The 18th edition of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema starts today and will last until May 4, 2025. Winners in the competitions will be announced at the Closing Gala on May 3 – they will be chosen by an international Jury, with members including: prominent Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska, as well as the producer of Conclave and an Oscar-nominated prominent costume designer. 200 films, 350 program highlights, 24 outdoor screenings and 400 guests.
OPENING GALA
Ahead is the Opening Gala at Kijów Cinema, hosted by Agnieszka Hyży and Maks Behr. The opening film will be Bergman Island, directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, and Mia Wasikowska, who plays in the film, will be present. She will put her handprint and receive the “Against the Current” award – for those who not only have the courage to follow their own artistic paths, but also set new trends in world cinema.
MAIN COMPETITION “MAKING WAY”
For the eighteenth time, a winner will be selected in the International Main Competition “Making Way” for the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award. The amount of the prize is as much as $25,000, and who will get it will be decided by the jury:
- Agnieszka Smoczynska – winner of 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;
- Bina Daigeler – costume designer, who has costumes for such films as: Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film The Room Next Door Todd Field’s TÁR, and Disney’s live-action film Mulan, directed by Niki Caro, for which she received her first Oscar nomination and won the CDGA award for outstanding costumes in a fantasy film;
- Oscar-nominated British actress Andrea Riseborough has delighted audiences and critics alike with roles in films such as For Leslie, Amsterdam, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and Luxor, for which she won numerous awards and nominations, including BIFA and the British Independent Film Award,
- and Alice Dawson, producer of Edward Berger’s Oscar-winning film Conclave with Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci.
This year, audiences in the Main Competition will be able to see: The Ugly Stepsister (dir. Emilie Blichfeldt), My Fathers’ Daughter (dir. Egil Pedersen), Pierce (dir. Nelicia Low), Sister Midnight (dir. Karan Kandhari), Gülizar (dir. Belkıs Bayrak), Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump (dir. Emilios Avraam), It’s not my film (dir. Maria Zbąska), Chlorophyll (dir. Ivana Gloria), The Good Sister (dir. Sarah Miro Fischer), Rabia (dir. Mareike Engelhardt).
WHAT’S BEST IN POLISH CINEMA
In this year’s Mastercard OFF CAMERA Polish Feature Film Competition, ten Polish features will compete for a prize of 100,000 PLN. Who will win it will be decided by:
- Dixie Chassay – casting director of such films as: Dune: Part Two, Poor Things, and The Favourite;
- Allison Gardner – General Director of Glasgow Film;
- and Tonia Noyabrova – Ukrainian director, screenwriter and producer.
They will select from ten Polish productions: Where Do We Begin (dir. Monika Majorek), Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold (dir. Xawery Żuławski), Wet Monday (dir. Justyna Mytnik), Travel Essentials (dir. Kamila Tarabura), Seasons (dir. Michał Grzybowski), Simona Kossak (dir. Adrian Panek), Crossroads (dir. Dominika Montean-Pańków), Światłoczuła (dir. Tadeusz Śliwa), Loss of Balance (dir. Korek Bojanowski), Życie dla początkujących (dir. Paweł Podolski)
AWARDS FOR ACTORS, ACTRESSES and RISING STARS
The Jury of the Polish Feature Film Competition will also award acting prizes.
Nominated in the Best Actress category are (award: PLN 10,000, award partner: Albert Riele/Apart.pl):
BEST ACTRESS:
- Sandra Drzymalska, Simona Kossak
- Agnieszka Dulęba – Kasza, Seasons
- Nel Kaczmarek, Wet Monday, Loss of Balance
- Michalina Olszańska, Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold
- Maja Pankiewicz, Where Do We Begin
BEST ACTOR:
- Jan Englert, The Crossroads
- Ignacy Liss, Światłoczuła
- Michał Sikorski, Życie dla początkujących
- Łukasz Simlat, Seasons
- Tomasz Włosok, Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold
MASTERCARD RISING STAR, an award of PLN 10,000 for the best acting debut in a feature film.
