The Polish Feature Film Competition, which is a yearly delight for all viewers of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA Independent Cinema Festival, shows the best of Polish cinema of the last 12 months. The most intriguing proposals from the domestic film industry, selectively chosen to be presented to the Mastercard OFF CAMERA audience! This competition offers both comedic and dramatic films, these are works by young directors starting out, but also movies by filmmakers who are already well established in the film industry.
The Mastercard OFF CAMERA Polish Feature Film Competition presents what is most interesting, original and, at the same time, universal in the domestic cinema of the last year. In each edition of the largest festival of independent cinema in this part of Europe, ten feature films compete for the Main Prize of PLN 100,000. It will be awarded by an international jury. Last year’s edition was won by the amazing film Imago, and the trophy was accepted by Lena Gora playing the main role.
What distinguishes this section is the additional individual contests that coincide with the competition for the most important statuette. The award for Best Actress of the Polish Feature Film Competition in the previous edition was jointly awarded to the leading actresses of the film Anxiety – Magdalena Cielecka and Marta Nieradkiewicz. Another of the laurels is the Best Actor Award of the Polish Feature Film Competition,which was given a year ago to Jakub Zajac for his role in Horror Story. Meanwhile, the Mastercard Rising Star award for Best Debut in a Feature Film went to Magdalena Dwurzyńska, for her role in The Clowns. This year’s acting nominations will be announced on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Films from the Polish Feature Film Competition also compete for the Audience Award.. The winner of the 17th Mastercard OFF CAMERA was the film Anxiety, directed by Slawomir Fabicki.
Below is the list of all nominees in the Polish Feature Film Competition in the 18th edition of Mastercard OFF CAMERA.
Where Do We Begin, dir. Monika Majorek
After a long absence and the unexpected death of her father, Ola, the eldest of her three siblings, decides to return to her hometown. Although at first glance everything looks familiar, there have been quite a few changes in the lives of her loved ones. Mom has a new partner, dad’s favorite car is missing from the garage, and the family house is about to be sold. The protagonist’s relations with her brother, sister and mother are far from ideal. Ola is aware that this is the last moment to come to terms with the past and start living again. To help her do this, she finds family videotapes full of warm memories among her packed belongings. Together with her siblings Pipek and Ajka, Ola also decides to play back photos from her carefree childhood. This family ritual makes it clear to the heroine that each of her loved ones is experiencing mourning in their very own way. Monika Majorek’s debut film, based on her screenplay, is a moving story about the power of memories, confronting trauma and trying to rebuild family relationships. Where Do We Begin impresses with its sincerity, authenticity, and superb acting performances, with Maja Pankiewicz playing the role of Ola.
Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold, dir. Xawery Żuławski
The story of Jerzy and Helena Kulej – the most colorful Polish marriage of the 1960s. He – a legendary boxer, double European champion, who was the only Polish boxer to win two Olympic golds, and although he never lay on the boards, he fell more than once in his life. She – a strong woman who invariably stood by his side but refused to forever remain in his shadow. Xawery Żuławski’s film focuses on the period between 1964 and 1968, when Jerzy Kulej won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and then repeated the feat in Mexico. Kulej. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold is a multidimensional story of an athlete, his great triumphs in the ring, but also a tale of human frailty. The turbulent fate of the marriage of Helena and Jerzy shows how great love was put to the test due to the boxer’s immense popularity, which he could not quite cope with. The backdrop of the story is the colorful Warsaw of the 1960s. The main roles are played with great success by Tomasz Włosok and Michalina Olszańska, convincingly reflecting the everyday life of the main characters, full of drama, but also humor.
