Best Polish (Shorts)

Moje stare (My Old Gals)
Zofia and Ania are two spirited older women, over their follies of youth. They hadn’t seen each other for half a century – each went her way. Once they meet again, they embark – just like “Thelma & Luise” – on a journey together, to win their life back and pursue their dreams.   

directed: Natasza Parzymies, written: Natasza Parzymies, Alicja Sokół, cast: Dorota Pomykała, Dorota Stalińska, Marta Masza Wągrocka, Barbara Jonak, Bartłomiej Nowosielski, music: Ralph Kaminski, cinematography: Ignacy Kiełczewski, production: Poland 2023, running time: 25 minutes, category: feature film, English subtitles

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Śmierć frajera (Sucker’s Death)
A member of a nationalist organisation lives in a quiet town with his lone mother. His life is all about hitting the gym and working in a local store. Other members of the group make fun of him because of his homosexual brother, who escaped to Warsaw. One unfortunate day he’s blackmailed into planting explosives on the route of the Warsaw pride parade.  

directed: Krzysztof Grudziński, written: Elżbieta Chowaniec, Krzysztof Grudziński, cast: Julian Świeżewski, Grzegorz Palkowski, Paweł Tomaszewski, Jowita Budnik, Maciej Nawrocki, music: Agim Dżeljilji, Kamil Łazikowski, cinematography: Filip Załuska, production: Poland 2024, running time: 20 minutes, category: feature film, English subtitles

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Tam, gdzie płaczą ptaki (Where the Birds Cry)
Szymon lives in a small seaside town. It’s summer and he’s in the middle of a difficult time of adolescence. His holiday consists of armchair travels, walking on the beach and meeting his pals. One day, this monotony gets disturbed by an unexpected visit from a childhood friend, Filip. After that, the urge to explore his sexuality arises inside Szymon. A simple meeting on the cliff leads to his first summer love affair.

directed & written: Jakub Andrzej Wenda, cast: Borys Otawa, Jakub Gąsior, music: Filip Falkowski, cinematography: Szymon Jarząbek, production: Poland 2023, running time: 16 minutes, category: feature film, English subtitles

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Transgresja (Transgression)
Dawid, a drug dealer, spends an intimate evening with one of his clients. As the night hours pass, Dawid’s growing affection for Nadia is met with a sudden realization: Nadia is a transgender woman. This revelation hits him, causing an inner conflict between his feelings and beliefs and sets him off on a journey towards self-discovery and acceptance.

directed & written: Diana Szczotka, cast: Daniel Namiotko, Ewa Werda, cinematography: Janusz Szymański, production: Poland 2023, running time: 25 minutes, category: feature film, English subtitles

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Warszawa, Holandia (Warsaw, Netherlands)
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Bałuty district in Łódź, a young man gets lost in the grind of part-time jobs and masks his true self. Harsh words and rough streets fill his days until one person makes him realize, there’s something more. Together they roam the city on a scooter, sharing meals and moments before it’s time to say goodbye…

directed: Ming-Wei Chiang, written: Ming-Wei Chiang, Dominika Adamowicz, cast: Jakub Jakubik, Marcin Kluczykowski, cinematography: Oskar Jan Król, production: Poland 2023, running time: 18 minutes, category: feature film, English subtitles

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