Polish cinema in Berlin and Potsdam – 20th edition of filmPOLSKA

The filmPOLSKA Festival celebrates its 20th edition, once again showcasing the most compelling phenomena of contemporary Polish cinema in Berlin and Potsdam. The programme features internationally awarded films, debut productions, and a range of accompanying events – retrospectives, concerts, and meetings with filmmakers. This year’s edition will not only be a film review, but also a space for dialogue and reflection on the state of cinema in Europe.

As the largest Polish film festival outside Poland, filmPOLSKA will present, for the twentieth time, a selection of works by both established and emerging Polish filmmakers in Berlin and Potsdam cinemas. The programme includes some of the most significant productions of recent years, including films not available in regular German distribution. Screenings will be accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, concerts, special events, and a rich supporting programme. The 20th edition of filmPOLSKA aims to be a platform for cultural exchange between artists and audiences, serving not only as a film review but also as a forum for dialogue.

Wojciech Kilar and Wojciech Jerzy Has are the focus of this anniversary edition

This year’s edition pays tribute to two outstanding figures of Polish cinema. The retrospective Wszechstronny stylista (Versatile Stylist) will celebrate the achievements of Wojciech Kilar – one of the most distinguished film music composers of the 20th century. Nine films featuring his soundtracks will be screened at Berlin’s Zeughauskino on Unter den Linden. This section will also include a film music workshop led by Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz. On 12 September 2025, a concert filmPOLSKA x Krzyżowa-Music will take place, highlighting the contribution of Polish composers to the history of world cinema.

Marking the 100th anniversary of Wojciech Jerzy Has’s birth, and in the context of the Year of Has 2025 announced in Poland, filmPOLSKA will present two of the director’s films that competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. How to Be Loved (1963) will be screened as part of a special event with a discussion. The adaptation of Bruno Schulz’s prose, The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973), will serve as the grand finale of the festival.

filmPOLSKA 2025: programme, events, special guests

The 20th edition will feature a competition programme. Jury members Marjorie Bendeck, Valentina Bronzini, and Wellington Almeida will select the best film from among seven works by young directors. The following films are competing for the award: Glorious Summer (directed by Helena Ganjalyan and Bartosz Szpak), Flowers of Ukraine (directed by Adelina Borets), Letters from Wolf Street (directed by Arjun Talwar), Under the Volcano (directed by Damian Kocur), Travel Essentials (directed by Kamila Tarabura), The Seasons (directed by Michał Grzybowski), and It Is Not My Film (directed by Maria Zbąska).

The festival’s panorama – under the slogan “Crossroads” – will present six films in which the protagonists find themselves, literally or metaphorically, at a crossroads. The decisions they make open up new possibilities but also compel self-reflection and choices whose consequences may be irreversible. In times of rapid change, questions of direction, responsibility, and freedom of choice become ever more crucial. The films White Courage by Marcin Koszałka, Night Silence by Bartosz M. Kowalski, The Last Expedition by Eliza Kubarska, Trains by Maciej Drygas, Under the Grey Sky by Mara Tamkovich, and Loss of Balance by Korek Bojanowski encourage reflection on our place in the world and the consequences of our choices.

The special section “Poland x Scandinavia” will highlight the growing film cooperation between Poland and the Scandinavian countries. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of co-productions involving institutions from the North. The results of these collaborations are noted for their stylistic diversity and high artistic quality, appreciated by both professionals and audiences alike. Three selected titles illustrate the spectrum of possibilities offered by this international exchange: Emilie Blichfeldt’s The Ugly Stepsister, Leiv Igor Devold’s Norwegian Dream and Magnus von Horn’s Oscar-winning The Girl with the Needle.

Art in Cinema: Berlin as a Laboratory of the Polish Avant-Garde

The screenings in the series “Art in Cinema: Berlin Made Me Glad Sad Mad” are aimed at lovers of experimental film. This year’s edition, curated by Weronika Adamowska, explores the presence and role of Polish art in Berlin. The title of the programme refers to a 1979 street action by Hungarian artist Endre Tót and reflects the ambivalent emotions that accompany life in the metropolis – at once inspiring and overwhelming. 

The programme presents a selection of experimental films and video performances by artists of Polish origin, focusing primarily on the work of women and queer creators who expand, disrupt, and redefine the boundaries of cinema. From the delicate textures of analogue film, through energetic performative forms, to immersive 3D animations and documentary observations, the works create a kaleidoscope of reflections on identity, relationships, belonging, activism, radical futures, and the pitfalls of progress. Together, they capture the spirit of Berlin’s openness to experimentation and avant-garde thinking. Participating artists include Eternal Engine (Martix Nawrot & Jagoda Wójtowicz), Karolina Grzywnowicz, Magda Jaroszewicz, Kinga Kiełczyńska, Jasmina Metwaly, Ania Nowak, Agnieszka Polska, Alicja Rogalska, Ewelina Rosińska, and Marcelina Wellmer.

20th filmPOLSKA Festival – a celebration of Polish cinema in the heart of Germany

• Dates: 10-17 September 2025

• Venue: Cinemas in Berlin and Potsdam

• The filmPOLSKA Festival is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute

• Festival partners: Cineville, German Historical Museum, FilmFestival Cottbus, Krakow Film Festival, Krzyżowa-Music, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Mokry Nos Psa, Polish Filmmakers Association, Topography of Terror

• Media partners: art-in-berlin, Cosmo, Filmlöwin, Fluxfm, Indiekino & Cinematic Berlin, radio3, RAUSGEGANGEN, taz

• More information about the programme and tickets is available at instytutpolski.pl/berlin