Film Countries Archives: Poland

< Back to main Festival page

An idilic scene of a forest and a lake. A family lounges on the shore nearby, while some swim.

The Zone of Interest

  Jonathan Glazer

  United Kingdom, Poland, United States     105 minutes

Synopsis

The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house next to the camp. The two play host to all manner of guests, tend to a lavish garden, and take in the surrounding natural beauty, all the while the horrors of the Holocaust rage just beyond their garden wall. As the war nears its end, Hedwig refuses to abandon her “idyllic” homelife, while her husband works to further distinguish himself among the Nazi rank-and-file, both existing in a state of moral squalor and permanent denial.

Scathing, incisive, and unforgettable, The Zone of Interest is a masterpiece of the medium. Crafted with exacting precision by visionary director Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin), the film poses timely questions and uncovers uncomfortable truths about the banality of evil and humanity’s capacity for willful ignorance.

 German with subtitles 

Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

  •   James Wilson, Ewa Puszczyńska
  •   Jonathan Glazer
  •   Paul Watts
  •   Łukasz Żal
  •   Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller
  •   Mica Levi

< Back to main Festival page

In a large brick waiting room, 4 people sit across a table from two others, all dressed professionally.

Housekeeping for Beginners Domakinstvo za pocetnici

  Goran Stolevski

  North Macedonia, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo     107 minutes

Synopsis

Dita lives in a large household with her girlfriend, her girlfriend’s daughters, and a group of other queer misfits in the North Macedonian capital. When circumstances force Dita to become the caretaker of the two troublemaking daughters, the reluctant adults of the house must figure out a way to keep this unlikely family safe from a society that is not ready to accept them.

Explosive clashes between the strong-willed, the fiercely independent, and the culturally at odds form a vibrating orchestral narrative that tests the household’s alliances and bonds. Goran Stolevski (You Won’t Be Alone) returns to the Festival with a chaotic and remarkably tender portrait of a found family and the powerful ties that bind those pushed to the margins of society.

 Albanian, Macedonian, Romani with subtitles 

Screenings & Events

Film Credits

  •   Marija Dimitrova, Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Ankica Jurić Tilić, Beata Rzeźniczek, Milan Stojanović, Blerta Basholli
  •   Goran Stolevski
  •   Goran Stolevski
  •   Naum Doksevski
  •   Anamaria Marinca, Alina Serban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, Mia Mustafa, Dzada Selim, Sara Klimoska, Rozafë Çelaj, Ajse Useini
  •   Alen Sinkauz, Nenad Sinkauz
  •   List Production, Madants, Kinorama, Sense Production, Industria Film, Film i Väst, Common Ground Pictures, Causeway Films

< Back to main Festival page

A family in a car together, all eyes on a little girl in centerframe. She holds out a note.

In the Rearview Skąd dokąd

  Maciek Hamela

  Poland, France, Ukraine     84 minutes

Synopsis

In the heart of battle-ravaged Ukraine, a minivan picks up civilians, each with their own unique story, as they journey away from their homes to safer points unknown. Filmed almost entirely inside his vehicle, Polish aid worker-turned-filmmaker Maciek Hamela eschews depictions of carnage in order to capture the psychological costs and tragic consequences of the Russian invasion. Squashed in Hamela’s backseat, a family sheds tears over abandoning their cow. A young man speaks stoically about being tortured by Russian soldiers. Five-year-old Sanya has stopped speaking. As Hamela’s taxi navigates checkpoints, minefields, and Russian attacks, In the Rearview displays faces — young and old, devastated and resilient — offering a moving and sublime reflection of humanity in the midst of war.

 English, French, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian with subtitles 

Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

Sponsors

Documentary Program Sponsors

Logo: WTTW (2019)Cynthia Stone Raskin

< Back to main Festival page

A man kneels next to a little girl while a soldier holds out his hands.

Green Border Zielona Granica

  Agnieszka Holland

  Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium     152 minutes

Synopsis

Urgent, clear-eyed, and helmed with incredible conviction, Green Border finds master filmmaker Agnieszka Holland training her camera on a real-life geopolitical crisis. Set on the border of Poland and Belarus, the film offers a glimpse into the lives of refugees fleeing to the European Union and the humanitarian activists working to help them reach safety.

When a family of Syrian asylum seekers is left stranded in the forest, a group of Belarusian border guards shepherds them into Poland. When they encounter the Polish military, they’re forced back over into Belarus. Julia, a psychologist who lives alone near the border, witnesses this cyclical, inhumane back-and-forth and joins up with a group of activists working to rectify the situation.

 Arabic, English, French, Polish with subtitles 

Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

  •   Marcin Wierzchoslawski, Fred Bernstein, Agnieszka Holland
  •   Jalal Altawil, Maja Ostaszewska, Behi Djanati Atai. Mohamad Al Rashi, Dalia Naous, Tomasz Włosok
  •   Metro Films, Blick Productions, Marlene Film Production, Beluga Tree, Astute Films