1966

One day in the life of a peasant family living in the lake district near Augustów, north-eastern Poland. They toil from dusk till dawn but, at the same time, are very happy. The film, which was inspired by a famous photographic exhibition (two photographs make the background for the opening credits), has no music or commentary.

dir. Àlex Lora Cercós, Adán Aliaga

83′dok2019

Several outcasts whose American dream has never materialised itself live their lives among tons of used plastic in the suburbs of New York. While sorting waste, they reflect upon the nature of the universe, dwell on their own weaknesses and failures, nurse homeless kittens and continue to dream.

dir. Mateusz Jarmulski

9′anim2018

A young boy has fun shooting animals he accidentally encounters with a bow. He gradually becomes more and more fascinated with hunting and his arrowheads get increasingly sharper. In this disturbing animation, brutality is contrasted with religiousness and the beauty and peace of nature with human aggression.

dir. Arthur Franck

72′dok2019

A story about ups and downs of one of the most famous figures in the contemporary history of Finland – the eccentric hypnotist Olavi Hakasalo (aka Olliver Hawk), who, following his long and successful career, was charged with fraud in 1980.

dir. Betina Bożek

8′anim2019

The director invites the spectators to the journey to Kaprysia, a planet invented by herself. Anything is allowed in this crazy world and the shapes of its residents’ bodies change depending on the mood. Kaprysia, however, is soon to be invaded by aliens coming from the land of geometric figures. The film is a wild animation affirming joy and good fun.

dir. Dariusz Załuski

83′dok2018

In January 2018, the Polish expedition to K2, one of the last eight-thousanders not summited in winter, began. The film shows the veterans of Himalayan mountaineering climbing in extreme conditions and the spectacular rescue effort at Nanga Parbat.

dir. Tomasz Garncarek

67′dok2019

Witold Sobociński, who died last year, was a unsurpassed master of cinematography and a co-author of many works by Wajda, Has or Polański. Rather than a typical biography, the film is a portrait which was made using film material and recollections from film sets only.

dir. Barbara Rupik

9′anim2019

A journey through the land of the dead with the Soul that left its decomposing body. This ugly animation is full of references to painting, religious beliefs and ancient symbols, which may cause discomfort for the viewers at the same time engaging them into the dark, albeit fascinating, world of death.

dir. Tonislav Hristov

87′dok2019

An intimate portrait of a young girl who escapes into the world of fantasy to deal with her trauma. Performing different parts in the world of LARPs and adopting different identities, Veera tries to define her own. Will it help her in the relationship with her disabled brother and the father who abused her in childhood?

dir. Petter Sommer, Jo Vemud Svendsen

75′dok2018

The supporting act before the concert of Black Sabbath in Norway in 2016 was to be delivered by a choir made of 25 middle-aged men. It turns out that one of them is diagnosed with cancer. The film tells the story of a shared passion, brusque male friendship and being together in the most important moments.

dir. Caroline Leaf

10′anim1977

When Mr Samsa woke up one day, he was surprised to learn that he turned into an awful worm. The protagonist is rejected by his family and his life turns into a labyrinth from which is it hard to find a way out. A surreal story, full of absurd, about helplessness and exclusion.

dir. Kazimierz Karabasz

9′dok1960

A film about a brass band rehearsal. Portraits of people, no longer young, for whom close contact with music must be something so important they devote their spare time to it.

dir. Caroline Leaf

8′anim1974

The life of the owl that fell in love with a goose is not easy. Although the birds are joined by true love, they are divided by much more. Despite anatomical differences, the owl wants to accompany her partner at all costs – even in the middle of a lake. Based on an Innuit legend, this sand animation received a BAFTA nomination.

dir. Simon Target

75′dok2019

For a number of years, sister Davida and father Jan have been working in Papua New Guinea where poverty, diseases and lack of education hinder the development of the young state. Although missionaries struggle with numerous difficulties, faith and good humour help them to survive the most difficult moments.

dir. Wojciech Wiszniewski

8′dok1976

The film shows the level of self‐awareness among Poles in the 1970s. A symbolic image is combined with the alphabet and a poem entitled ,,Who Are You?", so deeply rooted in the national tradition. Golden Hobby Horse (1981).

dir. Gustav Ahlgren, Emelie Jönsson

79′dok2019

She had been a true opera star and popularity had been an element of her everyday life until everything suddenly ended. She encountered growing criticism and was considered difficult to collaborate with. Siv Wennberg withdrew herself but never surrendered. The viewers can witness her preparations for a stage comeback after many years.

dir. Marian Marzyński

16′dok1963

,,The Batory'' has sailed to Gdynia. On board are mainly Polish Americans, who after many years’ estrangement are visiting their homeland. The camera shows the emotions and uncertainty on the faces of the people about to be reacquainted with their loved ones and their long-lost country. Golden Dragon (1964).

