62nd KFF Films
200 filmów
Films can be watched in Kraków cinemas from 29 May to 5 June, and online throughout Poland on 3–12 June 2022.
See also: Films grouped in Competitions and Sections.
10:45
dir. Giorgi Gogichaishvili
fab2021
On an ordinary, lazy and warm, day, in an ordinary flat in an ordinary city, there are two ordinary women on two sides of the telephone. They can dream about everything, confide in each other, complain a little, joke and dance, curl up in an armchair and listen to music. It is just an ordinary film, or maybe it is not?
Read more1341 Frames of Love & War (1341 fotosów o miłości i wojnie)
dir. Ran Tal
dok2022
‘Sometimes the most horrible things can be aesthetic’ – says Micha Bar-Am, a legendary photographer. His work was mostly a chronicle of 60 years of Israel’s history, in particular local ethnic tensions and armed conflicts. The artist tells us his story remaining outside the frame, while the film adopts the form of a collage of his iconic photos.
Read more19.91
30 Years of Excuses (30 lat wymówek)
dir. Armand Urbaniak
dok2022
Michał ‘Gier’ Giercuszkiewicz is a master of percussion, primarily known for his membership in the legendary band Dżem. Soon after the front man’s death, he isolated himself in the mountains of Bieszczady to live on a raft. Despite the passage of time, his drums and plates did not become covered with dust and the artist is planning to record an album.
Read more7 Words About Passing Away (7 słów o przemijaniu)
dir. Łukasz Iwanicz
dok2022
Who is closer to the truth about the end of life: cold faces from tombstones or eyes and hands of the living sharing their reflections and fears with us? Will the eponymous seven words bring us closer to the truth?
Read moreAdamiani
dir. Hirotoshi Takeoka
dok2021
The Kists are Georgian Chechens who live in the Pankisi Gorge. The local men are known for their bravery but also infamous for being ‘terrorists’. The documentary is a multi-threaded story of inhabitants of a little known place in the Caucasus.
Read moreAll That Breathes (Wszystko, co żyje)
dir. Shaunak Sen
dok2022
In New Delhi nowadays, the fate of people and animals may be the same. Shrouded in deadly smog, the city is also the setting of xenophobic persecution aimed primarily at Muslims. That is why brothers Nadeem and Saud do not feel safe here. But they keep on doing their thing – for two decades they have been running a bird clinic at home.
Read moreAnna
dir. Julia Roesler
dok2022
Self-therapeutic and soothing, the film is a portrayal of Anna. As a child she experienced violence and resentment from her peers and her own father because of her excess weight. After years of fighting for herself, she became a self-aware woman who accepts her body and is not afraid to expose it.
Read moreAnny
dir. Helena Třeštíková
dok2021
During the day Anna works in a public toilet and at night – in the street. The viewer meets her when she is 47 and then the camera accompanies her for the next 16 years. Helena Třeštíková, a laureate of Krakow’s Dragon of Dragons in 2012, is faithful to her method of the long-term observation of her characters.
Read moreAre You Among Them? (Czy jesteś wśród nich?)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski
dok1954
"Are you among them?!" It is a snappy satire on the tendencies of polish people to disrespect the common good and disregard general rules. The dire consequences of these vices are depicted in humorously staged episodes accompanied by a harsh commentary. Background – 1950s Warsaw.
Read moreAtonal Glow (Atonaluri gabrzkineba)
dir. Alexander Koridze
dok2021
Tsotne Zedginidze, a 10-year-old piano genius from Georgia, is sometimes compared to Mozart. Bestowed with an extraordinary talent, he seems as if he played with music. His grandmother, who is his teacher, carer and international career manager, keeps an eye on all this.
Read moreAt Full Throttle (Láska pod kapotou)
dir. Miro Remo
dok2021
Jaroslav seems to be an antihero: he failed to fulfil his dream of becoming a racing driver or achieve a financial success. In front of the camera, he becomes the hero of our times – funny and tragic at the same time, led astray by various, sometimes populist, forces.
Read moreA Brief History of Us
A Dead Marriage (Martwe małżeństwo)
dir. Michał Toczek
fab2022
Sometimes we get beguiled the most by simple unassuming stories, little gestures and timid words. A man and a woman meet on a film set. Filip is a middle-aged man and Łucja is a woman who runs a café and is renovating her flat. Together, they are playing a dead couple.
Read moreA Goat's Spell
dir. Gerhard Funk
anim2022
The plot starts out perfectly normal: a boy eats breakfast and goes to school. When the kid returns home and smashes the sky into a million glass pieces using a goat’s milk, we already know that nothing will be predictable from now on. This surreal, twisted animation takes us on a psychedelic journey through the author’s imagination.
Read moreA New Shift (Nová šichta)
dir. Jindřich Andrš
dok2020
The eponymous New Shift is a programme supporting employees of mines in liquidation. Tomáš is 44. He has 3 children, lives alone, supports the Baník football club from Ostrava and likes beer. He worked over half of his life underground and can use Excel. Therefore, he signs up for a 4-month programming course.
Read moreA Souvenir from Kalwaria (Pamiątka z Kalwarii)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski
dok1958
A lot of believers attend the celebration of the Mystery of the Lord's Passion in the sanctuary of the Bernardines in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, known as the Polish Jerusalem. The filmmakers managed to capture the moment of ecstasy of the pilgrims and the social phenomenon of the celebration.
Read moreA Tunnel (Tunel)
dir. Nino Orjonikidze, Vano Arsenishvili
dok2019
In a Georgian village hidden in the forest-covered mountains, time has come to a halt and modernity has only rarely made a stop at the tiny railway station. Can such a place unexpectedly become the centre of a new world because of the eponymous tunnel?
Read moreBella
dir. Thelyia Petraki
fab2020
Greece 1986-1987, a little before the fall of State Socialism and just at the end of the Cold War. In front of Anthi’s eyes the country is changing, the world is changing and with them Christos seems to be changing too.