- Matylda Giegżno, Światłoczuła
- Magdalena Maścianica, Życie dla początkujących
- Julia Polaczek, Wet Monday
THE FEMALE VOICE OF POLISH CINEMA
The Female Voice Award for Women of Film is given to outstandingly talented women who are active in the Polish film industry on a daily basis. The award aims to support women in pursuing their artistic projects and professional plans in the heavily masculinized world of cinema. Five female filmmakers are nominated each year, and the winner is selected by the Jury of the Polish Feature Film Competition. The award was first given in 2023. The award is worth as much as PLN 50,000, and its partners are Bank BNP Paribas and Mastercard.
This year’s nominees are:
- Maria Leźnicka, producer, Seasons
- Monika Majorek, director, screenwriter – Where Do We Begin
- Dominika Montean-Pańków, director, screenwriter – The Crossroads
- Justyna Mytnik, director, screenwriter – Wet Monday
- Katarzyna Warnke, screenwriter, actress – Travel Essentials
PUBLICITY HAS THE VOICE
The directors of the films participating in the “Making Way” Main Competition and the Polish Feature Film Competition also compete for the Audience Award. Which film will be awarded depends on the most demanding jurors, which are the male and female viewers. Before the screening of the competing films, audiences receive a ballot and can drop it into a ballot box after the screening of the film.
FILM SECTIONS AND OUTDOOR CINEMA MASTERCARD OFF CAMERA 2025
In addition to the Main Competition and the Polish Feature Film Competition, viewers of the 18th Mastercard OFF CAMERA will be able to see films in the following sections:
- American Indies (partner: Galeria Krakowska),
- Boys Will be Boys (partner: SEXEDPL),
- Bests of Fests (partner: Interia),
- Love Wins (partner: Twój Styl),
- Eye For An Eye (partners: zondacrypto and Rzeczpospolita)
- and Stay Sane (partners Lipton and PANI).
Audiences at the 18th Mastercard OFF CAMERA will also be able to watch films at as many as four outdoor cinemas: at Galeria Krakowska (Partner of the outdoor cinema is Galeria Krakowska), at Szczepanski Square (Partner of the outdoor cinema is zondacrypto), at the Jagiellonian University Botanical Garden (Partner of the outdoor cinema is BNP Paribas Bank) and at Podgorski Market (Partner of the outdoor cinema is Lipton). Among the screenings is the entire Harry Potter adventure series. Free admission to all screenings.
A MEETING PLACE FOR PROFESSIONALS
It has already become a small tradition that during the film festival, which is the Mastercard OFF CAMERA Festival, those who make these films also have their holiday, – OFF CAMERA PRO INDUSTRY. For three days (April 29-May 1, 2025), Krakow will become a meeting center for an international group of producers, directors, screenwriters, experts, consultants, and other film industry professionals. During panel discussions, workshops, and common networking time, we will talk about the opportunities and pains of the industry, the current situation in the film market, look for novelties in the production and post-production of audiovisual works.
OFF TO THE MAX – STARS AT HAND
Every day from Friday, April 25 to Sunday, May 4, Marcin Radomski and Maks Behr will host OFF TO THE MAX – interviews with the stars of the Festival, which are open to the public. This year viewers will be able to listen to conversations with, among others: Julia Polaczek, Anna Maria Sieklucka, Nikodem Rozbicki, Magda Dwurzyńska, Olga Chajdas, Sebastian Dela, Martyna Byczkowska, Katarzyna Figura, Maja Pankiewicz, Erik Kulm or Mateusz Janicki. The meetings will take place in the Film Town at Galeria Krakowska.
