Throughout the year, the Irish Film Institute share some of the best of cinema from around the world, particularly at their dedicated festival seasons. The annual Kinopolis Film Festival showcases films from the region, the best new works and some underseen classics from years gone by, and this year’s edition has a packed programme early next month, taking place from 5th-8th December 2024.
The selection at the 2024 IFI Kinopolis aims to serve as a snapshot of not just the best of new Polish cinema, but also of a society that, like that of Ireland, has become increasingly diversified and enriched by the arrival, acceptance, and integration of the richness of other cultures into their own.
Kinopolis 2024 begins with The Girl with The Needle, a Danish story told by a Polish director with Swedish roots; Minghun sees the observation of Chinese custom by Polish loved ones; and the harrowing, excellent People is, sadly, well-named in its depiction of the Ukrainian conflict that may be all too horrifyingly familiar to those fleeing other international assaults.
““We are delighted to be part of the IFI KINOPOLIS – Polish Film Festival yet again.
This year’s festival programme demonstrated so well how the Polish cinema keeps expanding outside of its native country – through international cooperation, the topics it chooses to explore and the many languages it speaks. I am especially looking forward to two movies presented this year – a tough but important portrayal of the war in Ukraine called People which is an essential viewing for us all; and a cult Polish comedy from the mid-1980s called Sexmission. Released 40 years ago, as much as it might seem dated now, this very poignant satire of the totalitarian system made us Poles laugh and gave us hope in the times of Communist hardship.”
Mr. Artur Michalski, The Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Poland in Ireland
The selection has films on the lighter side too; the heart-warming tales of a grumpy postman and a couple trying to fall in love with each other again in Sparrow and It’s Not My Film, and a classic comedy featuring a titan of Polish acting, with the late Jerzy Stuhr in Sexmission. Considered one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors and an icon of Polish cinema, Stuhr sent decades making some of Poland’s most celebrated films, including collabs with Krzysztof Kieślowski.
“It is a pleasure to present a selection of films that represents and celebrates the value of shared experience over difference, and the rewards reaped when diversities are embraced to create something new.
The IFI thanks Nikola Sękowska-Moroney, Cultural Affairs and Media Coordinator of the Embassy of Poland in Dublin, and to Agata Dzik, International Department Coordinator of the Pomeranian Film Foundation, for their invaluable assistance and support.”
Kevin Coyne, IFI Cinema Programmer
Nine feature films from Poland are set to screen at Kinopolis this year, and you can get ticket bundles for 3 films for €40.00 (IFI Member) or €45.00 (Non-Member), and 5 films for €60.00 (IFI Member) or €65.00 (Non-Member) from the IFI Box Office. These don’t apply for the Opening Gala however, which has tickets on sale now for €16, all others are €14. Tickets for all the films are available from the IFI now HERE.
You can check out the full list of films screening at IFI Kinopolis 2024 below.
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE (PIGEN MED NÅLEN) – Dir. Magnus von Horn, 5th December, 6.10pm
Following appearances at Cannes with The Here After (2015) and Sweat (2020), Swedish-Polish director Magnus von Horn found a berth in this year’s Main Competition with his third feature, this austere, gripping, superb film. Set in Denmark during the First World War, it follows the changing fortunes of Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne, excellent), a wife whose soldier husband’s uncertain fate has left her to fend for herself. Evicted from her home, she finds work in a local factory, catching the eye of its wealthy owner. An affair begins, but when Karoline falls pregnant, her weak-willed lover abandons her at his mother’s demand. A chance encounter leads to an offer of help placing the baby for adoption from Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm). Karoline’s life is further complicated by the return of her husband and the discovery of Dagmar’s true motivations. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with screenwriter Line Langebek Knudsen.
IT’S NOT MY FILM (TO NIE MÓJ FILM) – Dir. Maria Zbąska, 6th December, 6pm
The marriage of Wanda (Zofia Chabiera) and Janek (Marcin Sztabiński) has become a cycle of pointless bickering and point-scoring. Realising that it is make or break time, Janek proposes that the two take a walking trip along the Baltic Sea coastline, observing very strict rules along the way designed to either help them rediscover the spark, or to finally and permanently walk away from each other. To his surprise, Wanda accepts, and the two set off, open-minded about what the outcome will be as feelings new and old force them to evaluate their lives, together and separate. Maria Zbąska’s directorial feature debut is an extremely charming portrayal of a faltering relationship, filled with moments of humour and poignancy that will leave audiences hoping the two can work it out. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Maria Zbąska.
MINGHUN – Dir. Jan P. Matuszynski, 6th December, 8.30pm
The latest film from the director of The Last Family (2016) and Leave No Traces (2021) is a sensitive and deeply moving portrayal of the aftermath of unbearable loss. The world of widower Jurek (Marcin Dorociński, The Queen’s Gambit) revolves around teenage daughter Masia (Natalia Bui), who cherishes and observes the traditions of her late Chinese mother. When she too is taken from him, her grandfather Ben (Daxing Zhang), with whom Jurek has a strained relationship, comes from China to Poland to help lay Masia to rest. The two clash over Ben’s determination to perform a ghost marriage, a ‘minghun’, so that Masia might find balance and happiness in the afterlife. Dorociński and Zhang excel as the two lonely men, each trying in his own way to find peace, and the strength to carry on.