Read moreBeneath the Surface (Pod powierzchnią)
dir. Alexander Niakaris Irvine-Cox
dok2022
This film is like a top-quality Scandinavian crime story set in the landscapes of the Far North. Despite reports about acts of paedophilia in the Norwegian town of Tysfjord for many years, it was not until a thorough journalistic investigation that the enormous scale of the crime and its racist context was revealed.
Read moreBeyond Is the Day (Dalej jest dzień)
dir. Damian Kocur
fab2020
Black and white photographs, amateurs in leading parts and the small realism of Poland’s provinces. Paweł is a single man who works on a small river ferry. Day by day he keeps doing the same things until he meets Mohammad, an illegal immigrant. Paweł decides to help him. Finally, there is someone he can talk to.
Read moreBlack Mambas
dir. Lena Karbe
dok2022
Black Mambas is the first such all-female unit protecting rhinos and other animals from poachers in South Africa. The fearless rangers are tasked with patrolling the edges of the Kruger National Park day and night.
Read moreBlooming Brain (Kwitnący mózg)
Boney Piles (Terykony)
Boulevard (Deptak)
dir. Artur Wierzbicki
dok2022
The Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy) in Warsaw is a tourist attraction for some, a place of individual and collective manifestations of opinions or skills for others or just a workplace for yet another group. Artur Wierzbicki’s camera captures changing seasons, clothes and moods of the street, national victories and personal dramas.
Read moreBoulevard (Deptak [AD+napisy])
dir. Artur Wierzbicki
dok2022
The Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy) in Warsaw is a tourist attraction for some, a place of individual and collective manifestations of opinions or skills for others or just a workplace for yet another group. Artur Wierzbicki’s camera captures changing seasons, clothes and moods of the street, national victories and personal dramas.
Read moreBoylesque
dir. Bogna Kowalczyk
dok2022
Lulla la Polaca is the oldest Polish drag queen, fighting for the right to individual expression. The film shows Lulla’s more private side: the one of a sensitive dreamer treating his presence in front of the camera like another virtuoso performance.
Read moreCall Me Mommy
dir. Tara O'Callaghan
dok2022
Sinead is a sex worker. It would be easy to pigeonhole her and label her as a bad mother or a slut. Meanwhile, she is a tough woman who has not been spared by life. Difficult, violent relationships, her mother’s alcoholic disease and her death, with four children and several pets to support. She could have given up, but she fought for herself and her loved ones.
Read moreCat (Kot)
Caterpillar (Sâu Bướm)
dir. Marcus Anthony Thomas
fab2021
A failed escape reveals the hell of modern slavery. For a group of teenagers, the British street is a sports field, playground and a place of joy where they can spend time together. For the Vietnamese boy watching them from his window, it is an unattainable dream.
Read moreCesária Évora
dir. Ana Sofia Fonseca
dok2022
In the mid-1990s, she became a singer recognized in different parts of the world. In Cape Verde, where she came from, she still enjoys the status of a queen. The films portrays a woman painfully treated by fate and an artist paving the way for other female musicians.
Read moreCherry Bone (Kirschknochen)
Chiatura
dir. Toby Andris
fab2021
An elderly woman, Eliso, lives in desolate Chiatura, a desolate and run-down mining town in Georgia, famous for its manganese extraction. This time her working day will be different from the previous ones. Hearing on the radio that the miners’ strike has ended, she takes her gun and sets off on a private protest. What are the motivations behind this dramatic decision?
Read moreChickens, Virus and Us (Slepice, virus a my)
Coronation (Kruunaus)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1979
Father Franciszek Dźwigoński, a parish priest in Maków Podhalański, is preparing his parishioners for the celebratory crowning of the painting of Our Lady of Maków Podhalański by Pope John Paul II.
Read moreCrazy Days - or Making an Opera in Pandemic Times (Crazy Days - of opera in tijden van pandemie)
dir. Sanne Rovers
dok2021
For three years the Dutch National Opera had been preparing the performance of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ with an international cast until the coronavirus arrived. The film is a recording of the special time when, despite the strict sanitary regime and the pandemic absurdities, the project was brought to a grand finale.
Read moreDaughter (Dcera)
dir. Daria Kashcheeva
anim2019
In a hospital room, the Daughter recalls a childhood moment when as a little girl she tried to share her experience with an injured bird with her Father.
Read moreDecember 1970. Monument (Muistomerkki)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1982
On December 16, 1980, the Fallen Shipyard Workers Monument was unveiled at the second gate of the Gdańsk Shipyard. The director, thanks to Anna Walentynowicz, manages to meet with shipyard workers who participated in those events. They recall the days leading up to the tragic date of December 16, 1970, the massacre and its victims.
Read moreDessert Dachshund (Deserowy jamnik)
Displaced (Pa Vend)
dir. Samir Karahoda
dok2021
In post-war Kosovo, driven by the ambition of keeping their beloved sport alive, two local players wander from one obscure location to another carrying with them the only possession of the club: their tables.
Read moreDoubting, Puddles (Nevím, kaluže)
dir. Anna Petruželová
dok2018
We are waiting for a puddle: no rain, cracked soil, withered flowers, grass rustling. The city without puddles, people are putting little plastic bowls with water for animals on their balconies. It’s raining, gladness. Different puddles on different places have different shapes. Puddle: something nonpractical: dirty shoes. Puddles and water pleasure.
Read moreEaster Eggs
dir. Nicolas Keppens
anim2021
The Chinese restaurant is empty. The exotic bird’s cage stands wide open. Two friends, Jason and Kevin, see this as an opportunity to catch and sell them. Catching the birds ain’t as simple as it seems.
Read moreEdge of Light (Ukos światła)
En mis zapatos
dir. Pedro Morato
dok2021
Paco Mora, a distinguished flamenco dancer and choreographer, gave up his career to take care of his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and fulfil her dream of dancing. We can observe closeness and everyday care that undermine stereotypes about a man’s role in a family.
Read moreEternal Spring (Eternal Spring (長春))
dir. Jason Loftus
dok2022
In March 2002 members of the group Falun Gong, outlawed in China, took control of a state television station. They wanted to express their disapproval of persecution by the communist authorities, but as a result repressions grew only worse. Animating drawings by Daxiong, one of the victims, the film recreates the atmosphere of the events.