GREAT FINALE AND UP TO 300,000 PLN
During the Closing Gala of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema on May 3, 2025 at the Juliusz Słowacki Theater in Krakow. Juliusz Słowacki in Krakow, we will recognize the winners of the Main Competition “Making Way” for the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award (award: $25,000), the Polish Feature Film Competition (award: PLN 100,000), as well as the awards for Best Actress (award: PLN 10,000, award partner: Apart. pl / Albert Riele) and Best Actor (award: PLN 10,000, award partner: zondacrypto) of the Polish Feature Film Competition, the Mastercard Rising Star Award (award: PLN 10,000, award partner: Mastercard), the Female Voice Award (award: PLN 50,000, award partners: BNP Paribas Bank and Mastercard), the Audience Award, the FIPRESCI Award, the KIPA Award (cash prize) and the #63seconds Competition, whose main organizer is the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS AND SCRIPT PRO
On April 29 at 7:00 pm in the Malopolska Garden of Art there will be a special screening of the film The Revenge (directed by Andrzej Wajda), followed by a meeting with the filmmakers Katarzyna Figura, Rafal Królikowski and Lech Dyblik. The meeting will be hosted by Krzysztof Kwiatkowski.
In turn, on May 30, the winners of the SCRIPT PRO awards will be announced. Michał Komar – screenwriter, writer, publicist and film critic, Katarzyna Klimkiewicz – director and screenwriter, Grzegorz Stępniak – essayist, playwright, Artistic Director of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema in Krakow, Michał A. Zieliński – screenwriter, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski – journalist, Zbigniew Domagalski – producer, Joanna Krauze – script consultant, Filip Marczewski – director, screenwriter will award prizes in the categories: Film and 15 Minute Film.
A special screening of The Lure will take place on May 2, along with a conversation between Anna Tatarska and Agnieszka Smoczynska – the film’s director, and this year’s chairwoman of the International Main Competition “Making Way” for the Andrzej Wajda Krakow Film Award.
SOMETHING FOR BODY AND SOUL
For discussions about the festival screenings, we invite you to Mastercard OFF SPOTS unique culinary places on the map of Krakow with original flavors, original concepts and unique atmosphere. With a ticket or accreditation for the Mastercard OFF CAMERA 2025 Festival between April 25 and May 4, 2025, you can enjoy a 15% discount at Mastercard OFF SPOTS partner points with your Mastercard.
Partners of the 18th Mastercard OFF CAMERA Festival
Title Partner: Mastercard
Strategic Partner: zondacrypto
Main Partners: Galeria Krakowska, Bank BNP Paribas, Lipton
Automotive Partner: HONGQI
Partner: Albert Riele/Apart. pl
Organizer: OFF CAMERA Foundation
Co-financing: Krakow, Polish Film Institute, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Filmoteka Narodowa Instytut Audiowizualny,
Co-financed with funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture – a state purpose fund
Supporting Partners: Lajkonik, Bytom
Media Patrons: Polsat, Interia, Wyborcza.pl, Wysokieobcasy.pl, Rzeczpospolita, rp.pl, Twój Styl, PANI, SHOW, Twójstyl.pl, Filmweb, RMF FM, RMF CLASSIC, RMF MAXX
Local Partners: Hagi, ON LEMON, Kinga Pienińska, Maniewski Davroe, Nice To Fit You, Frezja, Jagiellonian University Botanical Garden, Teatr im. J. Słowackiwgo in Kraków, The Jan Matejkow Academy of Fine Arrts in Kraków, H15 Palace Cracow, Puro, Novotel, Grarnd Ascot, Ibis Styles, Hotel Stary, Likus, Scandale Royal, Soprano Trattoria, Lastriko, Meeting Club Post Office, La grande mamma, Wedding, Ceramika Krusz
SCHEDULE ON: WWW.OFFCAMERA.PL/EN/
Spokesperson and Head of Communication Mastercard OFF CAMERA
Michal Micz Zalewski
T: 602 377 594
@: m.zalewski@offcamera.pl
photo Klaudia Kot