Wet Monday, dir. Justyna Mytnik
Somewhere on the border between childhood and adulthood, the life of fifteen-year-old Clara is flowing in a small group of friends. The future looks bright and promising before her. It only takes one moment for all these beautiful plans to be shattered. Suddenly a series of questions arise, which are not at all easy to answer. What really happened on Easter Monday a year ago? Who was the masked man who hurt Clare? How to find meaning and joy in life again after these events? In search of support and understanding, Klara turns to a new friend who is unlike any other teenager in town. The young protagonists will have to face a deeply hidden trauma, looking for hope and a new beginning. Justyna Mytnik’s feature debut, in addition to the poignant story it tells, relies on two very interesting roles by young actresses Julia Polaczek and Nel Kaczmarek. Wet Monday is a story full of symbolism about the uneasy entry into adulthood, “sisterhood” and solidarity in the shadow of trauma, presented from a female perspective. An interesting new voice in Polish cinema.
Travel Essentials, dir. Kamila Tarabura
A mysterious package arrives in the hands of Ada (Dagmara Domińczyk), an established journalist living in Hamburg. It is a book with the memoirs of a woman who was molested as a child by her father, written down under a pseudonym. The journalist decides to meet the author, who turns out to be her former schoolmate Roksana (Katarzyna Warnke). Together they embark on a journey to the town where they grew up to confront Roksana’s mother (Malgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik), a silent witness to her childhood hell. On the spot, it turns out that the woman firmly guards the family secrets. Ada decides to describe the story in a piece of reporting, although for her the journey has another dimension. She herself must settle with the demons of the past. They are the ones that prevent her from moving forward in her relationship with her partner, with whom she is advanced in her pregnancy. Emotions between the heroines thicken, and Ada finds it increasingly difficult to keep her distance and judge what is a lie and what is the truth. The basis of the screenplay for Kamila Tarabura’s feature debut was the famous piece of reporting by Katarzyna Surmiak-Domańska – Mokradełko. Travel Essentials, with superbly written female characters, is a nuanced story about the experience of violence, its social reception, and an attempt to confront the past.
Seasons, dir. Michał Grzybowski
Marcin (Lukasz Simlat) is an egocentric actor who must face the unexpected breakup of a long-standing relationship. What’s more, his private life corresponds in a curious way with the fate of the characters he plays on stage. The successive stages of the marital crisis follow like seasons in a theater, where, incidentally, the film is set. We observe the explosive relationship between Marcin and his wife Ola (Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza) during three different performances: Peter Pan, A Doll’s House, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.. The situation becomes even more complicated when the protagonist drags the entire theater company into his personal problems, led by the director, whose role is played by the director of Warsaw’s Polish Theater and superb actor Andrzej Seweryn. Michał Grzybowski’s film was one of the discoveries of the last festival in Gdynia. It is brilliantly written, cleverly directed, and very funny. In this human comedy, where reality mixes with fiction, and private life with professional life, difficult emotions are accompanied by surprising, lyrical humor. The acting shows off, not only in the foreground, but also in the background.
Simona Kossak, dir. Adrian Panek
Simona Kossak, daughter of painter Jerzy Kossak and granddaughter of Wojciech, deprived of the talent that has defined her family for generations, grows up without experiencing the warmth of a domineering mother. When, after college, she drops everything – home, tradition, social conventions – and takes a job as a scientist in Białowieża, she begins life on her own terms. She settles in the middle of the forest, in a house without electricity or running water, surrounded by wildlife. There, in the magical wilderness, she meets photographer Lech Wilczek, with whom she shares passions – love of nature and… the need for freedom. Their unusual relationship escapes all schemes. However, Simona’s ideas about the work of a naturalist and the position of a young woman in a world dominated by men are painfully verified. She must stand up not only for her ideals, but also for the world of plants and animals. Adrian Panek’s film is, on the one hand, a biographical story about the title character, and on the other, a pro-environmental story, reminding us that environmental degradation is one of the pressing contemporary problems. A great strength of the film is the excellent performance of one of the most interesting Polish actresses Sandra Drzymalska, who did not only play but became Simona Kossak herself for the movie.
