Fascinating biographies
25 films
Agatha's Happiness (Szczęście Agaty)
dir. Krzysztof Rogulski
dok2024
Can disability set limits to happiness? Agata Roczniak – Poland’s first model in a wheelchair, an excellent swimmer, president of the Diversum Foundation, a wife and mother – proves that it cannot. An inspiring story about how living with an illness is more than just a fight against adversity.
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Ai Weiwei's Turandot
dir. Maxim Derevianko
dok2025
When a world-renowned artist and activist embarks upon the project of staging a classic opera, there is no doubt that it will be a revolutionary interpretation. By addressing the refugee crisis or the war in Ukraine, Ai Weiwei once again proves to be an artist who believes that art can influence reality.
Read moreAmelia Starlight
dir. Laura Thomassaint
fab2024
Adored by the media and the public, French star Amélia Starlight (Emmanuelle Béart) is terminally ill. She withdrew from public life a long time ago, but one day a journalist running a popular talk show receives an electrifying message from her – Amélia wants to appear on television for the last time.
Read moreAny Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
dir. Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee
dok2024
‘I was born but I never lived,’ says an African American R&B singer, who went into exile from the US to Canada in the late 1950s because of transphobia and racism. Using phone calls made just before Jackie Shane’s death, the filmmakers tell the story of her life in hiding and her coming out.
Read moreAwards:Golden Heynal
As Long As They Don't Find Us (Żeby tylko nas nie znaleźli)
dir. Maja Górczak
dok2025
A film tribute to one of the first women to study directing at the Łódź Film School, Stefania Świeca. She left behind only one film – a poignant film study in which she tried to tackle the trauma of the Holocaust. What happened with her later on?
Read moreA Quiet Storm
dir. Benjamin Nicolas
dok2025
For 14-year-old Maïto, dance is more than a passion – it is a way of expressing emotions that he is not able to put into words. Raised in a home where the needs of his disabled sister were always at the forefront, he had to find his own way to draw attention to himself.
Read moreBeing Related to John Malkovich (Biti u rodu s Johnom Malkovichem)
dir. Luka Mavretić
dok
Father and son journey through family myths and memories in pursuit of a rumoured connection to a Hollywood star. As they explore their bond and their future, uncovering the past could bring them closer - or drive them apart.
Read moreCaliu: Nothing else, what else can I do? (Caliu: Nicidecum altceva, ce sa fac altceva?)
dir. Simona Constantin
dok2025
After the breakup of the Roma group Taraf de Haïdouks, violin virtuoso Gheorghe ‘Caliu’ Anghel is trying to return to his glory days with a new lineup and under a different banner, although his personality is not helping him. What unfolds is a full-blooded portrayal of a brilliant artist and a difficult man.
Read moreDavid Keenan - Words on Canvas (David Keenan - Focla ar Chanbhás)
dir. Paddy Hayes
dok2025
In his music, one can hear real Ireland – both the country as it is today, with its local problems, and the one enshrined in tradition and landscape. The camera follows the Irish bard for 18 months, getting to the roots of his work and depicting his intimate portrait.
Read moreDon't Forget to Remember
dir. Ross Killeen
dok2024
A hopeful and reflective story about closeness, passing, change and the role of art that extends beyond galleries. A popular street art artist, Asbestos, faces the slow passing of his mum, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Using his art, he takes to the streets of Dublin to talk about memory.
Read moreDo Painters Die Elsewhere (Dokąd umierają malarze)
dir. Michał Pietrak
dok2025
For Bolesław Gasiński, life and art have been inextricably interwoven. He left behind not only paintings but also abundant audio and video materials. They constitute the main fabric of this documentary, making a visually sophisticated portrait of an outsider.
Read moreIn the Veins (We krwi)
dir. Maciej Tyburski
dok2025
It was intended as a film about Józef Lewartowski – a Jew, communist and an organiser of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Unexpectedly, it turns into a portrait of his great-grandson Joseph, a Parisian who, in an attempt to understand the history of the resistance movement in his family, begins to co-create it.
Read moreI Dream in Photos
dir. Gary Lennon
dok
Pulitzer Prize winner and photojournalist Cathal McNaughton decides to leave his dream profession at the peak of his career. Returning from war zones to live in a cottage in the Irish countryside is not easy for him. He finally has time to rebuild the relationship with his adolescent son and take care of his parents, but the memories of his past still haunt him.
