KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival returns to serve you an annual dose of Poland’s diverse film culture.

Organised by the Polish Cultural Institute and supported by the Polish Film Institute, the KINOTEKA Polish Film Festival will return to cinema screens for its 21st edition from 9 March to 27 April 2023, presenting an exciting line-up that spans over 60 years of Polish cinema. Showcasing a finely curated selection of extraordinary new features, many of them premieres for the UK, the festival simultaneously explores the depth of Polish cinema’s past with exceptionally presented screenings of classic films from some of the country’s most renowned filmmakers, including Jerzy Skolimowski who will be in attendance for a season dedicated to his filmography at BFI Southbank. Skolimowski’s latest sensation EO (2022) has been nominated for Best International Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards, and this season encompasses the career of a Polish master who is still at the top of his game after over 60 years behind the camera. With its diverse programme of compelling and challenging cinema, Kinoteka continues to explore the innovative filmic output Poland has to offer through screening events, special presentations, guest-led intros, Q&As, workshops and more.

Kicking of this year’s festival, the Opening Night Gala screening of Bread and Salt at the ICA. A brilliant debut from Damian Kocur, the film is inspired by real events and cast with non-professional actors and is a raw and fluid exploration of what it means to be young in small town contemporary Europe. It will be followed by a Q&A with the two lead actors and real-life brothers, Tymoteusz and Jacek Bies.

Our New Polish Cinema strand will this year take place at The Prince Charles Cinema, ICA and Riverside Studios. The six films in this strand, which include the Open Gala screening, include several dramas exploring relationship dynamics and very emotive and hard-hitting explorations of issues such as Alzheimer’s, the perception of older women or the disappearance of a loved one.

The programme continues with our long-standing partner the BFI, with whom we will host an exciting retrospective of the works of Jerzy Skolimowski. The line-up of 15 films will include works from across his directing career. The retrospective will offer the chance to get better acquainted with the output of a phenomenal director whose latest production, EO, has attracted widespread critical acclaim and made headlines in both the UK and US.

As part of our commitment to interactive events that push the boundaries of film, this year we also present the XRossspace Showcase, a new section of the programme focused on the most innovative, immersive XR works from Poland.

Our Closing Night Gala will bring this year’s festival to a close with a screening of Top Dog. A classic at the forefront of the emerging Cinema of Moral Anxiety, it focuses on an intentionally evil entertainer with an overt lack of morals. The film will be followed by a Closing Gala Party based on the film.

As we continue to put the pandemic years behind us, we encourage you all to take a journey into Polish cinema in 2023 and start or continue your journey here with us at Kinoteka.