14th Edition of the Hommage à Kieślowski Festival – “Ends and Beginnings”

On the last weekend of summer, August 29–31, 2025, the 14th edition of the Hommage à Kieślowski Festival will take place – a unique film event that has for years attracted lovers of artistic and reflective cinema to Sokołowsko. Inspired by the work of Krzysztof Kieślowski, the festival returns with a program that blends classics with new releases, masters with debutants, and above all – film art with vital questions about the human condition in today’s world.

This year’s theme – Ends and Beginnings – serves as a starting point for conversations about the cyclical nature of human experience, the need for transformation, and the desire for a new start. The inspiration comes from both the philosophy of Giambattista Vico and the emotional world of change present in Kieślowski’s films. A symbol of this idea will be Three Colours: Blue featuring a remarkable performance by Juliette Binoche – a film that will be explored in depth during a special screening attended by Sławomir Idziak (cinematography), Krzysztof Wierzbicki (K.K. biographer), and Jacek Ostaszewski (supporting role).

In this spirit, the festival program presents cinema as a form of film therapy – a space for processing emotions, personal stories, and social tensions. The organizers are preparing a wide-ranging film selection, which will include world cinema classics, the latest auteur films, and undiscovered gems from the past.

Among the main sections will be a retrospective of Czech director Drahomíra Vihanová – a pioneer of women’s cinema in Central Europe, known for her bold, socially engaged films addressing themes of alienation, loneliness, and systemic indifference. Featured titles will include A Squandered Sunday (1969), Fugue on the Black Keys (1964) and Questions for Two Women (1985), offering Polish audiences a closer look at this still underrecognized artist.

The program will also feature screenings of the latest Polish films, with the participation of their creators. Titles include Loss of Balance (Utrata równowagi, dir. Korek Bojanowski), Wet Monday (Lany poniedziałek, dir. Justyna Mytnik), It’s Not My Film (To nie mój film, dir. Maria Zbąska), There Will Be No Other End (Innego końca nie będzie, dir. Monika Majorek), and the outstanding Minghun starring Marcin Dorociński, presented by Jan P. Matuszyński and Grzegorz Łoszewski.

After a very well-received debut in 2024, the Short Film Competition (KKFF) returns – a platform for young, aspiring filmmakers who want to share their unique visions. Awards – including the Grand Prix and the Audience Award – will be granted by a jury of renowned film professionals. It’s a perfect opportunity to discover new talent and fresh voices in Polish cinema.

A new addition this year is a section showcasing selected films from the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Festival – an event we have long valued for its consistency in combining the art of documentary with active social and intellectual dialogue. The screenings in Sokołowsko will serve as a bridge between two festivals that – though different in format – grow from the same root: a belief in the power of cinema as a tool for change, reflection, and fostering human sensitivity. The program includes the moving Letters from Wolf Street as well as Riefenstahl, a cinematic journey into the dark past of the arts. The section is completed by Passenger Andrzej Munk, a portrait of a remarkable director and the nostalgic Trains, which delicately pictures vanishing world of railways.

The Hommage à Kieślowski Festival is not only about film screenings, but also about meetings with directors, actors, screenwriters, critics, and the audience – which, as every year, becomes a full participant in the event. It is a living dialogue about cinema, humanity, and the world, in the spirit of attentiveness that so deeply permeated the work of the festival’s patron.