In Three Sydney Cinemas - THE 2025 POLISH FILM FESTIVAL - Full details of all the films

 

Polish Film Festival Returns with Bigger Program, More Venues, and Nine Australian Premieres

 

 

The Polish Film Festival is back — and this year it’s bigger and more accessible than ever. From 31 August to 19 October, audiences can enjoy the very best of contemporary Polish cinema at three locations: Palace Norton St, Palace Central, and the Hayden Orpheum.

Now in its 11th year, the Festival will feature nine Australian Premieres in a program ranging from laugh-out-loud comedies and tender romances to gripping dramas, high-stakes heist action, and compelling investigative documentaries — all showcasing the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary Polish cinema.

Opening night on 31 August at Palace Norton St will feature the Australian Premiere of OFF WE GO! (Dalej Jazda), a heartwarming, intergenerational road comedy about love, courage, and living life to the fullest at any age. Guests will be treated to Polish delicacies and a complimentary glass of wine before the screening — the perfect way to begin this cinematic journey.

“Our audience has been asking for more films in more places — and we listened. By spreading the program across three Sydney locations, we hope more people will not only discover a film they’ll love, but also enjoy the convenience of seeing it closer to home or work. We want everyone to have the chance to experience the very best of Polish cinema.” said Festival Director Magdalena Ambrozkiewicz.

"Film festivals are a great opportunity for audiences to come together and see films on the big screen they might not have otherwise be able to see. Screen NSW are thrilled to support the Polish Film Festival in bringing the best of Polish cinema to Sydney and rolling out the red carpet for cinephiles across the city," said Head of Screen NSW Kyas Hepworth.

2025 HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

 

MINGHUN I Australian Premiere I drama I 2024 I Poland

A moving cross-cultural drama starring acclaimed Polish actor Marcin Dorociński (The Queen’s Gambit, Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning). Blending quiet humour, emotional depth, and cultural insight, the film journeys through love, loss, and the bonds that transcend borders — and even death. more

 

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS I Australian Premiere I drama I 2024 I Poland, Germany
A tense, character-driven drama starring Polish-American actress Dagmara Domińczyk (HBO’s Succession, The Count of Monte Cristo, Priscilla). When a mysterious memoir arrives on her doorstep, a journalist returns to Poland, uncovering buried truths and the fragile line between memory and manipulation. Winner: Sapphire Lions — Gdynia Film Festival 2024. more

 

THE PEASANTS I drama, animation I 2023 I Poland, Serbia, Lithuania
From the creators of the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA-nominated Loving Vincent comes a visually stunning adaptation of the Nobel Prize-winning novel The Peasants — a compelling blend of romance, tragedy, and folklore that brings Reymont’s epic tale to life through hand-painted oil animation. more

 

 

THE CROSSROADS I Australian Premiere I drama I 2025 I Poland
A contemporary drama steeped in the moral complexity and subtle intensity of Krzysztof Kieślowski — the iconic master of Polish cinema. Winner of the Young FIPRESCI Award — Warsaw International Film Festival 2025. more

BLOODY TROPHY I Australian Premiere I documentary I 2025 I Poland, UK
Filmed in South Africa, Poland and the Czech Republic, this gripping investigative documentary exposes the loopholes in the trophy trade exploited by an intricate network of Vietnamese, Thai and Laotian criminal groups, and its devastating toll on rhino populations. more

 

BEAUTIFUL! I Australian Premiere I comedy I 2025 I Poland 
A smart and deeply relatable comedy-drama about six women at life’s crossroads, offering a heartfelt exploration of identity and self-worth in a world full of unrealistic expectations. more

PHOTOSENSITIVE I Australian Premiere I romance I 2025 I Poland
An unconventional love story that invites viewers to see the world through a different lens. more

SEASONS I Australian Premiere I comedy, drama I 2024 I Poland
A witty and masterfully crafted exploration of love, ego, and the fragile architecture of marriage, set against the backdrop of the eccentric world of theatre. more

VINCI I comedy, action I 2004 I Poland 

A box-office hit from veteran crime and comedy director Juliusz Machulski is a slick, Cracow-set heist film with sharp humour and the brilliant on-screen duo of Robert Więckiewicz and Borys Szyc. more

VINCI 2 I CLOSING NIGHT I Australian Premiere I comedy I 2025 I Poland 

From the mastermind behind cult classics Vabank, Sexmission, and Kiler, this highly anticipated legacy sequel to Juliusz Machulski’s smash hit Vinci features an all-star cast and brings back his signature blend of humour, suspense, and clever twists. more

 

All films screen with English subtitles.