dir. Katrina Costello

75′dok2018

A captivating film haiku about the search for harmony between man and nature where Patrick McCormack serves as a guide. This Irish poet and farmer stands up in defence of a wildlife enclave, the rocky Burren Plateau, where the natural is linked with the mystical.

dir. Caroline Leaf

11′anim1976

When a grandma begins to die, the only thing you can do is wait. The slow process of passing away is observed by her grandson who does not understand much yet. An Oscar nominee, “The Street” is a story about the preparation for the demise of close family members and rituals related to death.

dir. Marcin Polar

14′dok2019

Marcin Polar's film is a journey into the inside of a mountainous cave, somewhere in the High Tatras. A camera accompanies the main protagonist, Jarosław Surmacz, in discovering this mysterious place. The inaccessible cavern, called “the Tough” by its discoverers, is seen from a perspective of a speleologist.

dir. Michał Bielawski

75′dok2019

The foehn wind in Podhale leaves destroyed houses and forests behind. It also impacts the well-being of people and animals. Fascinated with the mysterious element, the documentary authors have captured how a destructive windstorm can change the lives of several local residents. The film is a thriller immersed in the incredible highlander culture.

dir. Sara Fgaier

20′dok2018

A woman gives voice to Annie Ernaux The years's text. Neither the words, nor the images, drawn from the family films, are expected to complete the narration of her story: places from her past. The mountains on the cost, a seascape, gardens, scenes of a life lived amongst family, reassembled and freed from their original context, become expressive elements of a confession that is both personal discovery and collective narration. EFA Nomination – Venice Film Festival

dir. John Alexander

83′dok2018

He has never gained a separate entry in Wikipedia although his art left a distinct mark on the history of R&B or soul in the 1970s. Please, meet an Afro-American vocalist called Rudy Love whose biography is a story about a rare talent, very unlucky career, racial bias and great scams.

dir. Elena López Riera

24′dok2018

In the south of Spain, a race of colorfully painted pigeons, will reward not the one who flies the fastest, but the one who will have known how to seduce a female pigeon, and to fly the longest time at its sides. EFA Nomination – Locarno Film Festival.

dir. Veronika Janatková

68′dok2019

During the Cold War, the only way to escape from the world divided by the Iron Curtain seemed to be a space flight. Thousands of people wanted to go to the moon, the land of apolitical utopia, including the protagonist of this warm ballad about unfulfilled dreams.

dir. Diana Kadłubowska, Krzysztof Kadłubowski

52′dok2019

A portrait of three generations of one family painfully afflicted by history. In Diana and Krzysztof Kadłubowskis' film inheriting the Holocaust trauma becomes the cause of mutual misunderstanding and unspoken grudges between three women.

dir. Marianne Kõrver

58′dok2018

Who is one of the most eminent and the most mysterious Estonian composers? Tõnu Kõrvits takes the spectators on a poetic journey to the world of music immersed in northern landscapes and the fellow passengers are ordinary and unique inhabitants of contemporary Estonia. The documentary title is a reference to the choral cycle composed by the artist inspired by Emily Brontë’s Gothic novel “The Wuthering Heights”. Melancholy meets the mysticism of nature, which is reflected both by the sound and the visual side of the film.

dir. Alex Boya

8′anim2018

An unexpected return of her husband, who is a pilot makes, the protagonist happy. Her happiness quickly disappears when it turns out that the man's face has transformed into an airplane turbine. The woman has to compete for her husband's affection with... a fan. A surreal retro animation about searching for new experiences in a relationship and sacrifice for love.

dir. Caroline Leaf

11′anim1991

Marie protects her sister, Viola, against the entire world by locking her in their dark flat. Their seemingly peaceful life is interrupted by the sudden appearance of an intruder. Will Viola be able to break free from her sister? An animated story about toxic family bonds, otherness and manipulation.

dir. Bruno Tondeur

13′anim2018

“I've been spitting blood, is it cancer?” – when you are diagnosed by an Internet browser, it is then difficult to trust a doctor saying it is just stress. Obsessive thinking about diseases paralyses the protagonist and fear of death has practically moved into his house. A journey into the human body during which fluorescent internal organs pulsate in slow motion to electronic sounds.

dir. Agata Trzebuchowska

29′fab2019

Mystery and tension. One day, Anna, an ordinary resident of a gated housing estate, takes a look inside an unfinished house opposite her own and decides to stay there. Observing her family members, she discovers their lesser and greater secrets and, above all, learns more about herself.

dir. Alexandra Kandy Longuet

81′dok2018

The motels known from American TV series and films do not have a good reputation. They give shelter to murderers, lost travellers or embarrassed lovers who meet there in secret. Who are their true residents? An interesting, albeit dismal, portrait of people who tend to dream the American dream less and less often. Best World Documentary Film 2018 – Jihlava IDFF 2018.