Crossroads, dir. Dominika Montean-Pańków
The settled life of Tadeusz, a retired hospital chief, changes in the blink of an eye when a dramatic traffic accident occurs. Instead of a peaceful and well-planned retirement he faces a situation that overwhelms both him and those closest to him. A shadow falls over his marriage, his relationship with his son and the upcoming wedding of his beloved granddaughter. In addition, a woman will appear in Tadeusz’s life, under whose influence he will begin to make surprising decisions. Day by day the atmosphere thickens, emotions take over, and the future is no longer as certain as it seemed. The feature debut of acclaimed documentary filmmaker Dominika Montean-Pańków is based on unsaid details. An accident involving the protagonist, which is the plot’s knot, is for the director a pretext for pondering on morality, ethics, and the choices we make, which recalls Krzysztof Kieślowski’s cinema. The character of Tadeusz is played by Jan Englert, for whom this is his first major film role in thirty years. The prominent Polish actor argues that Crossroads is one of the highlights of his film resume.
Światłoczuła, dir. Tadeusz Śliwa
Agata works with adolescents in an educational center, dives breathlessly, loves life and gets the most out of it. She has been blind since childhood. Robert is a rising star in photography. Although it might seem that he has everything – career, popularity, recognition, he feels as if he has nothing. The fates of the two protagonists intertwine during a photo shoot. This meeting begins an inspiring journey to find acceptance and the courage to be themselves. Agata shows Robert how to perceive the world fully, using all her senses. He, in turn, teaches her to be open to what is new and unknown. Together they face their own limitations, the past and fight for what is most important in life – love. Tadeusz Śliwa’s film has two dimensions. It is a sensual story of infatuation between two young people, which turns into a serious feeling. And all this is interpreted by Matylda Gieżgno, making her debut in the main role, and Ignacy Liss, known from i.e. Forgotten Love. Światłoczuła also touches on an important social topic, depicting the fact that when dealing with blind or visually impaired people, we feel uncomfortable and unable to talk about it. There is a good chance that Śliwa’s film will break these patterns and do a lot of good in this matter.
Loss of Balance, dir. Korek Bojanowski
Even though Maja (Nel Kaczmarek) has devoted her entire life to acting, she does not believe in herself and the opportunities she has. She is convinced that she will be in that group of students who will not find a job in the profession after theater school. Anyway, the heroine has a substitute for this, making extra money after hours as a bartender. The consequence of the black thoughts is a plan to apply for a much “safer” studies – marketing and management, after finishing acting. Everything changes when a new director (Tomasz Schuchardt) stands in her way. The charismatic man is to lead a group of students to graduation. By offering Maja the lead role – Lady Macbeth, he restores not only her love for acting, but also her faith in her talent. However, it soon becomes apparent that nothing is as simple as it might seem. Maja is increasingly torn between preparing an important role for herself and trying to expose the true nature of a controversial director. The first film in Korek Bojanowski’s career tackles an issue that has long been taboo. We are talking about psychological violence and bullying of young actors in theater and film schools. Importantly, he does so in a strong and uncompromising, but at the same time responsible manner.
Życie dla początkujących, dir. Paweł Podolski
The introvert – Monia (Magdalena Maścianica) is a vampire. Her employment in a retirement home allows her to feed on blood collected in sanitary conditions and limits interpersonal contacts to conversations with dementia-stricken seniors. She feels safe and could probably continue to function like this for a long time if a certain mortal – Czarek (Michal Sikorski) – hadn’t stood in her way. The boy is the first person to discover Monia’s secret. At the same time, disturbing things begin to happen at the center. Bite marks are found on the bodies of dead patients. It turns out that a second vampire is prowling the senior citizen’s home. He turns out to be Mirek (Bartlomiej Kotschedoff), a would-be suicide transformed by Monia. For him, eternal life means a real torment, especially since only the person who created him can kill him. Mirek gives Monia an ultimatum – either she will kill him, or he will crack down on every senior citizen in the center. But maybe he will change his mind when he finds out how beautiful the night life can be? Paweł Podolski’s feature debut sheds new light on Polish vampire cinema. An original sense of humor combined with a reflection on the fragility of life and disagreement with the passing of time creates a real explosive mix.
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