Read moreMonk in Pieces
dir. Billy Shebar, David C Roberts
dok
She is an absolute artist whose vocal and performance work has never lent itself to easy classification. Meredith Monk’s music is said to come from another planet. The film is a collage of her extraordinary activities and personal reflections when confronted with the past and the inevitable passing of time.
Read moreNotes from Sheepland
dir. Cara Holmes
dok2023
The film’s protagonist combines, with some difficulty, her artistic career with sheep farming she took up when she inherited the family farm. She is a committed breeder that proudly wears lipstick but juxtaposes it with the work overalls in which she takes her animals to graze in the field. She eludes the gender stereotypes that have been attributed to Irish women over the years.
Read moreOn My Own Terms (Na własnych zasadach)
dir. Tadeusz Chudy
dok2025
Paweł practices boxing, but the challenges he needs to face are of a completely different nature. Above all, he will have to start to live independently after leaving the children’s home. Regardless of what happens in Paweł’s life, what matters most is his relationship with the person closest to him.
Read moreSane Inside Insanity — The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror
dir. Andreas Zerr
dok2025
There are more phenomena than are dreamt of by pop culture scholars, such as the musical ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and in particular, its big screen incarnation. On the 50th anniversary of its premiere, this documentary tells the bravura story of the making of the film and its fan base.
Read moreShadowland
dir. Otso Tiainen
dok2024
This was supposed to be a documentary about an esoteric community living today in the French Pyrenees. While it was being filmed, serious accusations were made against one of the sect’s members, Hollywood director Richard Stanley. Consequently, the documentary seems stretched between a utopian fantasy and a brutal clash with reality.
Read moreThe Big Chief (Wielki szef)
dir. Tomasz Wolski
dok2025
He worked for the Soviet intelligence, faked his collaboration with the Gestapo and had to explain himself for it for the rest of his life. In Poland, in 1968, he was put under house arrest as a victim of the anti-Semitic campaign. Employing archival footage in a creative way, the film reveals the remarkable biography of Leopold Trepper.
Read moreThe Graceless Age
dir. Sarah Share
dok2023
John Murry, an adopted relative of Nobel laureate William Faulkner and, above all, an alienated and troubled musician from the American South, travels to the Irish coast to find solace. The director accompanies him throughout his return to the past and in his symbolic attempt at renewal.
Read moreThe Passenger Andrzej Munk (Pasażer Andrzej Munk)
dir. Michał Bielawski
dok2025
This documentary is dedicated to Andrzej Munk, a leading figure of the Polish Film School. Based on unique archival materials, it tells the story of a man immersed in history, his artistic evolution and the emotions that accompanied it.
Read moreThe Passion of Agnieszka (Pasja według Agnieszki)
dir. Wojciech Staroń
dok2025
A record of the most recent collaboration between legendary film editors, Agnieszka Bojanowska and Bogdan Dziworski – a duo that created some of the most important films in the history of Polish documentary cinema. Wojciech Staroń’s camera captures the behind-the-scenes of their difficult but extremely creative relationship.
Read moreAwards:Golden Hobby-Horse
The Propagandist (De propagandist)
dir. Luuk Bouwman
dok2024
Why did Jan Teunissen, a distinguished Dutch filmmaker, become the ‘tsar of Nazi propaganda’ during World War II? Composed exclusively of archival footage, including many materials unknown so far, the film tells a story of the man who, ‘for the love of cinema’, began collaborating with the occupier.
Read moreAwards:Special Mention
The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival
dir. Julie Rubio
dok2024
Today, her paintings are experiencing a worldwide renaissance and remain an inspiration for artists in various fields. And the biography of the Warsaw-born artist is not less fascinating than the paintings themselves. The film pays tribute to Lempicka, who courageously crossed the boundaries set for women in art.
Read moreThe Whale Song (Pieśń wieloryba)
dir. Michał Hytroś
dok2025
The film is an impressionistic portrait of Krzysztof Globisz, a famous Polish actor. His post-stroke speech recovery becomes self-therapy and a creative process at the same time. Through his ‘whale haiku’, the protagonist communicates anew with his surroundings, while the viewers are provided with an opportunity to immerse themselves in his inner world.
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