Menu
© 2026 The Couch Critic
Browse 37 movies from Instytut Adama Mickiewicza - Culture.pl
The history of the Warsaw Ghetto (1940-43) as seen from both sides of the wall, its legacy and its memory: new light on a tragic era of division, destruction and mass murder thanks to the testimony of survivors and the discovery of a ten-minute film shot by Polish amateur filmmaker Alfons Ziółkowski in 1941.
May 2019
History of a fashion rebellion in communist Poland. The film shares the experiences of those who were singled out as ideological 'saboteurs' by the socialist authorities. The documentary presents the stories and opinions of stylish personalities of the day.
Jan 2011
Polish Jews, who were forced to leave their country in 1968, meet every year in Ashkelon. After nearly 40 years, they share their memories of exile, loss and regret, and still consider themselves Polish.
Mar 2007
Jozef embarks on a journey via a ghostly train to visit his dying father in a remote Galician sanatorium. Upon arrival, he discovers that the sanatorium exists in a realm where time is distorted—his father's death has not yet occurred, as time here lags behind the outside world by an undefined interval. Jozef's experiences become increasingly fragmented and dreamlike as he confronts various manifestations of his father, each representing different aspects of their relationship and his own psyche.
Apr 2025
Get an inside look into the Polish national soccer team as it competes in the EURO 2012, which was hosted by Poland for the first time in history.
Mar 2013
A railway officer tries to learn about the lifestyle and language of a tribe that lives on the brink of a civilisation. Unfortunately, he creates problems for them.
May 2016
The film tells the story of the evolution of rave music and subculture in Poland. Two young ravers will guide us through this world: Marysia and Janusz, along with Marcello Zamenhoff – a performance artist and one of the pioneers of Polish rave. The basic question the characters are hoping to answer is will the young generation be able to reconcile the Polish techno scene, which has stayed class-divided since its very beginnings in the ‘90s.
Oct 2024
A gallery owner is opening an unusual exhibition: An artist who is terminally ill wishes to die in front of an audience.
Jun 2016
A story of a circus in decline which is approaching its imminent end.
Jun 2015
A film about hidden possibilities based on a poem by the Polish poetess Wislawa Szymborska.
Oct 2021
They are the experts of their job. Over a hundred thousand professionals. They are brave, courageous yet simple Russian men. Their families await them but for their country they simply do not exist. In their homeland they are unemployed.
Sep 2009
The documentary film Art of Freedom answers the most poignant questions on the phenomenon of Polish expeditions to the Himalayas. Poles have reigned the highest mountaintops of the world for more than 20 years. They not only set down new trails, but new rules of behavior. They set themselves apart with an original style of climbing, endurance, conscientiousness about the overall well-being of the team - and solidarity.
May 2011
Fleeing from despair after losing those dearest to him, the hero hides in a safe land of memories, where time stands still and all those dear to him are alive.
Nov 2020
Eugeniusz Rudnik revolutionized the idea of music itself with a pair of scissors and a magnetic tape. As part of the legendary Experimental Studio of Polish Radio, he revealed hidden value in rough and rejected sounds long before the rise of the DJs. In an era of electronic music created in a workshop resembling a scientific lab, he composed music to reach and to portray other human beings. This movie is an attempt to hear the vision of his music.
Jul 2014
In Neon, Bednarski recounts the history of Warsaw's neon signs from the pre-War period to modern times. He creates an overview of the neon signs which illuminated streets of Warsaw before the Second World War, depicts the use and role of neon signs in the times of social realism in the context of history and politics, and describes what has happened to them since 1989.
Jan 2014
Once upon a time in a Polish village in Romania, Hanka and Bronka, left behind by their deceased husbands and their children who have emigrated for work, face everyday life with humour and persistence. Fighting to stay independent, they will soon need to make a life-changing decision.
Jun 2026
The film was inspired by one of the most important documentaries shot by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Talking Heads (1980). The director asked his interlocutors seemingly simple questions, such as “Who are you?” and “What do you want?”.
Sep 2021
An unusual documentary film asking whether classical music can heal places affected by war and suffering, taking the viewer on a cinematic journey through unique and sinister sceneries. It weaves the stories of three outstanding pianists, a Pole, a Korean, and a Syrian immigrant, who prepare for special concerts, where no one would expect to hear live music.
Oct 2022
A documentary celebrating the work of Walerian Borowczyk, a director of unparalleled sensitivity, revered in the 1970s, who was later labeled as a maker of erotic movies.
May 2018
The movie is set in a technologically developed but, at the same time, feudal world. Beautiful Duenna was created in order to carry out certain mission. However, she will be forced to choose between accomplishing the task she was created for and love.
Mar 2010