Read moreEthiopiques - Revolt of the Soul (Ethiopiques - muzyka duszy)
dir. Maciej Bochniak
dok2017
Thirty years ago, Francis Falceto, a French musicologist, discovered and promoted the phenomenon of Ethiopian music – a unique fusion of traditional music with jazz, soul or rock’n’roll. The film tells the story of a passion for music that survived despite any political or social changes.
Read moreEven Mice Belong in Heaven (Myši patří do nebe)
Every Single Minute (Každá minuta života)
dir. Erika Hníková
dok2021
Deciding to have this baby, Lenka and Michal knew they wanted to dedicate themselves unconditionally to him. The Kamevéda method, which involves comprehensive physical and intellectual development as well as on-going competition, is a model for them. Their son Miško has no time to get bored. His parents devote every minute of their life to him.
Read moreFamine Disease (Nälkäsairaus)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1983
A shocking picture of the reality of the Warsaw Ghetto. Typhus, lice and other diseases were nothing compared to the epidemic of hunger that reigned behind its walls. Thanks to archival photographs and recordings, we may see a sample of the nightmare that befell a thousand people.
Read moreFiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen
dir. Daniel Raim
dok2022
Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the screening of a famous musical made by Norman Jewison. With the participation of the film creators, the documentary tries to explore the phenomenon of ‘The Fiddler of the Roof’. It presents a variety of contexts related to its development, including literature, film, politics, history and obviously music.
Read moreFilm, the Living Record of Our Memory
dir. Inés Toharia
dok2021
Orson Welles once said, ‘Film has a personality, and that personality is self-destructive. The job of the archivist is to anticipate what the film may do — and prevent it.’ The Spanish director’s documentary portrays attempts of saving even just a fraction of the multitude of stories registered on celluloid film.
Read moreFinding Fela! (Fela odnaleziony)
First Class Citizen
Flight (Lot)
dir. Anna Zakrzewska, Łukasz Ronduda
dok2022
When at the Venice Biennale in 2019 Roman Stańczak showed an aircraft turned inside out, some saw it as a reference to the Smolensk air crash. Capturing the creation process of ‘Flight’ and presenting his earlier works, the film authors portray the artist who finally ‘rose from the dead’.
Read moreFollowers. Live Shooting (Followers. Odpalaj lajwa)
dir. Jakub Radej
fab2022
A Polish school becomes the arena of events that seem unlikely, albeit not impossible, in Poland. Is a Polish student in the time of globalisation, so much different from a student in America, Asia or another European country? What did Adam plan for a school event attended by Olga Tokarczuk at a prestigious high school?
Read moreForests (Forêts)
Fortress (Twierdza)
dir. Sławek Zalewski
anim2021
The town is preparing for an enemy attack but no enemy has arrived yet. The inhabitants, ready for inevitable death, are frustrated by the prolonged state of emergency. However, the culprit for the situation has to be found. A parody of an authoritarian state and the ineptitude of those in power with a bitter reflection on the status of the individual in a clash with the system.
Read moreFor Eunice (Voor Eunice)
Fragile Memory (Крихка Пам'ять)
dir. Igor Ivanko
dok2022
In a dacha near Odessa, the film’s director has found old photographic films that belonged to his grandfather Leonid Burlaka, a Ukrainian filmmaker. Using the photos and footage shot by Burlaka throughout several decades, the documentary aims to save his life from oblivion.
Read moreFriendly Sport Meeting (Přátelské setkání nad sportem)
dir. Adam Koloman Rybanský
fab2017
It's saturday, beautiful summer weather and the tournament begins in a small village. Futnet is played, rump is being roasted and everybody is drinking beer. Monday is still far away so no one has to worry about anything. At least until the moment when gypsy team called Jamaicas appears.
Read moreFrom the Wild Sea (Fra Det vilde Hav)
dir. Robin Petré
dok2021
Visually sophisticated and poignant, this documentary, or rather poem, honours the silent witnesses of our planet’s past entangled in the network of civilisations of migrants from the primeval ocean. The film is for adult viewers only.
Read moreGila Who Walks Alone
dir. Yuval Shapira
fab2021
A group of girls of different ages freeze motionless. They are playing the game of statues. Gila is the eldest in this family of Orthodox Jews, and she is responsible for looking after her younger siblings. It is clear that the teenager would like to get out of her crowded flat.
Read moreGod and Lunaparks' Warriors (Bóg i Wojownicy Lunaparków)
dir. Bartłomiej Żmuda
dok2022
A son, overwhelmed by a religious zeal, embarks upon a crusade to convert his father. The neophyte’s fervour will be put to a test by the unapologetic, sharp-tongued anticlerical.
Read moreGod and Lunaparks' Warriors (Bóg i Wojownicy Lunaparków)
dir. Bartłomiej Żmuda
dok2022
A son, overwhelmed by a religious zeal, embarks upon a crusade to convert his father. The neophyte’s fervour will be put to a test by the unapologetic, sharp-tongued anticlerical.
Read moreHardcore
dir. Adán Aliaga
dok2022
‘Pass me a joint’, says Rafa to his mother. The man has been bedridden for over 15 years, which has not stopped him from skydiving, making music or watching pornography. Rafa seems to be doing very well despite his paralysis, but chronic pain is increasingly getting to him.
Read moreHenry Glassie: Fieldwork (Henry Glassie: Badania terenowe)
dir. Pat Collins
dok2021
In this hypnotising documentary devoted to Henry Glassie, the director adopts the perspective of the eminent anthropologist, while the viewer unites with the researcher becoming his eyes and ears.
Read moreHeroes and Martys (Sankarit ja marttyyrit)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1990
San Francisco, Sydney and New Korczyn are three locations with links to the Macugowskis. Józef and Stefania Macugowski saved nine Jews. Modest and meek, they kept silent about their heroism after the end of the war. They were afraid of the reaction of their neighbours.