Tickets are now on sale and full program is available at  http://www.polishfilmfestival.org/sydney

                                            ************************************************************************************

To stay up to date with Polish FF news follow on Facebook @PolishFillmFestivalSydney or Instagram and subscribe to our mailing list at https://www.polishfilmfestival.org/sydney-newsletter. 

 

The 2025 POLISH FILM FESTIVAL SYDNEY is organised with the financial support of Screen NSW , the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Sydney  and the Polish Film Institute. The event is also supported by Migration Law Firm and Hicron (Major Sponsors) as well as Business ­­Tax and Money House, Tailored Tax Solutions, and Perfect Contracting (Leadership Sponsors). Full list of partners and sponsors is available on festival website. 

 

Raining Film Festivals in Sydney - Part Two - VIVID, SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL, POLISH FILM FESTIVAL, GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

Are there any alarm bells going off anywhere?  Am I the only person noticing? 

Let me lay out some thoughts about the Sydney Film Festival and the circumstances in which it is going to present its 2022 edition starting this coming week.

 

First some background. This year the SFF  will be going on simultaneously with a separate very large scale event that takes place around Sydney landmarks  event called Vivid. This was  not always the case. Vivid is a (very) Sydney event full of light and sound. It started, according to Wikipedia as a smart light festival in 2009 for energy efficiency curated by lighting designer Mary-Anne Kyriakou and headlined by Brian Eno in collaboration with lighting designer Bruce Ramus. It’s main attraction was some projected 'light painting' onto both sides of the Opera House.  Its dates did not overlap at all with the Sydney Film Festival. By 2019, when Vivid was last presented, it had become again according to Wikipedia, the biggest festival of lights, music and ideas in the world. It is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the State Government's tourism and events agency. In 2019 a record 2.4 million people attended. In 2022 Vivid runs from 27 May to 18 June, thus overlapping virtually entirely with the Sydney Film Festival which runs from 8-19 June.

 

Is this a cause for concern? Are there two audiences out there each of them determinedly separate and in no way pillaging the other’s attendance? Maybe. Vivid Sydney offers, in the adman speak of its website a deep dive “into our soul”. Maybe. The SFF offers pretty much what it has always done – new movies, some old movies, lots of Australian content, especially in the documentaries and shorts, filmmakers presenting their films

 

But among Vivid’s offerings are at least two events that strike right at the heart of what the SFF does especially when it has a high profile opportunity. Several days before the SFF opens Vivid will be presenting an hour of talk with Baz Luhrmann followed by a screening of his new movie Elvis. 

 

Here’s how this was trumpeted by the NSW Government:

 

The NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, will deliver this intimate and unique audience with Baz, discussing the power of storytelling, creativity in chaos, his multi-faceted artistic partnerships and will enthrall audiences with behind-the-scenes tales from the filming of ELVIS.

Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the global megastar was the perfect addition to what is already an incredible line-up for the Vivid Sydney 2022 program.

“I am delighted that Baz Luhrmann, one of our nation’s greatest cultural luminaries, will be part of Vivid Sydney 2022,” Mr Ayres said.

“His dynamic artistic talents traverse film, television, opera, theatre, music, and recording. His insights into film, fashion and art worlds make him incredibly interesting and highly relevant for the Vivid Ideas program.

“An audience with Baz will be one of the hottest tickets in town. This is a one-off opportunity to get first-hand insight into the genius behind his art, his career and of course, his latest movie ELVIS.

“Culminating in the Sydney premiere of his highly-anticipated biopic about another cultural icon – the first time in the festival’s history we have included a film premiere.”