dir. Kobas Laksa

29′fab2019

A poignant directing debut of Kobas Laksa, a visual artist and a photographer. Larysa and Boris, immigrants from Ukraine, try to balance their private and professional life. When they seem to have luck on their side, an accident that happens forces them to redefine the vision of the future they have had so far.

dir. Joanna Wapniewska

7′anim2019

An empty set on the table, a place in the bed and empty hangers remind the character about the recently lost love. The still undamped feeling revives memories and the longing makes the character’s world disintegrate. This is a portrait of a woman, nostalgic and full of passion, who has to deal with her loneliness.

dir. Teresia Fant

27′dok2018

An attempt to show the unknown face of the Norwegian youth. Two young men have had a difficult past. Today, each of them tries to cope with reality in a different way. One seems to continue the bravado by drinking himself unconscious, while the other is searching for another solution.

dir. Jan Ijäs

10′dok2016

A few years ago, because of the refugee crisis, the eyes of the entire world were focused on Lampedusa. A Finnish director decided to visit this little Italian island. His short documentary, instead of sensational photographs and cheap moralising, includes an essay on an exceptionally beautiful place that became witness to and an involuntary participant of a global problem.

dir. Paweł Dyllus

29′dok2019

Paweł Dyllus, a cinematographer collaborating with eminent documentarist Bogdan Dziworski, portrays his director. The Polish documentary classic returns behind the camera directing ,,Plus Minus or Fly Trips to the East". During shooting breaks, he devotes himself to his greatest passion – photography.

dir. Mateusz Buława

21′dok2019

Two brothers on the threshold of adulthood are still under the custody of their mother who is strongly supported by their grandmother. In a cluttered flat, they fight for every smallest bit of autonomy; each of them applies different tactics to manoeuvre in this difficult territory.

dir. Heather Phillipson

7′anim2017

"What's the damage" is a proposition and provocation, answering back to ongoing crises under white patriarchy, relaying and augmenting feelings and gestures of chronic unease, protest and dissent. Phillipson’s summons and riposte storms in via menstrual blood, rising up against leadership and advancing supermoons, pizzas and drones. EFA Nomination – IFF Rotterdam

dir. Till Schauder

88′dok2017

dir. Stefan Pavlovic

21′dok2018

A(n) (un)romantic story from the countryside. She was almost 12 when she met him and two years later became pregnant with their first child. She did not want to get married, but her family decided otherwise. He married her because they were equally poor and unhappy. They have had 8 healthy children. They live and work in a village, next to each other but separate. Only seldom do they meet to meditate together.

dir. Nicolas Keppens, Matthias Phlips

19′anim2017

Going on a safari is a dream for many. For middle-aged couple Linda and Troyer, it turns into a horribly real adventure when they get left behind in the wilderness. EFA Nomination – Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival.

dir. Fanni Mikkonen

14′dok2018

A centre for women with addictions in Helsinki. The documentary protagonists have lived through a tough experience: many years of struggling with alcoholism. Excluded, ostracised by society or even rejected by their families, today they are trying to find peace and accept themselves. The eponymous holiday is an excellent opportunity for them to celebrate a new life.

dir. Andrijana Stojković

60′dok2018

Living far away from civilisation in the company of six domesticated dingos, Sreten Božić, who writes under the alias of B. Wongar, calls the spirits from Aboriginal beliefs. As a researcher of the native Australian culture, he is looking for close contact with nature and those who passed away.

dir. Piotr Szulkin

6′dok1978

In a couple of symbolic scenes showing women preoccupied with their work the author reveals his attitude towards the stereotype of a working woman that is accepted world-wide.

dir. Małgorzata Bosek - Serafińska

12′anim2018

A collector and a smoker. She collected paper souvenirs and he smoked consecutive packets of cigarettes. Their life together is documented by old tickets and labels flashing at the backdrop of empty cigarette cartons. This collage is also a poignant diary of a progressing disease. The film is devoted to the memory of Marek Serafiński, an animated film director and producer. Laureate of the International Film Festival Etiuda&Anima.

dir. Yair Lev

88′dok2018

An Israeli director unexpectedly finds out that there lived a man in Innsbruck who claimed to be his grandfather. Who stole the identity of Ernst Bechinsky and held the most important position among the Austrian Jewish community for a few years? Yair Lev decides to carry out an investigation that will enable him to discover the motives of the mysterious man.

dir. Dagomir Kaszlikowski

51′dok2019

Quantum cinema noir set in oneiric Tokyo which involves kidnapping, an eccentric scientist and a private detective, beaten by life, who is tailing him. This film experiment combining the genres of fiction and documentary presents one of the greatest paradoxes of science.

dir. Tomasz Knittel

84′dok2019

Why is Poland sometimes so tiring? What does it mean to be Polish? Are we a tolerant or xenophobic country? Krzysztof’s personal story gives rise to a few tales where the main theme is a sense of belonging.