“The Big Chief” is an immersive spy film following an ambiguous, charismatic historical figure. Brilliantly edited archival footage from various corners of the world gradually unveils another mystery of the 20th century. Who was the Big Boss really?
Simone, Francesca and Olivia are three young people from Bologna who are members of the Communist Renewal Party. Full of life, they take part in demonstrations and party meetings and believe that they can change the current world, dominated by ruthless capitalism and pressure for performance, for the better. At least until the moment when it turns out that it is almost impossible to change the minds of the older party members and the unsuccessful attempts to win new supporters intersect with the difficulties in their personal lives. Comrades is an empathetic time-lapse portrait that shows how the current young generation is losing its illusions due to social pressure and turbulent internal changes, and how difficult it is to keep faith in what we believe makes sense.
“By telling the stories of Olivia, Francesca and Simone, I try to show topics shared by many 20-30-year-olds: overstimulation, confusion, and awareness of social inequalities, accompanied by a difficulty in translating their good intentions into actions that bring about real change.” — Joanna Janikowska
Bedrock is a psychological journey across today’s Poland that
weaves together stories of Poles living on Holocaust sites.
Through a series of intimate encounters, this poetic film
looks at the unsettling contradictions people learn to live
with.
In a secluded village in Podlasie, Tomasz is left alone when his wife and daughter go on vacation. During a hunting trip, he wounds a men, leading to the development of a dangerous bond.
In the serene beauty of Tatra mountains, an asphalt road leads to a picture-perfect but overcrowded lake. Everyday thousands of tourists walk the same narrow path as if on a pilgrimage. The opera about mass tourism and nature amidst climate breakdown.
„I’m waiting for mom and dad. Calendar ends today. A lot of us will die,
but not like Grandpa two years ago, only worse”. This is a morning
report from ten-year-old Daga. The girl is prepared for all threats.
Unlike her parents…
August Zamoyski: Polish aristocrat who abandoned his family fortune to pursue the dream of becoming an artist. Often compared to Michelangelo, amazing sculptor, outstanding athlete, amateur filmmaker, avant-garde dancer, collector of fancy cars, teacher but also a scandalist who got married four times. His life story, full of sudden twists and turns, was a movie script waiting to happen.
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Zuzanna Solakiewicz reinterprets Kieślowski’s iconic film. In her feminist response, she argues that not only in the world of dance but also in the contemporary understanding of femininity, there is space for both sisterhood and intergenerational exchange of experiences, as well as the pure joy of being in one’s body.
In 1981 Poland was on the verge of an unravelling revolution. Exciting time for people, troublesome for the authorities. Full of absurd and unexpected energy found footage film about imposing martial law.
Months into an unprecedented war raging just across the European Union border, filmmakers Piotr Pawlus and Tomasz Wolski journey deep into the shelled-out state, in the hope of capturing “the new normal” of the Ukrainian people.
The film had its world premiere at the Berlinale Forum – Berlinale International Film Festival.