Films 2021

All films screened at the festival have English subtitles.
The In-Theater Program is below. Follow the link to view the Virtual Program.

SWEAT

Thursday, Nov. 4 @ 7:30 pm

1h 46 min I Drama I 2020

Director: Magnus von Horn
Screenplay: Magnus von Horn
Cinematography: Michał Dymek
Music: Piotr Kurek

Cast: Magdalena Koleśnik, Aleksandra Konieczna, Julian Świeżewski, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Tomasz Orpiński, Lech Łotocki

Synopsis:
A beloved fitness influencer seemingly has it all: thousands of social media followers, endorsement deals and photo spreads in magazines. However, as she starts to share more and more online, the rising pressure from concerned sponsors and increasingly obsessive fans forces her to confront her deepest insecurities.

Awards:
2021 Trieste Film Festival - Cineuropa Prize for Best Film
2021 Art Film Festival - Special Mention for Best Cinematogrpahy and Blue Angel for Best Film (nominee)
2021 Goteborg Film Festival - Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film (nominee)
2020 Chicago International Film Festival - Gold Hugo for Best Feature and Silver Hugo for Best Art Direction
2020 Polish Film Festival 2020 - Silver Lions for Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress.

45th PFF: MEETING WITH THE FILMMAKERS OF THE FILM "SWEAT"

Cremation Of Time (2021)

Thursday, Nov. 4 @ 7:30 pm

5 min I Drama, Short

Directing: Beata Poźniak
Written by Beata Poźniak
Editing: Saarang Panchakshari
Music: Saarang Panchakshari
Producer: Discordia Global Media

Synopsis:
An experimental film that addresses the global horror and sorrow of COVID-19, based on a poem "Cremation of Time" written by Beata Poźniak, originally published in Kenya, Africa in an anthology titled: "Musings During a Time of Pandemic". Film is dedicated to the frontline workers for their tremendous support during the difficult time of COVID-19.

THE IN-LAWS / TEŚCIOWIE

Friday, Nov. 5 @ 7:00pm

1h 22min I Drama, Comedy I 2021

Director: Jakub Michalczuk
Screenplay: Marek Modzelewski
Cinematography: Michal Englert
Music: Jerzy Rogiewicz

Cast: Maja Ostaszewska, Izabela Kuna, Marcin Dorociński, Adam Woronowicz, Ewa Dalkowska.

Synopsis:
The wedding is cancelled at the last minute, but the parents of the almost-newlyweds decide that the reception must go on anyway. This story is about them - the parents. They come from two different worlds. The groom’s parents are upper class, well-educated and well-to-do. The parents of the bride are simple working-class uneducated people and much poorer. Both parent couples are in shock trying to find out what really happened.

HITLER’S AUNT / CIOTKA HITLERA

Friday, Nov. 5 @ 9:30 pm

1h 20 min I Drama, War I 2021

Director: Michał Rogalski
Screenplay: Wojciech Tomczyk
Cinematography: Maciej Lisiecki
Music: Piotr Komorowski

Cast: Piotr Kaźmierczak, Marta Ścisłowicz, Małgorzata Pyziak, Sebastian Pawlak, Michał Pietruś, Kuba Guszkowski, Joanna Gonschorek.

Synopsis:
This is the story of Leon, who works with his sons on the Vistula river, providing gravel and sand for the residents of Warsaw. One day they rescue a drowning woman and her daughter - Jewish escapees from Warsaw, who couldn’t hide any longer.
Leon decides to help. He gives them shelter at his house risking his and his family's life. 

Please read : “TOUCHING A SCAR” - DIRECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

46. FPFF: Ciotka Hitlera - konferencja prasowa (In Polish)

THE REPUBLIC OF CHILDREN / REPUBLIKA DZIECI

Saturday, Nov. 6 @ 12:00 pm

2h 12min I Family, Fantasy I 2021

Director: Jan Jakub Kolski
Screenplay: Jan Jakub Kolski
Cinematography: Michał Pakulski
Music: Adrian Konarski

Cast: Andrzej Grabowski, Karolina Rzepa, Mateusz Grys, Olgierd Łukaszewicz, Marian Opania, Grzegorz Damięcki, Łukasz Simlat.

Synopsis:
Bunch of creatures painted by Jacek Malczewski, a Polish symbolist painter, escape from his canvases. Fauns, chimaeras, gnomes, mermaids, and other fantastic creatures, created by the famous painter, move to an area near a river in the present-day Poland, to the land called Mszary. Soon, a hydroelectric power station near-by is supposed to begin its operation. It will cause the flooding of thousands of acres. Now, the second group of characters enters the scene. This time, it is the group of children from an orphanage in a town doomed to be flooded. The children do not agree with decisions made by adults who want to separate them forever. Tobiasz, who moved from Malczewski's painting to the present, decides to join the orphans and becomes their leader. Rafał, his guardian angel, follows him. The inhabitants of Mszary have to deal with the unexpected young visitors. Will they help them build the Republic of Children of their dreams?