Read moreHide
dir. Daniel Gray
anim2020
One, two, three – let’s play hide-and-seek! What if you hid so well that no one would ever find you? One of the brothers comes up with such an idea during a hide-and-seek at home. Closed in a wardrobe, he has been observing the life of his family through a crack in the door for years.
Read moreHoly Holocaust
dir. Osi Wald, Noa Berman-Herzberg
anim2021
Jennifer is black German with German, Austrian and Nigerian roots. Noa is an Israeli from Tel Aviv. They meet in Paris during a drawing class and quickly become friends. They keep in touch until Jennifer finds out that she is a granddaughter of a Nazi criminal, Amon Goeth.
Read moreHome of the Heart (A coeur perdu)
How Do You Measure A Year?
Identity (Tożsamość)
dir. Konrad Królikowski
dok2022
Three radically different protagonists, with polar opposite political views, try to define their identities against the background of contemporary Poland. Each of them is at the turning point of his or her life.
Read moreImpossible Figures and Other Stories I (Figury niemożliwe i inne historie I)
dir. Marta Pajek
anim2021
The third and final part of Marta Pajek’s series shows the protagonist walking through a deserted city. Empty streets stretching endlessly create a labyrinth of figures and geometric shapes. The city absorbs us, frightens and evokes anxiety and only the wrinkles on the characters’ faces remind us that life once flourished here.
Read moreInfinity According to Florian (Neskinchennistʹ za Florianom)
dir. Oleksiy Radynsk
dok2022
‘Architecture is like music - it must have a rhythm’, says the film’s eponymous character Florian Yuriev, an architect, painter, violin maker and all-round artist. The investors who want to build a shopping mall on the site of his legendary building are of a different opinion.
Read moreIn Flow of Words
In His Mercy (In Seiner Gnade)
In The Circle (W kręgu)
dir. Jan Naszewski
fab2022
Monika organizes her first workshop in the women's circle formula, but the more she tries, the worse everything turns out.
Read moreIt's the Hooligans! (Uwaga, chuligani!)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski
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.
Read moreIt's Time You Died Already (Hegia hazman shetamuti kvar)
dir. Hadar Morag
dok2021
This is Evie - a cheerful and resolute woman of mature age who even sings merrily while cooking sausages. Theoretically, she does not have many reasons to be happy, as she takes care of her sick mother, Rose. The two women share a deep bond, a sharp tongue, an unusual sense of humour and a similar taste in films.
Read moreI Am Not
dir. Tomer Heymann
dok2021
Oren has Asperger syndrome and the fact that he is an adopted child makes it difficult for him to adapt. Suddenly, his life changes with the help of the camera, which becomes an extraordinary therapy tool assisting him on a long journey in search of his identity.
Read moreI Want You If You Dare (Chci tě, jestli to dokážeš)
dir. Dagmar Smržová
dok2019
Jana is 28. She is an outspoken optimist dependent on the assistance of other people. She cannot move, but the world revolves around her. It includes her mother entangled in complicated relationships with men and alcohol, her friend, blind sister, grandma and three sexual assistants.
Read moreJazz Outsider
dir. Janusz Majewski
dok2022
A charming, nostalgic story, that will take you back to a jazz club in the mid-20th century. You will meet Krzysztof Komeda, Michał Urbaniak, Wojciech Karolak and Zbigniew Namysłowski there. You will have a drink with Miles Davis, learn which Polish musician was popular with the German military and listen to a performance by Sonia Bohosiewicz.
Read moreJudges under pressure (Sędziowie pod presją)
dir. Kacper Lisowski
dok2021
One of the most important documentaries of recent years. It presents a crisis of democracy and the people who rebelled against the destruction of the independent judiciary. The protagonists are steadfast judges, with Igor Tuleya among them. We can see them at work, in political fervour, as well as in their private lives.
Read moreKapr Code (Kaprkód)
dir. Lucie Králová
dok2022
The biography of this Czechoslovak composer could not be recounted in a good old-fashioned way. Sung by a contemporary choir, it shows off the musical legacy left by Jan Kapr and his abundant private archives. Employing comic means, the film presents the artist navigating his life in a destitute time.
Read moreKosher Rehab
dir. Anna Oliker
dok2021
Drug-addicted American teenagers from a Jewish community end up in a rehab centre in Jerusalem. Under the care of charismatic leader Eric, they use their last chance to win with the addiction.
Read moreLaboratory No.2 (تاقیگەی ژمارە 2)
Little Axel
dir. Bård Kjøge Rønning, Fabien Greenberg
dok2021
His childhood in archival photos and films looks like great Greek holidays with Leonard Cohen, a partner of Axel’s mother, at his side. How did it happen that this sweet, fair-haired boy, went on to spend a big part of his life in psychiatric hospitals?
Read moreLittle Satchmo
dir. John C. Alexander
dok2021
She was a child who did not exist. A few years ago, Sharon Preston-Folta announced it to the world that she is the biological daughter of the musical genius Louis Armstrong. Almost no one knew about her existence because the famous jazzman was considered to be childless.
Read moreLive (焦点之外)
dir. Baggio Jiang
fab2021
On a warm evening, a young girl gets into an Uber where the driver informs her that he will be live-streaming during the ride. She does not mind as long as she is not within the range of his phone’s camera. Will the driver treat his passenger fairly?
Read moreLove, Dad (Milý tati)
Luce and the Rock (Luce i skała)
Maldita. A Love Song to Sarajevo
dir. Raúl de la Fuente Calle, Amaia Ramirez
dok2022
Let yourself be seduced by the timbre of his voice and his extraordinary personality, which defies all categorisation. A beautiful image of a free, talented person who, despite people’s prejudices, is able to look at the world with great kindness and understanding.
Read moreMama Africa
Mandatory Presence (Obecność obowiązkowa)
dir. Adam Ziajski
fab2021
Full of irony and sometimes grotesque, the film is a bravado commentary on the social and political reality. The protagonist is a lonely middle-aged man. He has just moved into a claustrophobic flat and voilà... the world ends.
