POLISH DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS AT INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY EVENTS – A 2025 REVIEW
For the Polish documentary sector, the year 2025 was a period of intensive presence at the world's most significant industry events. Polish projects participated in renowned pitching programmes, co-production forums, and development labs, won awards and international financial backing, whilst producers maintained an active presence at markets and industry gatherings – notably under the banner of Polish Docs Pro, an initiative led by the Krakow Film Foundation.
Their presence at leading forums and markets – from CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, East Doc Platform in Prague and Visions du Réel in Nyon, through Docs Barcelona, Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle, the Locarno Film Festival and MIA in Rome, to DOK Leipzig and IDFA in Amsterdam – demonstrates that Polish documentarians are not merely building international partnerships with steady determination, but competing effectively in the global creative marketplace. Selections for prestigious programmes, awards, and international financial support all confirm that 2025 represented yet another year in which Polish documentary markedly strengthened its position on the world map.
Polish presence was felt early in the year at the Trieste festival, where the Polish-Israeli-Italian project Home by Or Sinai, with Morefilm serving as the Polish producer, was presented at the When East Meets West co-production forum.
During the same period, Polish filmmakers were participating in workshops and training programmes, honing their projects under the guidance of world-class professionals. Two films qualified for the prestigious dok.incubator programme: Blossoming by Kamila Serwicka, produced by Adrianna Rędzia (Lumisenta Film Foundation), and Candidates of Death by Maciej Cuske, produced by Ewa Hoffmann of the Bydgoszcz Film Chronicle Foundation.
Likewise, two Polish teams took part in the Ex Oriente workshops. Director Anna Morawiec and Agata Jujeczka, representing Vision House Productions, developed the project House in a Bottle, whilst Mateusz Góra and Kamil Wilk (directors), together with Piotr Śmiechowski of Telemark, worked on Dekonstrukt.
By March, a formidable Polish crew had appeared at CPH:Industry during CPH:DOX in Copenhagen – one of the largest events of its kind in the world. A new project from Agnieszka Zwiefka, Words We Never Say, was presented at CPH:Forum, among the most important European co-production forums for creative documentary. In parallel, the Polish-German project Scratching the Surface by Alexander Mettin and Wiktor Filip Gacparski was selected as one of nine titles invited to this year's edition of CPH:LAB. A Polish Docs Pro delegation also attended the Copenhagen industry events as part of CPH:DOX Industry, meetings with partners and championing new Polish productions. The delegation comprised producers representing Staron-Film, Kijora Film, Harine Films, Haka Films, and Raban.
Spring brought another key date in the calendar – East Doc Platform in Prague. It featured several Polish projects at various stages of development. At EAST DOC FORUM, presentations were given for Inner Landscapes, directed by Zofia Sawicka (produced by Maciej Kubicki and Zofia Kujawska / Telemark); My Father, the Iceman, directed by Łukasz Kowalski (produced by Anna Mazerant / 4.30 STUDIO); and St. Barbara's Children, directed by Oliwia Tonteri (produced by Aino Halonen, Oliwia Tonteri / Kompot, Kamil Skałkowski / Kalejdoskop). In the EAST DOC MARKET section, Dekonstrukt, directed by Mateusz Góra and Kamil Wilk (produced by Piotr Śmiechowski / Telemark), secured a place, whilst EAST SILVER MARKET featured Isabella, directed by Joanna Janikowska (produced by Anna Gawlita and Marta Szymanowska / Kijora Film); The Town That Drove Away, directed by Grzegorz Piekarski and Natalia Pietsch (produced by Katarzyna Kostecka / LARMO); What the… Hen!, directed by Joanna Deja (produced by Justyna Kluczewska, Maciek Ostatek / Raban); and Hidden by Monika Kotecka (produced by Marta Szymanowska / Kijora Film). The project Inner Landscapes received two awards, which confirmed its international potential. In keeping with tradition, Polish Docs Pro supported producers by organising an industry delegation and maintaining a networking presence throughout the event.
In the months that followed, Polish projects were visible all over Europe. At Visions du Réel in Nyon, a Polish Docs Pro delegation was active on the ground, meeting with broadcasters and sales agents. Polish producers had ample opportunity to promote, network, and pursue international partnerships within the broad open programme of VdR-Industry, and also participate in events hosted specifically for international delegations – including a co-production round table with producers from Canada, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, and France. The Polish Docs Pro delegation comprised: Jakub Orłoś / FALA FILM with the project Victory Day by Wojciech Węglarz; Marta Wierzbicka / SMART FILMS with On My Own Terms by Tadeusz Chudy; Joanna Chorzępa / BEES FILM HOUSE with the projects Theory of Survival and The Tuners by Paweł Chorzępa; Ewa Żukowska / ŻUK STUDIO with Arctowski by Katarzyna Dąbkowska; and Kamil Dobrosielski / npsp.film with Tatuaje by Kamil Dobrosielski.
In May, DOK.forum was held at DOK.fest in Munich. The project Women and War by the acclaimed directing duo Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski – a Polish-German co-production with Maciej Kubicki of Telemark as the Polish producer – was presented at Masters Pitch, a forum reserved for established documentary filmmakers.
Two Polish projects were presented during the Speed Meetings at the industry segments of DocsBarcelona: the aforementioned Inner Landscapes by Zofia Sawicka, and Dekonstrukt by Mateusz Góra and Kamil Wilk, both from Telemark.
A particularly strong Polish presence was seen at Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle, where the Krakow Film Foundation had a Polish booth as well as a Polish Docs Pro delegation composed of producers and directors: Marta Szymanowska and Natalia Dołgowska (Kijora Film), Katia Priwieziencew and Lila Truskolaska (Dynamo Film), Maciej Kubicki and Elwira Niewiera (Telemark), Ewa Hoffmann (Balans / Bydgoszcz Film Chronicle Foundation), Ewa Szylar and Jakub Wróblewski (Monster Mind Studio), and Kinga Tasrek (Madants).