THE AMATEURS / AMATORZY

Saturday, Nov. 6 @ 3:00 pm

1h 35min I Drama, Comedy I 2020

Director: Iwona Siekierzyńska
Screenplay: Iwona Siekierzyńska
Cinematography: Michał Popiel-Machnicki
Music: Marzena Majcher

Cast: Wojciech Solarz, Roma Gąsiorowska, Mariusz Bonaszewski, Anna Dymna, Małgorzata Zajączkowska, Krzysztof Kowalewski, Marzena Gajewska, Anna Kujawska, Renata Klinkosz

Synopsis:
Krzysiek leads a theatre group called Personal Property Office. Its members are actors with intellectual disabilities. The story starts when the group wins a festival. The award, sponsored by a professional theatre, is giving them a chance to stage a show; the news brings great joy, great opportunities, and great expectations. Krzysiek and the actors are currently working on a new play, Zorba the Greek. It would be wonderful to perform it on a real stage. However, it turns out that the collaboration with the professional theater comes with strings attached. The director has received a grant as part of the program that promotes Shakespeare’s work. If they want to perform in a professional theater, they must follow what the director says. One of his requests is casting in the main role a famous professional and beautiful actress, Wiktoria, instead of Mary, Krzysiek’s sister. The director is ruthless: there won’t be any premiere with toothless, lisping Mary. Time pressure, fascination with Wiktoria…Krzysiek relents. The premiere must take place, but will it make Krzysiek proud?

Awards:
2021 Koszalinski Festiwal Debiutow Filmowych Mlodzi i Film:
- Jantar Award for Best Screenplay and Best Debut Actor
- Journalist Awards for Feature Film for director Iwona Siekierzyńska
2021 Shanghai International Film Festival:
- Golden Goblet - Best Actress (Marzena Gajewska)
2020 Gdynia Polish Film Festival:
- Award of the Network of Studio and Local Cinemas - Best Film
- Don Kichot - Award of the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs - Best Film
- Golden Lions - Best Film (nominee)

BELOVED NEIGHBOURS / BIAŁY POTOK

Saturday, Nov. 6 @ 5:30 pm

1h 20min I Comedy I 2021

Director: Michał Grzybowski
Screenplay: Michał Grzybowski, Tomasz Walesiak
Cinematography: Mateusz Skalski, Małgorzata Szyłak
Music: Marcin Mirowski

Cast: Marcin Dorociński, Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza, Julia Wyszyńska, Dobromir Dymecki

Synopsis:
A comedy of errors about the vicissitudes of two married couples. Michał and Ewa lead a relatively stable life which is governed by their good jobs and Ewa's second pregnancy. Kasia and Bartek, meanwhile, are facing severe financial problems. Unexpectedly for everyone, in the heat of a quarrel, Kasia reveals to her husband that she once spent the night with Michał. In an instant, love and friendship are placed in doubt. The intricacies of their emotional and financial relations, along with their seemingly innocent little lies, lead to a spiral of misunderstandings. In this intimate atmosphere, emotions reach a peak as the absurd is accompanied by profoundly heart-touching moments. And then other people also start to get involved in the marital dispute ­­­– debt collectors, the police and a nosy neighbour. The chaos accelerates, creating many comedic situations, until the final tragedy, which also turns out to be an opportunity for both married couples – a chance to save their love and friendship.

45th PFF: MEETING WITH FILMMAKERS OF THE FILM "Beloved Neighbours"

KILL IT AND LEAVE THIS TOWN / ZABIJ TO I WYJEDŹ Z TEGO MIASTA

Saturday, Nov. 6 @ 8:30 pm

1h 28min I Animation, Drama I 2019

Director: Mariusz Wilczyński
Screenplay: Mariusz Wilczyński
Cinematography: Mariusz Wilczyński
Music: Tadeusz Nalepa

Voices: Krystyna Janda, Andrzej Chyra, Maja Ostaszewska, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Barbara Krafftówna, Anna Dymna, Gustaw Holoubek, Anja Rubik, Andrzej Wajda.

Synopsis:
The artist presents a portrait of Lodz, his hometown as industrial, repulsive, yet attractive, full of chimneys and soot, a city he loves and a city that no longer exists. His film is also a tribute to the artists who shaped the world of his childhood imagination and sensitivity, a story about the values that are not entirely there today. The film took fourteen years to create because, as Wilczynski admits, he taught himself how to do animation. Originally intended to be a short, the film eventually grew into his feature debut. At its premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, Wilczyński said: In a short time, people who were important to me passed away. I did not have time to say goodbye to them, I do it with my animation. He also added: I don't believe in death, they didn't die, but they live in my imagination. The voice-over parts we hear throughout the film belong to some of the most prominent Polish artists, like Krystyna Janda, Andrzej Chyra, Maja Ostaszewska, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Barbara Krafftówna, Anna Dymna, Marek Konrad, Daniel Olbrychski, Gustaw Holoubek, Irena Kwiatkowska as well as the late director Andrzej Wajda and jazz musician Tomasz Stańko.