Read moreMartin and the Magical Forest (Mazel a tajemství lesa)
Mass for the Homeland (Messu isänmaan puolesta)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1985
An insightful and poignant recording of a mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Warsaw for the intention of the homeland celebrated for the first time without Father Jerzy Popiełuszko.
Read moreMenagerie
dir. Jack Gray
anim2022
An alarm clock goes off. You get up, open the window, feed the hamster, water the plant, go to work and so on and so forth. Your neighbours, their neighbours and the entire city do the same. In a playful way, Menagerie shows that our lives consist of the same actions repeated over and over again. It is Rybczyński’s Tango set in the world of The Simpsons
Read moreMirror (Ayena)
dir. Siddhant Sarin, Debankon Solanky
dok2021
‘If you don’t love me, I will destroy your face’. Such comments can be found by young Indian women on their social media. It is not uncommon that actions follows threats, which is a well-known fact for the protagonists of the documentary who were mutilated with acid.
Read moreMoody
dir. Karolina Karwan, Tomasz Ratter
dok2022
Crystal clear water, almost empty beaches and tall palm trees. This postcard image of the Indonesian island is occasionally disturbed by torrential rains, which its isolated inhabitants have to deal with. Poverty and loneliness also afflict Mudi and his elderly mother. The only escape from the mundane life turns out to be dancing.
Read moreMountains and Heaven in Between (Між небом та горами)
dir. Dmytro Hreshko
dok2021
An ambulance crew visits hard-to-reach villages in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The camera captures fairy-tale mountain landscapes, neglected roads and ever-falling snow. Just like centuries ago, locals meet for weddings, funerals and Sunday service, which Dmytra Hreshko captures with a truly ethnographic flair.
Read moreMr. Inkblot in Love & War (Pan Kleks. Wojna i miłość)
dir. Władysław Jurków
dok2022
Jan Brzechwa fell in love with a hairdresser’s wife, but due to his Jewish roots and the wartime conditions, his feelings were put to the test. Not able to pursue his love affair, he lived in solitude, which gave rise to timeless literature. The director employs archival photos, numerous contributions of experts and fictionalised scenes to create a colourful documentary – a fairy tale about a poet in love.
Read moreMR LANDSBERGIS
dir. Sergei Loznitsa
dok2021
In March 1990, Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence, which resulted in economic sanctions and military aggression from the collapsing empire. The film is a detailed chronicle of these events, in which head of the state Vytautas Landsbergis played an instrumental role. Without him, history could have turned out very differently.
Read moreMusic of Sonny
Must Be Painful (Musí to být bolestivý)
dir. David Semler
fab2020
Danny, a Czech student, and his Spanish boyfriend go on a trip to the Czech countryside. At the railway station they meet a couple of locals who do not know Danny understands them, so they start to make sarcastic comments.
Read moreMy Place Ozerna (Moja Ozerna)
dir. Karina Będkowska
dok2022
For a lonely protagonist, her journey from London to Ozerna, a small village in Ukraine, where she is to meet her relative, unexpectedly becomes the beginning of her way to recover and achieve closeness with another human being.
Read moreMy Uncle Tudor (Nanu Tudor)
dir. Olga Lucovnicova
dok2021
A starting point for the shocking self-documentary by Olga Lucovnicova is her homecoming to Moldova. The house is filled with memories, yet everyone around her seems to idealise the past which hides a trauma.
Read moreNear and Dear (Las cercanas)
dir. María Alvarez
dok2021
Isabel and Amelia Cavallini, twins from Buenos Aires, are 91 years old and have devoted their entire lives to music. The Steinway grand piano occupies a central place in their cluttered flat. The beautiful and talented sisters once made an exceptional duet. Today, doomed to each other’s company, they reminisce about their past successes.
Read moreNo Ghost in the Morgue (Pas de fantôme à la morgue)
dir. Marilyn Cooke
fab2022
The family will either accept the scandal or give their daughter in marriage to the man who raped her. Resolving the matter through the courts means a well-deserved prison sentence for the criminal, but it also dishonours the family of the victim. So provides the tradition. And what about the voice of the woman herself?
Read moreNo Place for You in Our Town
dir. Nikolay Stefanov
dok2022
Pernik in Bulgaria is considered to be the breeding ground for a radical football fan subculture. The director’s hometown was famous for its mining industry under communism. Now, it is past its prime, which gives rise to high levels of frustration and aggression. The film captures the lives of the protagonists without prejudice, leaving the judgement to the viewer.
Read moreOne Does Not Do It To a Cat (Tego się nie robi kotu)
dir. Jan Gębski
dok2022
Jan Gębski’s camera carefully observes how one of the last remaining heroes of the Warsaw Uprising struggles with the reality. The elderly woman's closest companion is her cat. Even though the person and the cat do not speak, minute gestures reveal the depth of their connection and everyday rituals become imbued with new meanings.
Read moreOnly Until Dawn (Tylko do świtu)
dir. Eliza Godlewska, Alan Ruczyński
fab2022
A well-balanced narrative with a social streak. Roma, who is 50 years old, has found herself at a turning point in her life. She chose freedom, which means an independent life without her husband. But she will no longer have a roof over her head. The money she can make on temporary jobs is not enough to rent her own place. How to escape from such a reality?
Read moreOn Your Marks! (Na značky!)
dir. Maria Pincikova
dok2020
Every six years in Prague, there is a big get-together of Sokół gymnastic societies. Out of thousands of participants, the director selected two very Forman-esque characters - Mirek, a coach, and Radek, a gymnast - to tell a story about timeless values related to the membership in Sokół societies.
Read moreOur Tenement (Dom wielopokoleniowy)
dir. Piotr Szczepański
dok2022
In a stylish townhouse renovated by the city, carefully selected tenants were supposed to form a truly multigenerational community. Now none of them is willing to cooperate, while mutual accusations, denunciations and insults arise instead. The micro-community, divided just like Poland before the elections, plunges into a conflict.
Read moreOur Tenement (Dom wielopokoleniowy)
dir. Piotr Szczepański
dok2022
In a stylish townhouse renovated by the city, carefully selected tenants were supposed to form a truly multigenerational community. Now none of them is willing to cooperate, while mutual accusations, denunciations and insults arise instead. The micro-community, divided just like Poland before the elections, plunges into a conflict.
