Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s original cinema is admired and appreciated around the world for its uniqueness, but above all for tackling unusual subjects in a very human way. She has established herself as one of the most original directors, with each project pushing more and more the boundaries of the courage to tell stories about humanity. During the 18th Mastercard OFF CAMERA, she will preside over the deliberations of the international Jury of the Main Competition “Making Way” for the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska has won numerous film awards, including the Golden Lions for Silent Twins, the award for best directorial debut or second film at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia for The Fugue and The Lure for which she also received an “Eagle.” Two of her films, The Fugue and Silent Twins were screened at the Cannes Film Festival. She also won the Global Filmmaking Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The world of cinema consumed her in high school, and it was then that she knew she wanted to pass for directing. She studied art history and cultural studies before entering film school at the film directing department of Silesian University in Katowice.
After graduating from Katowice, she decided to study at the Wajda School, where she made the 30-minute film Aria Diva inspired by Olga Tokarczuk’s short story Ariadna na Naxos. During this project she collaborated with Robert Bolesto, the author of the screenplay for the later The Lure a film that will cement Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s position among the most promising directors of her generation. She recently made her debut on the stage of the National Opera, directing Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, boldly taking the 14th-century world into the future, into a post-apocalyptic world affected by climate catastrophe.
SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE LURE WITH THE FILMMAKERS
The audience of the 18th Mastercard OFF CAMERA will have the opportunity to see The Lure on the big screen again during a special screening with Agnieszka Smoczyńska and the creators of the movie invited. The meeting on May 2, 2025 at the Małopolski Ogród Sztuki at 7 pm will be hosted by Anna Tatarska.
TICKET SALES HAVE STARTED – WE KNOW THE SCHEDULE OF SCREENINGS
On Friday, April 11, 2025, ticket sales for individual screenings began, which also means that the screening schedule has been published. Nearly 100 films, almost 200 screenings, special screenings, as well as meetings open to the public in as many as four open-air cinemas (in the Film Village by the Galeria Krakowska, at Szczepanski Square, at Podgórski Square and in the Botanical Garden of Jagiellonian University). The program also includes, as always, a Q&A with special guests, stars, and talents.
The Mastercard OFF CAMERA 2025 Festival starts as early as April 25, 2025 and will last until May 4. On May 3, Saturday, the Closing Ceremony will be held at the Juliusz Słowacki Theater, during which we will announce the winners in all competitions, with a prize pool of more than PLN 300,000.
More informations on offcamera.pl/en/.