KILL IT AND LEAVE THIS TOWN: A conversation between Mariusz Wilczynski and Pawel Pawlikowski

THE BLACK MILL / CZARNY MŁYN

Sunday, Nov. 7 @ 1:00 pm

1h 40min I Family, Fantasy, Adventure I 2020

Director: Mariusz Palej
Screenplay: Magdalena Nieć, Katarzyna Stachowiak-Gacek
Cinematography: Wojciech Węgrzyn
Music: Maciej Dobrowolski

Cast: Marcin Dorociński, Magdalena Nieć, Iwo Wiciński, Borys Wiciński, Pola Galica Galoch, Michał Lupa

Synopsis:
Iwo and his group of friends live in a small town, where experiencing something exciting is close to a miracle. His life is also complicated because his younger sister Mela requires special care. Iwo’s adventurous friends are fascinated by the ruins of a huge factory mill that towers over the area. The locals call it Black Mill. When, despite the warnings, kids enter the forbidden area, a series of strange events begins in the previously idyllic, yet shabby town. They discover that the mill is home to a mysterious force that may pose a great threat. The kids will have to stick together to oppose the evil. But nothing can prepare them for the surprising finale of the battle.
The plot is based on one of the very popular books written by the master of Polish youth literature, Marcin Szczygielski.

Awards:
2021 Zurich Film Festival - Best Children's Film (nominee)
2020 International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience SCHLiNGEL 2020 - Award of the Junior Jury (winner)
2020 Ale Kino! - International Young Audience Film Festival - Marcinek for Best Feature Film for Children

1800 GRAMS / 1800 GRAMÓW

Sunday, Nov. 7 @ 3:00 pm

1h 40min I Drama I 2019

Director: Marcin Głowacki
Screenplay: Piotr Jasek, Agnieszka Jelonek, Jan Holoubek
Cinematography: Dariusz Rudziński
Music: Paweł Lucewicz

Cast: Magdalena Różczka, Piotr Głowacki, Dorota Kolak, Maciej Zakościelny, Danuta Stenka, Roma Gąsiorowska, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Wojciech Mecwaldowski, Tomasz Iwanca

Synopsis:
It is a touching story about love, loneliness, sacrifice, and courage, viewed through a lens of Ewa’s life. As a director of an adoption center in Cracow, her job is to find foster families for orphaned children. There are no impossible things for her. She is a ball of fire; she can break down every door and bend every rule to help the children. Just before Christmas, an unusual girl appears in Ewa’s life – Tonnie, a baby left behind by her biological mother. For the sake of the child, Ewa is ready to do anything, even sacrifice herself, her career and chance to love... She is not prepared for an avalanche of emotional chaos that will soon pass through her life. Can you save yourself by selflessly saving one little world?

NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN / ŚNIEGU JUŻ NIGDY NIE BĘDZIE

Sunday, Nov. 7 @ 5:00 pm

1h 56 min I Drama, Mystery I 2020

Director: Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert
Screenplay: Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert
Cinematography: Michał Englert

Cast: Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza, Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura, Andrzej Chyra, Łukasz Simlat, Krzysztof Czeczot

Synopsis:
On a gray, foggy morning outside a large Polish city, a masseur from the East named Zhenia enters the lives of the wealthy residents of a gated community. With his hypnotic presence and quasi-magical abilities, he is able to get a residence permit and starts plying his trade. The well-to-do residents in their cookie-cutter suburban homes seemingly have it all, but they all suffer from an inner sadness, some unexplained longing. The attractive and mysterious newcomer's hands heal, and Zhenia’s eyes seem to penetrate their souls. To them, his Russian accent sounds like a song from the past, a memory of simpler times. The latest from writer/director Malgorzata Szumowska and her longtime collaborator Michal Englert is an unclassifiable meditation on class, immigration, and global warming shot through with Lynchian touches of the otherworldly and moments of sober beauty and unexpected humor.

45. PFF: MEETING WITH FILMMAKERS OF THE FILM "Never Gonna Snow Again"

Awards:
2021 Polish Film Awards - Eagle: Best Cinematography
2020 Venice Film Festival - Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award - Special Mention
2020 Camerimage 2020 - Golden Frog (nominee)

THE MUSICIANS / CUDAK

WILL BE SCREENED during Austin Jewish Film Festival
on Sunday, Nov. 14 @ 2:15 pm

1h 22 min I Drama, War I 2021

Director: Anna Kazejak
Screenplay: Marek Kreutz
Cinematography: Jakub Stolecki
Music: Joanna Duda

Cast: Kazimierz Mazur, Andrzej Kłak, Diana Zamojska, Natalia Skrzypek

Synopsis:
Roman Cudakowski, for friends – Cudak – plays in a band performing at weddings and city events. During the occupation, the musician is not doing well. He can make some extra money by performing for the Germans, who simply cannot imagine a musical band without a fiddler. Cudak decides to sneak a talented musician, Szymon Akerman, out of the ghetto, even though before the war they did not see eye to eye. In this new reality surrounding them, they find they need each other. Cudak makes money by playing with Akerman, who in turn gets to live. One day Roman decides to aid the fiddler by rescuing him and his family from the ghetto and hiding them in his home risking his life.