Read moreOuttakes From the Life of a Happy Man
dir. Jonas Mekas
dok2012
In this film, the American avant-garde guru takes a journey after 60 years of creative work. The private chronicle from the second half of the 20th century reflects Mekas’ artistic attitude which, as he stated in one of his interviews, always relies on searching for the intensity of the moment that which is important in the incidental and inconspicuous.
Read moreO, Collecting Eggs Despite the Times (O, Eier sammeln trotz der Zeit)
dir. Pim Zwier
dok2021
Science may be a kind of organised madness. Entire fields of knowledge owe their existence to obsessed scientists, such as Max Schönwetter from Germany. His collection of almost 20 thousand bird eggs is invaluable for Oology.
Read moreParaíso
dir. Sergio Tréfaut
dok2021
For a long time, in the gardens of the former Presidential Palace in Rio de Janeiro, older people have been meeting at dusk to sing love songs, accompanied by instruments. But this beautiful world will soon be gone, as the coronavirus pandemic breaks out.
Read moreParizad
Peculiarity of Fisherman's Soul (Svéráz českého rybolovu)
dir. Ivana Pauerová Miloševičová
dok2021
Six Czech men leave their favourite pub in Jihlava and go fishing to Norway. For some of them, it is the first time, while others are veterans of such expeditions. They dream about catching the halibut. They are looking forward to a male adventure. Can anything go wrong in this documentary comedy about the individualities of Czech fishing?
Read morePenelope, My Love (Pénélope, mon amour)
dir. Claire Doyon
dok2021
For eighteen years, director Claire Doyon accompanied her daughter, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, with her camera. It is an extraordinary film diary documenting the story of life before and after the diagnosis and the unique relationship between the mother and the daughter.
Read morePerformance
dir. Michał Edelman
fab2022
Karol, a cameraman, takes his girlfriend Emilka and her dog Pucci to a provocative artistic performance which is an expression of objection to the police brutality. Soon, things get out of hand and the young couple’s idealism and relationship are put to the serious test.
Read morePlai. A Mountain Path (Plai)
dir. Eva Dzhyshyashvili
dok2021
A simple rural life in a village lost among forests acquires an almost magical character in the lens of the filmmakers. But life in the Ukrainian countryside is not a fairy tale - the echoes of the war, like a menacing memento, reappear in in children’s questions and faded photographs from long ago.
Read morePlaying (Hra)
dir. Lun Sevnik
fab2019
Boris and Hugo, 16 years old friends bought a gun. They set up livestream video on the internet and announce that in in one hour they will commit suicide. If Boris is sure about decision, Hugo still have some doubt. During the final moments of their life, sadism, homoeroticism and desire to destroy are released.
Read morePleistocene Park
dir. Luke Griswold-Tergis
dok2022
There are many documentaries about the boundary between genius and madness, but this one is definitely among the funniest of them. Luke Tergis follows a bravado attempt to restart the primeval ecosystem of remote Siberia, a return to the state recorded in the fossils of Pleistocene.
Read morePostcards from Zakopane (Pocztówki z Zakopanego)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski
dok1960
Zakopane is the winter capital of Poland, where Marszałkowska Street smoothly changes into Krupówki. Hitchhiking, views from Gubałówka, mountaineering – all of them, from a male perspective, could be an opportunity to meet a beautiful woman.
Read morePrison-Walled Freedom (Vankilan rajattu vapaus)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1986
This most ‘iconographic’ documentary of Jarmo Jääskeläinen is a story based on nearly two hundred photographs taken secretly in several internment camps between May and October 1982.
Read morePryvoz
dir. Eva Neymann
dok2021
A picturesque slice of life at one of the oldest and largest markets in Europe. The crowded stalls offer product tastings, price negotiations and reflections on the universe and the sense of life. There is something for everyone.
Read morePush This Button If You Begin to Panic
dir. Gabriel Böhmer
anim2020
Bartholomew Whisper went to the doctor today. There he met administrators keen on experimental surgery, and lonely MRI machines. At least the growing hole in his head was becoming quite beautiful. Selected at Riga International Film Festival
Read moreRain in 2020
dir. Lee Yong Chao
dok2021
The rain does not stop. The water pours into the houses and covers the floors, while the inhabitants become accustomed to its presence. Submerged up to their knees, they cook, pray and look after their children.
Read moreReconstruction of Occupation (Rekonstrukce okupace)
dir. Jan Sikl
dok2021
Thanks to archival footage unknown so far the year 1968 in Czechoslovakia is more than history. Many years later, ghostlike images and lip-read words gain new power and make it possible to show the Warsaw Pact invasion from the perspective of ordinary people.
Read moreRuthless
Seahorse
Shlomo Bar – a Musical Documentary
dir. Gilad Inbar
dok2021
Born in Morocco, this Israeli singer and drummer treats his music like a prayer. At the same time, it is a social message drawing attention to the situation of Mizrahi Jews. Shlomo Bar’s art is the space where the East meets the West.
Read moreSimona
dir. Natalia Koryncka-Gruz
dok2021
Larger than life and ahead of her time, Simona Kossak was an eminent biologist and ecologist who pursued her passion throughout her lifetime. On the basis of reminiscences and abundant archival materials, a portrayal of this remarkable woman was created.
Read moreSing and Cry, Cry and Sing
dir. Manu Luksch
dok2022
This harrowing story of Artur Ligęski, a Polish businessman and personal trainer illegally sentenced to life imprisonment in Abu Dhabi, was outlined with minimalist means. It is a film about loneliness, the strength of spirit and an indomitable will to live, which helped the protagonist to survive in hell.
Read moreSirens (Syreny)
dir. Rita Baghdadi
dok2022
Their music throws down the gauntlet to the Middle Eastern stereotypes related to creativity, gender and sexual orientation. ‘Slave to Sirens’ is the first metal band in this part of the world which is entirely made of women. The director captures up close their musical struggles and emotional perturbations.