Tickets to hear Baz Luhrmann will cost you $57.70which runs out to about a dollar a minute. Tickets to the movie at the 2000 seat State Theatre have already sold out. If you want to see the movie, two weeks later it will have two more screenings at the Sydney Film Festival and then will be opening commercially. 

 

Then there is this event taking place right in the middle of the SFF and presented by AACTA and described thus: “Mavericks of Stage & Screen taking place at Vivid Sydney. An empowering discussion with a diverse group of creatives with incredible life stories who share their journeys to success. 

 

MAVERICKS OF STAGE & SCREEN – Friday June 10^th, 6:30 – 8:30pm at UTS, The Great Hall

An evening of stories about unconventional journeys to success, as told by some of the best and brightest in the stage & screen industries.” 

 

OK. So the SFF misses out on the premiere of Elvis, a show with Baz on stage and an event put on by AACTA that sounds like quite an interesting occasion right in the heart of the SFF's screenings.

 

But wait there’s more. Other distributors, exhibitors and programmers seem to be oblivious to the SFF at what used to be a time for it to be the exclusive film event in Sydney. From 22 May to 26 June on dates and times scattered over the five weeks there is a Polish Film Festival screening ten films. And then from 24 May to 19 June there is a 27 film German Film Festival with lots of special events and a German film-maker as a guest.

 

You have to wonder just why these two events thought it would be sensible to go into direct competition with the SFF but maybe it’s all part of cunning plans. 

 

Whatever, you have to worry that all of this activity pushes the Sydney Film Festival’s offering just that little bit further down the pecking order of things to do and see. 

For the earlier observations about film festivals in Sydney CLICK HERE

Polish Film Festival - Barrie Pattison lists the program for this annual event and notes special previews of Oscar nominee CORPUS CHRISTI and the inclusion of films by Lech Majewski ad Agnieszka Holland

POLISH FILM FESTIVAL SYDNEY: 25 OCT – 8 NOV 2020 

POLISH FILM FESTIVAL SYDNEY returns to Palace Norton St this spring is preceded by two special (sold out) preview screenings of Oscar nominated CORPUS CHRISTI before the Festival opens on Sunday 25 October running till October to 8 November exclusively at Palace Norton Street in Leichhardt

The Festival opens with one of the most expensive Polish film productions of all time. THE LEGIONS by Dariusz Gajewski (Strange Heaven) is an epic history drama that follows a love triangle set against the backdrop of the heroic struggle of Polish Legions to win independence from Tsarist Russia. 

Closing the Festival is the Australian premiere of CHARLATAN, by three time Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland (Mr.Jones, Spoor, Europa Europa) of an exceptional Czech healer who cured thousands with plant-based remedies.

Another highlight of the programme is the all-star VALLEY OF THE GODS from visionary director Lech Majewski, starring John Malkovich, Josh Harnett & Bérénice Marlohe & Keir Dullea 

Festival website can be found if you click here

FULL PROGRAMME OF THE 2020 POLISH FILM FESTIVAL SYDNEY 

• THE LEGIONS (Legiony) by Dariusz Gajewski; 

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE 

Sunday 25 October 6:00pm 

• THE TASTE OF PHO (Smak pho) by Mariko Bobrik; 

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE 

Wednesday 28 October 7.00pm 

• THE IRON BRIDGE (Żelazny Most) by Monika Jordan-Młodzianowska; 

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE 

Friday 30 October 7:00pm 

• ICARUS. THE LEGEND OF MIETEK KOSZ (Ikar. Legenda Mietka Kosza) by Maciej Pieprzyca; 

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE 

Saturday 31 October 7:00pm 

• THE DAY OF CHOCOLATE (Dzień Czekolady) by Jacek Piotr Bławut; 

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

Sunday 1 November 3:00pm 

• SERVANTS OF WAR (Sługi wojny) by Mariusz Gawryś; 

NSW PREMIERE 

Friday 6 November 7.00pm 

• VALLEY OF THE GODS (Dolina Bogów) by Lech Majewski; 

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE 

Saturday 7 November 7:00pm 

• CHARLATAN (Szarlatan) by Agnieszka Holland; 

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE 

Sunday 8 November 6.00pm