Poland Film Festival 2025 in Tokyo: a celebration of Polish cinema in Japan

For the fourteenth time, Tokyo will become the capital of Polish cinema for a few days. A biographical story about Fryderyk Chopin’s youth, premiere screenings of the latest Polish films, and a unique retrospective marking the 100th anniversary of Wojciech Jerzy Has’s birth are the main highlights of the programme of the 14th edition of the Poland Film Festival 2025, which will take place on 14–20 November at Yebisu Garden Cinema. Jerzy Skolimowski returns as curator of this year’s festival. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute once again supports the presentation of Polish cinema in Japan.

Polish cinema in Japan: from classics to contemporary premieres

The festival’s programme, featuring a biographical film about Chopin’s youth and a special retrospective marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of the legendary director Wojciech Jerzy Has, presents a selection of titles not to be missed. The 14th edition of the Poland Film Festival 2025 (第14回ポーランド映画祭開催) will take place at Yebisu Garden Cinema in Tokyo from 14 to 20 November 2025. The curator of this year’s edition is once again the outstanding director Jerzy Skolimowski. Poland Film Festival is one of the most important events promoting Polish cinema in Japan, held continuously since 2011. Every year, the festival showcases both the work of Poland’s most accomplished filmmakers and the latest productions that have earned international recognition. Through this event, Japanese audiences gain a unique opportunity to experience the richness, diversity, and emotional depth of Polish cinema – from timeless classics to contemporary, award-winning films.

The 2025 programme will once again feature both the latest Polish productions and a retrospective of film classics, prepared especially for the anniversary of one of the most outstanding creators of Polish cinema – Wojciech Jerzy Has. The festival will open with the biographical film “Chopin! Chopin!”, directed by Michał Kwieciński – a spectacular, sweeping tale of the Parisian years of the young Fryderyk Chopin. Maria Zbąska’s directorial debut, “To nie mój film” (“It Is Not My Film”), will also be presented in Japan for the first time. It is a subtle, atmospheric story of a couple searching for meaning in their relationship against the winter landscape of the Baltic Sea. Another title will be “Smok Diplodok” (“Diplodocus”) by Wojtek Wawszczyk – a unique combination of animation and live action that takes viewers on an imaginative adventure of a little dinosaur. A special highlight of the festival will be a retrospective marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Wojciech Jerzy Has, one of Poland’s most acclaimed directors. His films – admired by Buñuel and Scorsese – will be presented to a wider Japanese audience for the first time. The series will include, among others, “One Room Tenants”, “The Saragossa Manuscript”, “The Doll”, “The Hourglass Sanatorium”, and “The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober” – films showcasing the artist’s extraordinary vision and the timeless beauty of Polish cinema.

Programme of the 14th Poland Film Festival 2025

• Friday, 14 November 2025

  • 10:30 a.m. – “The Doll”, dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1968

  • 7:00 p.m. – “One Room Tenants”, dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1959

• Saturday, 15 November 2025

  • 10:30 a.m. – “Chopin! Chopin!”, dir. Michał Kwieciński, 2025 – festival opening and meeting with special guests Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński, winners of the 50th FPFF award in Gdynia for set design for the film

  • 7:00 p.m. – “It Is Not My Film”, dir. Maria Zbąska, 2024

• Sunday, 16 November 2025

  • 10:30 a.m. – “Diplodocus”, dir. Wojtek Wawszczyk, 2024

  • 7:00 p.m. – “The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober”, dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1988 – meeting with Polish cinema expert Kōichi Kuyama

• Monday, 17 November 2025

  • 10:30 a.m. – “One Room Tenants”, dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1959

  • 7:00 p.m. – “Chopin! Chopin!”, dir. Michał Kwieciński, 2025

• Tuesday, 18 November 2025

  • 10:30 a.m. – “It Is Not My Film”, dir. Maria Zbąska, 2024

  • 7:00 p.m. – “The Saragossa Manuscript”, dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1965

• Wednesday, 19 November 2025

  • 10:30 a.m. – “Diplodocus”, dir. Wojtek Wawszczyk, 2024

  • 7:00 p.m. – “The Hourglass Sanatorium”, dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1973

• Thursday, 20 November 2025

  • 10:30 a.m. – “The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober”, dir. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1988

  • 7:00 p.m. – “Chopin! Chopin!”, dir. Michał Kwieciński, 2025

All film screenings will be in Polish with Japanese subtitles.

14th Polish Film Festival in Tokyo – practical information

• Dates: 14–20 November 2025

• Venue: Yebisu Garden Cinema, Tokyo (4 Chome-20-2 Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0013, Japan)

• Tickets and more information are available at:  www.polandfilmfes.com

• Organisers: Mermaid Films, Polish Institute in Tokyo, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Skopia Film, Valeria.