Mazowiecki i Warszawski Fundusz Filmowy

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.

Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

A little known episode from the life of Stalinist security police office Julia Brystiger. Her nickname Bloody Luna was a reference to her incredibly brutal methods of interrogation. In the early 1960s, she appears in a centre for the blind on the outskirts of Warsaw, a place often visited by Cardinal Wyszyński, whose imprisonment in 1953-1956 Brystiger supervised personally. During a difficult and heated discussion with the cardinal, Brystiger denounces the communist ideology and begs for forgiveness for her crimes and for guidance in her search for God.

A story about a young jockey dreaming of a sports career. These dreams culminate in the most important event in Poland — The Great Warsaw Race. Krzysiek enters the horse-racing world with the naivety of a novice and enthusiast. Only after some time does he realize that races are a network of dependencies, powerful interests, and manipulation of results.

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.

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.

When the world around him is mysteriously erased, a little green dinosaur named Diplodocus must travel through the pages of a comic book and adventure through time to bring color back to his land. Alongside a wizard and two scientists, Diplo’s plans go awry as he learns that there may be a dimension to his world that he never considered.

A group of teenage altar boys, frustrated by the indifferent attitude of adults and the Church towards social injustices, decides to implement their own unconventional plan for moral renewal of their neighbourhood. Armed with youthful rebellion and their personal interpretation of the Bible, they set up a wiretap… in the confessional.

When Gośka meets Grzesiek online, she's sure he's her Mr. Right. Grzesiek is crazy about her, showers her with flowers, and proposes in Venice, but soon enough, the picture perfect romance starts to crumble, revealing a darker side.

At 82 years old, Lula is every inch the rebel. An openly gay man in communist Poland, he organized underground parties and after-curfew salons of men inside private apartments. He enthusiastically took up drag, despite a fiercely homophobic culture, to free himself from the stifling correctness of the 80s. But now, he's an old, single man in a youth-obsessed world. His friend was crushed by depression and killed himself, but somehow Lula, now Poland's oldest drag queen, remains buoyant. Is he escaping loneliness with his constant clubbing, looking for love yet again to insulate himself against what he knows is coming? Lula isn't waiting for approval. Filmmaker Bogna Kowalczyk's energetic portrait pairs with her subject's kinetic drive, right down to the stellar soundtrack and nimble camerawork. Whether it's meeting fans at Pride or selecting an artist to sculpt his specialty crematorium urn, try to keep up with a man who knows life is to be lived out loud.

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...

Lena, a 40-year-old actress freshly divorced, is determined to rebuild her life. Embracing change, she quickly plunges into the vibrant nightlife of Warsaw—and into the arms of Kundel, a young, charismatic student. Their relationship is a passionate explosion where the boundaries between intimacy and desire begin to blur. Meanwhile, Lena’s ex-husband Jan, a respected lawyer, struggles to accept the end of their marriage.

Warsaw, Poland, 1953. Mr. T., a renowned writer, lives in a hotel and earns his living by giving private lessons.

Aaa, Billy, Dawid, Filipka, and Olo perform, support each other, and protest, facing a hostile environment for queer people in Poland. In his first feature-length film, artist and choreographer Alex Baczyński-Jenkins accompanied this group of friends for a few years.

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.

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

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.

Sergiusz, a teenager at a technical school, is misunderstood by his family and bullied by his peers because of his passion for fantasy and LARP games. In the incredible world of imagination and adventures marked by sword and sorcery, he is a true hero – masculine, brave, and invincible. In the real world, not so much.

A story about two sisters - Małgorzata, who is single by choice, and her younger sister, Łucja, a mother of two and an assistant in Małgorzata's law firm. The women embark on their first first trip in many years. It quickly turns out that one of them is terminally ill and her destination is Switzerland, where euthanasia is possible.

Inspired by a political protest movement, the Teatr 21 – a theatre company of acting enthusiasts with Down’s syndrome – develops a play in which the participants articulate their wishes and demands and at the same time get to abandon themselves with great joy to creative development. Martyna Peszko attentively follows the creation process as it unfolds in a productively bustling rehearsal atmosphere, with musical accents provided by the improvisations of a free jazz trio.