A seemingly ordinary girl finds her way into the eponymous Academy to explore the world of fairy tales, imagination and creativity. With the help of a crazy, talented teacher, she develops her unique abilities and also stumbles upon a clue that will help her unravel the biggest secret of the family...
Peasant girl Jagna is forced to marry the much older, wealthy farmer Boryna, despite her love for his son Antek. With time, Jagna becomes the object of envy and disdain with the villagers and she must fight to preserve her independence.
Composed from the conversations that the director holds with people passing by in the street under his Warsaw apartment, each story in 'The Balcony Movie' is unique and deals with the way we try to cope with life as individuals. All together, they create a self-portrait of contemporary human life, and the passers-by present a composite picture of today's world.
In Waldek's life, filled mainly with computer games, there is a real earthquake. During her absence, mum stays under the care of a crazy and unpredictable aunt, who introduces discipline that has been alien to him so far and imposes new duties. But although an extraordinary relative gives Waldek a real survival camp, the boy also receives the most valuable life lesson from her.
Zenia is an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland who makes house calls as a masseur to the needy and aspirational residents of a middle-class gated community near Warsaw. He is privy to all of their problems, anxieties and secrets – and something of an unwitting guru figure. Zenia’s grounded spirituality, apparent healing powers and broad shoulders make him an object of lust for many of the lost souls in the community.
The world’s most talented young pianists compete in the International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. A rare behind the scenes look at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition, Pianoforte is both a testament to the remarkable power of music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait.
Twelve-year-old Iwo lives in a small, post-communist town that is home to the old and destroyed Black Mill – once a place of work for many parents. Breaking the promise to not approach the old mill, the children accidentally unleash its evil powers. From that moment, nothing will ever be the same again as people and things start to disappear.
Warsaw, Poland. Kamil, a street rapper who spends his time going from party to party, begins a love affair with Iwona, a wealthy married woman.
Cosmogonic is a 10 minute interactive science fiction animated short. It is the first VR experience inspired by the famous Polish science-fiction writer Stanisław Lem — a futurist, well acquainted with how fictional worlds can often encroach upon reality. This adaptation of a 1964 novel speaks perfectly to today’s world, where populism and disinformation threaten democracy. This experience is a testament to the importance of knowledge and community in the universal drive to freedom.
Simona Kossak, daughter of the painter Jerzy Kossak and granddaughter of Wojciech, deprived of the talent that has defined her family for generations, grows up without knowing the warmth of home, as her mother is rather despotic. After graduation she leaves everything – home, tradition, social conventions – and takes up a job as a scientist in Białowieża. It’s then when she starts life on her own terms. She settles in the middle of the forest, in a house without electricity or running water, surrounded by wild nature. There, in a magical wilderness, she meets photographer Lech Wilczek, with whom she shares her passions – love for nature and… the need for freedom. Their extraordinary relationship defies all that’s considered standard. However, Simona’s ideas about the work of a naturalist and the position of a young woman in a world dominated by men are painfully verified. She must defend not only her ideals, but also the world of plants and animals.
Alicja suffers from memory loss and has rebuilt her own free spirited way of life. Two years later, she returns to her former family to assume against her will her role as wife, mother and daughter.
Fourteen-year-old Jeremi is a YouTuber. His father works in a space agency and promised to show him a rocket launch, but plans changed at the eleventh hour, and he called off the trip. Instead, the teenager is sent to his grandpa in the countryside. To drag Jeremi away from the Internet, his dad gives him a special mission.
The history of the Warsaw Ghetto (1940-43) as seen from both sides of the wall, its legacy and its memory: new light on a tragic era of division, destruction and mass murder thanks to the testimony of survivors and the discovery of a ten-minute film shot by Polish amateur filmmaker Alfons Ziółkowski in 1941.
Relationships with the people you love most are often the most complicated. This is the problem Hania and her mother Ewa face during their sessions with a psychotherapist, filmed intimately and with the utmost respect by director Paweł Łoziński. The camera always focuses on one person at a time, revealing every emotion hidden behind the words and silences. The empathetic therapist carefully but purposefully peels away the hard layers under which mother and daughter shield themselves. Little by little, the personal tragedies that hamper their communication rise to the surface, as well as the source of the longing for love and acknowledgement that they find so hard to fulfill.
What does it mean to be awake in a world that seems satisfied to be asleep? Kris and Michal push their experiences of life and love to a breaking point as they restlessly roam the city streets in search of answers, adrift in the euphoria and uncertainty of youth.
Vika, who is 84, is one of the eldest DJs in the world. Because of her attitude, she is far from any stereotypes about senior citizens. Bittersweet documentary musical about consistence in following your own path and fighting for your dreams.
Empty shelves, trading cards and chickens sold in a shoe store. This is Polish everyday life from over four decades ago. Although the starting point is the moment of introduction of martial law, thanks to selected recordings we go back in time by 16 months and 12 days in order to better understand the mood at that time and the complexity of the processes that led to the decision of December 13, 1981.
It is hard to imagine Polish science fiction without Maciej Parowski. He was the editor-in-chief of the Polish iconic monthly Fantastyka who stood behind the success of several generations of authors. People from across Poland were sending their texts to him. If it had not been for him, no one knows what would have happened to "The Witcher" or "The Cathedral", an Oscar-nominated film by Tomasz Bagiński.
Agnieszha Holland takes Jacek Petrycki on a journey to the places of her youth; she tells him stories of experiences of the past. It is a dialogue of a famous director with the camera, behind which, there is her true friend.
Jagoda and Zuzia giggle in the opening scenes in the way that only 11-year-old girls can. Together they are the center of their own changing world. On the face of it, not much happens in the lives of these Polish best friends, but big changes are on the way. The end of primary school is in sight, and the girls are impatiently awaiting first love, budding breasts and first periods.