Read moreSlow Light
Snowdrops at the End of the Train (Кокичета в края на влака)
dir. Galina D. Georgieva
fab2021
A surprising eco-post-apocalypse in pastel colours and to the rhythm of a retro tune. In the devastated and sad world, Eva sees no future for herself. She decides to commit government-assisted suicide. In these hopeless circumstances, however, there is a sliver of hope - snowdrops that love music.
Read moreSopot'57 (Sopot 1957)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski
dok1957
"Sopot 1957" pictures vacationers at different times of the day, in most frequented Sopot places during the summer: on the beach, pier, promenade, in cafes, holiday homes, beauty salons, on the dance floor at the Grand Hotel. Combined with a commentary by Stefania Grodzieńska, read by Jerzy Wasowski, the scenes take on a humorous, kindly ironic approach.
Read moreSoy Libre
dir. Laure Portier
dok2021
In this intimate portrait, the director follows her younger brother across several countries as he tries to find his place in society. To achieve the freedom he craves the man is ready to make substantial sacrifices.
Read moreStrigov
dir. Barbora Bereznakova
dok2022
Is it a dream or reality, the past or the present, the sacred or the profane? This is one of the most mysterious documentaries of the short film competition. A black and white, whispered by a child, poetic film. An oneiric story about the disappearing world of a small Ruthenian community living in Slovakia.
Read moreSummer Nights (Leilot Kaitz)
dir. Ohad Milstein
dok2021
An oneiric story about fathers and sons. Alva is 6 years old. He is a curious boy, about to start school. Just before sleep, when the lights fade, he and his father are transported to the land of whispers.
Read moreS p a c e s (M e z e r y)
dir. Nora Štrbová
anim2020
The film explores memory as a container of our identity. It's based on the personal story of the author and her brother who got a brain tumor diagnosis.
Read moreTell Me My Story (Opowiedz mi o mnie)
dir. Maciej Miller
dok2022
Magda never met her parents. As an adult, she finally decides to look for them. The filmmakers accompany the protagonist in her painstaking search but every attempt to uncover the truth crashes against the wall.
Read moreThe Cat (Kot)
The Cathedral (Katedra)
dir. Denis Dobrovoda
dok2022
An idealist driven by his faith for some and a madman full of sinful pride for others, Justo Gallego started erecting a huge cathedral 60 years ago. He invested his own funds and built it almost entirely with his own hands. But what will happen to it after the builder’s death?
Read moreThe Children Accuse (Dzieci oskarżają)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski
dok1956
One of several films by the Hoffman-Skorzewski duo made as a part of the "black series" of Polish documentaries. It shows social problems hidden from viewers until the mid-1950s. The problems were masked with typical productions of socialist realism. The effects of alcoholism are the theme of the film. Unfortunately, children become innocent victims of that addiction.
Read moreThe Death of a Student (Ylioppilaan kuolema)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1977
The film presents the events surrounding the tragic death of Stanisław Pyjas, a student from Krakow. The director tries to explain the circumstances of the incident.
Read moreThe Dream of a Horse
dir. Marjan Khosravi
dok2021
In a mountainous but extremely green landscape goats jump over the rocks and laughing children run after them. In this paradise on earth, nomadic families have found their temporary home. From one of these families comes a teenage girl, Shahnaz. The girl should be getting married soon, but her thoughts are focused on the world of literature.
Read moreThe el Masri Case (Der Fall el Masri)
dir. Stefan Eberlein
dok2021
In this brilliantly directed and documented story of a man who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, agents, terrorists and secret CIA prisons play the main part alongside chance. The filmmakers have exposed operation mechanisms of the secret service showing how easy it is to lose sight of human rights in a conflict situation.
Read moreThe Fence (Płot)
dir. Tomasz Wolski
fab2022
In subtle semi-darkness, somewhere in the provinces, a drama between tenderness and enmity, understatement and the absence of acceptance unravels. Since his father’s death Michał has been running a small stud farm on his own. But he is visited by a guest who destroys the fence at night. Are these wild bores or the wind? Neither can walk with torches.
Read moreThe Hamlet Syndrome (Syndrom Hamleta)
dir. Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosołowski
dok2022
‘To be or not to be’ – these words take on new meanings in wartime conditions. A few months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a group of young people prepare a play in which Shakespeare will voice their own doubts, fears and dreams. Life, theatre and cinema blend into one for a moment turning into a thrilling psychodrama.
Read moreThe Long Goodbye
dir. Aneil Karia
fab2020
Riz Ahmed delivers a standout performance in this overwhelming and explosive experience which places us in the frontline as witnesses to the extreme consequences of what hate speech and racism can ultimately lead to. A visually arresting, rhythmically powerful and thought-provoking slice of dystopia.
Read moreThe Miracle Fair (Jarmark cudów)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman
dok1966
A beautiful, ethnographic documentary that shows traders of small goods at fairs. Traders advertise their goods in such a way, that professional artists would envy them. They do it in a humorous, creative manner.
Read moreThe News
dir. Lorin Terezi
fab2020
A newly married woman lives with her in-laws while her husband works in the neighboring country, Greece. One day he discovers a corpse and the whole small town faces in a battle to get coverage on national television.
Read moreThe Pack (Sfora)
dir. Tadeusz Chudy
dok2022
A story of a remarkable relationship between troublesome dogs from a shelter and inmates who take care of them. The prisoners are supposed to train the dogs so that they are fit for adoption. The stakes are high because if they fail, the dogs will be put down.
Read moreThe Pawnshop (Lombard)
dir. Łukasz Kowalski
dok2022
Grey streets, poor district and a pair of colourful birds in the midst. Jola and Wiesiek have been running one of the biggest pawnshops in Europe for years. The business, so prosperous in the past, is now in decline. Can the increasingly conflicted couple avoid bankruptcy?
Read moreThe Rocking Horses (Koniki na biegunach)
dir. Marcin Lesisz
dok2022
A touching, warm and painfully accurate portrait of a person with mental disability. Animation brings Ewa’s drawings to life and helps us to see the world though her eyes. We may realise what kind of problems she faces and notice the person, not the illness; the person who has the right to be who she wants to be.
