Focus on Poland at OIFF 2025 – Polish Films in Kyiv
On 24 September 2025, the Odesa International Film Festival will open in Kyiv. This year, during Ukraine’s most important film festival, a special programme – Focus on Poland – will be presented, featuring the latest films by young Polish directors. Polish cinema will also appear in other sections of the festival. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a partner of the event.
Polish cinema at Ukraine’s most important film festival
The Odesa International Film Festival (Одеський міжнародний кінофестиваль) is the leading film event in Ukraine. It was first held in 2010. Its programme includes premieres of the most eagerly awaited Ukrainian films as well as debuts by young filmmakers. The festival focuses on art-mainstream cinema – films of high artistic value that are also accessible to a wide audience.
The OIFF competition sections include: the European Competition, the National Competition, and presentations organised by the Film Industry Office. In the non-competition sections, audiences can be among the first to see international festival hits, artistic premieres soon to be released in Ukrainian cinemas, and specially curated thematic strands.
Polish films at the Odesa International Film Festival 2025: Focus on Poland and beyond
Polish productions will be strongly represented at this year’s OIFF. Two Polish films will compete for the main prize in the European Competition. In “Under the Grey Sky”, directed by Mara Tamkovich, viewers follow the story of a married couple of journalists from Belarus. After the rigged elections in 2020, Lena, who was broadcasting the suppression of protests, was tracked down by a drone and arrested. Her husband Ilya does everything he can to save her, despite the regime’s repression. Meanwhile, “It Is Not My Film”, directed by Maria Zbąska, tells the story of Wanda and Janek who, after years together, set off for the cold Baltic Sea to confront their routine, lack of communication, and the question of whether their love still makes sense.
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Polish Institute in Kyiv are also co-organising one of the thematic sections – Focus on Poland.
Special programme “Focus on Poland” at the Odesa International Film Festival 2025:
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“Anxiety”, directed by Sławomir Fabicki, 2023 – Two sisters travel to Switzerland, where the elder plans to undergo euthanasia, while the younger tries to stop her from making the final decision.
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“Imago”, directed by Olga Chajdas, 2023 – A young woman in the final years of communist Poland fights for the right to express herself, struggling against oppressive social norms and pressure from her loved ones.
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“Forest”, directed by Lidia Duda, 2024 – A family living in the Białowieża Forest is faced with a moral choice when refugees seeking shelter appear in their neighbourhood.
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“Silent Trees”, directed by Agnieszka Zwiefka, 2024 – After her mother’s death on the Polish-Belarusian border, a 16-year-old Kurdish girl must take responsibility for her family and find her place in a new reality.
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“A Year in the Life of the Country”, directed by Tomasz Wolski, 2024 – A documentary reconstructing the tense social atmosphere of 1980–1981, showing the birth of the Solidarity movement and the impending martial law.
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“The Property (Hanehes)”, directed by Dana Modan, 2024 – An 83-year-old woman and her granddaughter travel to Poland to reclaim property looted during the war, but their journey reveals hidden secrets and conflicts.
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“The Assistant”, directed by Wilhelm Sasnal, Anka Sasnal, 2024 – A young bookbinder becomes the assistant to an eccentric inventor and, balancing between the roles of servant and confidant, observes his downfall.
From Poland to Kyiv, from Has to the present day – Polish stories in the capital of Ukraine
In addition, the retrospective section will feature “The Hourglass Sanatorium”, directed by Wojciech Jerzy Has. The screening is part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the director’s birth, following the resolution of the Polish Senate declaring 2025 the Year of Has. Piotr Bartuszek, a Polish casting director and juror at many international festivals, has been invited to join the International Jury. He will also take part in industry events organised within the framework of the Film Industry Office, including the discussion panel “Casting in International Projects”.
16th Odesa International Film Festival 2025 (Одеський міжнародний кінофестиваль 2025)
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Dates: 24 September – 4 October 2025
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Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine – “Zhovten” Cinema, “Oscar” Cinema, Architect’s House
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Programme and information: new.oiff.com.ua.
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The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a partner of OIFF.
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Focus on Poland was prepared in cooperation with, among others, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Polish Institute in Kyiv.