Four Polish projects qualified for presentation during the pitching sessions. On The Way by Natalia Dołgowska (produced by Kijora Film, Bellota Films and Cinedokke) was selected for the Nature & Environment Pitch. Women and War by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski (produced by Telemark) was invited to the Current Affairs & Investigation Pitch. Ghetto Classic by Katia Priwieziencew (produced by Dynamo Film and WKND) was presented in the Arts & Entertainment Pitch, whilst the VR project Channelers by Jakub Wróblewski (produced by Monster Mind Studio) was judged in the Innovation Lab Pitch. The Polish-Canadian-German project Leonard Cohen: Behind the Iron Curtain by Eric Bednarski went home with two awards: one of the principal prizes, the Best Arts & Entertainment Pitch, together with the special IMZ Award.
More Polish productions were showcased during the industry events at the Locarno Film Festival. Producers Barbara Welbel-Vaknin, Ewa Hoffmann, and Dagmara Piasecka represented their new documentary projects at Match Me! – one of the festival's most important industry events. Ewa Hoffmann appeared with a new title from Marcin Sauter. Snowflakes explores the dreams, hopes, and anxieties of contemporary teenagers from across the globe. Barbara Welbel-Vaknin, meanwhile, presented Good Night, Princesses by Iga Łapińska. This documentary entirely composed from VHS recordings of children, families, and the Poland of the post-1989 transition following the fall of communism.
Among the 22 titles selected for Latvia's Forum Baltic Sea Doc there were three Polish productions: Brake for Gold by Adelina Borets, produced by Glib Lukianets of Gogol Film; Bride of the Invisible by Audrius Stonys, produced by Marija Stonytė and Mantas Kazlauskas of the Lithuanian company UKU Films and co-produced by Poland's Drygas Film Production; and Women and War by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski. This Polish-German-Ukrainian production is the responsibility of Maciej Kubicki of Telemark, Hans-Robert Eisenhauer of Ventana Film, and Natalie Krasilnikova of Art Dialog. Women and War returned from Riga bearing the Movies That Matter award.
A new project by Nadim Suleiman, I Am One of Them, was invited into the prestigious cohort selected for Docu Talents from the East – a programme aimed at filmmakers from Eastern and Central Europe – during the CineLink Industry Days at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The film is produced by Katarzyna Kuczyńska (Haka Films) and Nadim Suleiman (Palmyra Films).
Autumn brought the news that Maria Krauss (Plesnar & Krauss Films) had been selected for the prestigious Emerging Producer programme – an initiative for talented documentary film producers from European Union countries that accompanies the Ji.hlava festival. Meanwhile, the new project by Maciej Bochniak – The Lawyer – was picked for MIA Market's MIA Doc Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum, one of the most important strands of the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo (MIA) held in Rome.
Three Polish productions were selected for the Ji.hlava New Visions Forum & Market, which took place during the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival: Wyspy szczęśliwe, a feature-length documentary from the directing duo of Małgorzata and Magda Juszczak (produced by Zuzanna Tomczyńska / Ciao Ciao Films); Quiet War, directed by Lana Shapoval, a co-production involving filmmakers from Ukraine, Poland, Germany, France, and Spain; and The Game of Women and War by Zlata Veresniak.
During the same period, it was announced that the documentary project Home Movie, directed by Anu Czerwiński and produced by Anna Stylińska and Katarzyna Ślesicka (My Way Studio), had been among 14 films selected to receive production funding from the prestigious Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. Additionally, two Polish projects were among nine chosen for the international talent development programme CPH:LAB: Anthrome (a Polish-German co-production) by Sylvia Rybak, Marco Winter, and Urszula Przybylska, and Choices∞ (Poland), a project by Mathius Scibor (Au Matt) and Pepe Le Puke.
Autumn also saw two other delegations under the Polish Docs Pro banner. In Leipzig, Polish producers Paweł Ziemilski / MX35, Alicja Gancarz / Autograf + MX35 + Match & Spark, Iwona Harris, Magda Nabiałczyk / Lollipop Films, Dorota Schleiss / ASF Studio, and Magda Sztorc, Martyna Wróbel and Anna Biernacik / Mozaika Films participated in Delegation Mix & Mingle meetings during DOK Industry. Furthermore, the projects Her Name is Fields and The Chef Suffragette by Magdalena Szymków, produced by Raban (Poland) and Kerekesfilm (Slovakia), were invited to co-production meetings at the DOK Co-Pro Market. The DOK Market also featured 10 Polish documentary films in the Polish Docs + Krakow Film Foundation section.
The year drew to a close with the presence of a Polish Docs Pro delegation at IDFA in Amsterdam, where Polish producers showcased their projects within IDFA Industry and met with international partners. One of the pivotal events of the Polish presence at IDFA was the Polish Docs Pro Showcase – a presentation of projects in production phase. The films presented included: Birth Certificate by Wiktoria Szymańska Davis (produced by Monika Braid / Braidmade Films); I Am One of Them by Nadim Suleiman (produced by Nadim Suleiman / Palmyra Films and Katarzyna Kuczyńska / Haka Films); The Pillar by Marcin Koszałka (produced by Piotr Kobus / Mañana); Goodbye Dolls by Magda Wichrowska (produced by Karolina Śmigiel / Uni-Solo Studio); and Ruinsurrection by Łukasz Czajka (produced by Anna Gawlita and Marta Szymanowska / Kijora Film). Several titles were also featured in the Docs for Sale film market.