Read moreThe Scent of Fear
dir. Mirjam von Arx
dok2021
Mirjam von Arx takes viewers upon a journey to the heart of fear – the underlying cause of all fears. She combines the subjective and objective order to look for answers to the question about what drives human behaviour: humans or their fears?
Read moreThe Sea Bride (عروس البحر)
dir. Mohammed Ateeq
fab2021
The family will either accept the scandal or give their daughter in marriage to the man who raped her. Resolving the matter through the courts means a well-deserved prison sentence for the criminal, but it also dishonours the family of the victim. So provides the tradition. And what about the voice of the woman herself?
Read moreThe Soul of a Piano (Dusza zaklęta w Fortepianie)
The Swarmers (Schwarmtiere)
dir. Alison Kuhn
fab2022
A prestigious boarding school, the anxieties of adolescence, competition and a teenager who refuses to be a victim. At the Sankt Severin school, even more problems are hiding under the surface and the game of appearances keeps going on. This non-obvious film was inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s short story ‘Die Turnstunde’.
Read moreThe Voice (Głos)
This Will Not Be a Festival Film (To nie będzie film festiwalowy)
Til We Meet Again (Taaskohtumine)
dir. Ülo Pikkov
anim2022
The Estonian island of Ruhnu is less than 12 km2 in size. During World War II, all the inhabitants had to evacuate for fear of an attack. Now, some of them are returning to the island to find fragments of their former lives in the scraps of nature, small objects and surviving houses.
Read moreTolyatti Adrift
dir. Laura Sistero
dok2022
Bojewaja Klassika is a group of young people who practice illegal drifting. They drift in old cars, Ladas, which once made their hometown of Tolyatti famous. We can see another lost generation of Russians in the city in ruins.
Read moreTo the Sea (看海)
dir. Lin Po-Yu
fab2021
Every day a single mother takes the hardest test of love. Taking care of a disabled son is a challenge for her heart and her head, but above all for her fragile body. When the boy becomes a man and the woman grows old, both need to face the most painful decision of their journey together.
Read moreTwo Faces of God (Dwa oblicza Boga)
dir. Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski
dok1960
This documentary is focused on Stolica Boża i Barankowa, a Polish religious movement. The members had their own interpretation of the Bible, they also supported the socialist system.
Read moreUmschlagplatz (Lastauspaikka - Umschlagplatz)
dir. Jarmo Jääskeläinen
dok1987
What happened there is impossible to believe. Archival photographs and, above all, a conversation with a witness and participant of those events, Marek Edelman, help us to understand it. This remarkable and modest man patiently answers the director’s questions, reconstructing the image of a terrifying, borderland place.
Read moreUnburial (Odgrzeb)
dir. Artur Wyrzykowski
fab2022
When your life plans fall apart and everything goes wrong, the best way is to escape, wrap yourself in a few layers of clothing and hide under a blanket. Or maybe it is not? Maybe you need an unburial, a mysterious ritual organized for his adult daughter Berka by her concerned father?
Read moreUnder African Skies (Pod niebem Afryki)
Victoria
dir. Karolina Porcari
fab2022
Amelia feels that her marriage of almost 30 years lacks passion. Her husband is more fascinated by armour and reconstructions of medieval battles than by her body. One day, tired of her daily routine, she finds a pink parcel at the door of her flat with the contents that will change her life.
Read moreVictoria, 15 (Viktorija, 15)
Warrawong... the Windy Place on the Hill
Way of Sylvie (Podle Sylvie)
dir. Verica Pospíšilová Kordić
anim2019
Sylvie´s life beats in a rhythm of responsibilities. And she is efficient, flawless, wonderful and - tired. A small accident happens and everything changes... or maybe not.
Read moreWhen I'll Be... (Kiedy będę...)
dir. Tymoteusz Kałużewski
dok2022
Adam does not say much. He comes alive at the shooting range and at the Equality March, proudly holding a blue, pink and white flag. He knows who he really is and will do anything to finally be able to feel truly himself.
Read moreWithout Us (Uten Oss)
dir. Julie Engaas
anim2022
Imagine a world from which human beings have suddenly disappeared. The wind rumbles in deserted cafes and empty shopping malls are haunted by creaking staircases. Unexpectedly, vegetation starts to come to life planting a seed of hope in this apocalyptic vision of the world.
Read moreYou Are Ceausescu to Me (Pentru mine tu ești Ceaușescu)
Zasada
dir. Michał Bolland
dok2022
A legendary Polish driver returns to take part in one of the most difficult car races in the world. Will Sobiesław Zasada win the next car race at 91?
Read moreZbigniew Seifert. Interrupted Journey (Zbigniew Seifert. Przerwana podróż)
dir. Robert Kaczmarek
dok2021
He died just before his 33rd birthday, at the top of his musical abilities and the start of his international career. An inspiring person, he left a mark in many people’s lives. The Krakow-born virtuoso is now remembered by both his family members and jazz stars.
Read moreZbigniew Seifert. Interrupted Journey (Zbigniew Seifert. Przerwana podróż)
dir. Robert Kaczmarek
dok2022
He died just before his 33rd birthday, at the top of his musical abilities and the start of his international career. An inspiring person, he left a mark in many people’s lives. The Krakow-born virtuoso is now remembered by both his family members and jazz stars.
Read more(O makové panence. O makové panence a veverce Barče)
(Štaflík a Špagetka. Jak Štaflík a Špagetka nemohli usnout)
(Pat a Mat. Tapety)
(Říkání o víle Amálce. Jak přetancovala obra Hrompace)
(O Sazinkovi. Jak Sazinka s dětmi chytal zloděje)
(O loupežníku Rumcajsovi. Jak Rumcajs vysadil duhu na nebe)
(Bob a Bobek – králíci z klobouku. Na koncertě)
(Pohádky z mechu a kapradí. Kterak pekli kaštany)
(Rákosníček a hvězdy. Jak Rákosníček zachraňoval raka, až se mu zatočila hlava)