PEOPLE (LUDZIE) – Dirs. Maciej Ślesicki, Filip Hillesland, 7th December, 3pm
Although People is set against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, its tense and astonishingly visceral portrayal of the horrors of war could, with a change of language and little else, apply to the experiences of those in Gaza, Syria, Sudan, and elsewhere. With more countries involved in conflict than at any time since World War II, desensitisation can become common until a film such as this, in the tradition of work such as Elem Klimov’s Come And See (1989), shakes audiences out of their complacency. The film follows different women, from a blind Ukrainian girl (Afina Ostapenko) to a Russian mother discovering the reality behind the propaganda, as they try to survive. Featuring some remarkable performances (special mention to Maria Shtofa as a sister trying to protect her baby sibling) and indelible, scarring imagery, this is extremely tough but essential viewing. The screening will be introduced by actor Afina Ostapenko.
WHITE COURAGE (BIAŁA ODWAGA) – Dir. Marcin Koszalka, 7th December, 5.30pm
The new film from director Marcin Koszałka (The Red Spider, 2015) is a classic story of conflict between brothers. In its depiction of the Second World War experience of the Goral, or Highlander community native to Poland’s southern Tatra mountains, the film has been the source of some controversy at home due to its portrayal of some members of this group, considered Aryan by the Nazi invaders, as collaborators. Jędrek (Filip Pławiak), a talented and outgoing climber, hopes to marry Bronka (Sandra Drzymalska), who returns his love. However, the village elders promise her to his elder brother, the serious, almost dour Maciek, causing a rift between the two. A meeting with fellow climbing enthusiast Wolfram (Jakub Gierszał) leads Jędrek to throw his lot in with the Nazis, while Maciek organises the local resistance, each doing what they think is best to protect their community. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with lead actor Sandra Drzymalska.
SPARROW (WRÓBEL) – Dir. Tomasz Gąssowski, 7th December, 8.30pm
Remek Wróbel (Jacek Borusiński), pushing forty and single, is a man who is more than happy to stay in the rut he has created for himself. Away from his job as a postman, he is a dedicated member of a local amateur football club, and spends his evenings reading encyclopaedia entries on topics of interest or spending time with his one friend, Pedro (Piotr Rogucki), a man involved in numerous shady activities. Remek’s world is upended by the arrival of chatty, flirty, new neighbour Marzena (Julia Chętnicka) and the discovery of an ailing grandfather (Krzysztof Stroiński) in need of a new home. Although the film follows familiar beats, it does so with an understated wit; indeed, the film is frequently, slyly, laugh-out-loud funny, anchored by perfectly-pitched performances from its three central actors, who form a new family in this beguiling comedy. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with actor Julia Chetnicka.
THE DOG (DLA WASZEGO DOBRA) – Dir. Ireneusz Grzyb, 8th December, 1pm
Reminiscent of films such as Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2009), The Dog follows the descent into madness of a middle-class patriarch as he tries to protect his family from the uncertainties and violence of the outside world. When the family dog is discovered deliberately and gruesomely killed, this father (Tomasz Schuchardt) is horrified and bewildered not just by this apparently random act, but at the realisation of how fragile his family’s safety is. He installs cameras, first to view the outside of the property, but soon to surveille every room inside too, forcing his family to surrender what little privacy remains. As the situation worsens, the children fight to escape their home. Schuchardt excels in this tense, claustrophobic allegory.
SEXMISSION (SEKSMISJA) – Dir. Juliusz Machulski, 8th December, 3.10pm
In memory of the great Polish actor Jerzy Stuhr, who sadly passed away this year, we present this fortieth-anniversary screening of one of his most enduringly popular comedies and something of a Polish cultural touchstone. While elements of the film’s portrayal of the battle of the sexes are undeniably dated, its underlying satire of totalitarianism still hits its targets. In the futuristic year of 1991, Maks (Stuhr) and Albert (Olgierd Łukaszewicz) volunteer as guinea pigs for a new experiment in human-suspended animation, proposed to last for three years. Instead, the two come to in 2044, in a post-nuclear world in which men no longer exist, and are remembered only as dangerous oppressors. The antiquated duo are forced to go on the run, and, naturally, cause chaos in an ordered society that has no need for them
SIMONA KOSSAK – Dir. Adrian Panek, 8th December 5.45pm
As wilding and other methods of land conservation become increasingly common subjects of conversation, this timely biopic of Polish ecologist Simona Kossak from director Adrian Panek (Werewolf, 2018) features a fierce and committed performance from Sandra Drzymalska (Eo, 2022) in the title role. Scion of the celebrated Kossak family of painters and poets, Simona fought to forge her own path, seeking an elemental life close to nature. Employed to work in the Białowieża Forest, Simona meets photographer Lech (Jakub Gierszał), whose support she relies on as she contends with the clear disdain exhibited by her patrician mother (Agata Kulesza). She must also face the gradual realisation that her heartfelt work is being twisted to suit other agendas, and that not all in the forest is as it seems. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with lead actor Sandra Drzymalska.