POLISH SHORT FILMS AT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS – A REVIEW OF 2025
The year 2025 was an exceptionally intense and fruitful period for Polish live-action short filmmaking. Productions from Poland were presented at international festivals in Canada, the United States, Chile, France, Armenia, Brazil, and South Korea, amongst others, confirming the robust and stable position of Polish filmmakers on the global short film circuit.
Over the past 12 months, both established directors and emerging talents attracted attention through a variety of forms, narrative boldness, and themes touching on contemporary anxieties, relationships, and extreme experiences. In total, Polish short fiction films were presented at more than 237 festival screenings in 2025, with 72 resulting in awards or special mentions*.
One of the most widely screened titles was People & Things (dir. Damian Kosowski), presented at 15 festivals. The film follows Olena, who, together with her daughter and new partner, confronts the tragic truth about her husband who disappeared during the war. This intimate meditation on grief and the choice between past and present – set against the brutality of war – resonated strongly with international juries and garnered multiple awards.
Fourteen festival screenings were slotted to Stimulants & Empathogens (dir. Mateusz Pacewicz), a densely psychological drama exploring unrequited love, class tensions, and toxic dependency. Under the guise of a drug deal, a young man invites the object of his affection to his family villa, unaware that he himself has become part of a suspicious game run by dealers. The film skilfully combines a romantic theme with thriller-like uncertainty. Equally prominent on the international circuit – with 12 festival appearances and numerous awards – was Nada Khalifa’s Qaher.
Justyna Nowak enjoyed a similarly strong year , whose film Nothing About You Scares Me – described as the first “post-hipster melodrama” – screened nine times internationally and collected several major awards. Marta Nowak, director of Burnout, shares both last name and festival tally with Justyna, presenting her film to international audiences on nine occasions.
A particular source of pride in 2025 was the Student Academy Award for Jan Saczek’s Dad's Not Home. Produced at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice, the film won in the Narrative category – one of the most prestigious distinctions presented by the American Academy of Film Arts and Sciences to emerging filmmakers worldwide. The award confirmed the formidable international potential of the new generation of Polish filmmakers.
Polish short fiction films in 2025 demonstrated a consistently high artistic standard, offering cinema that is bold, emotionally resonant, and formally accomplished – cinema capable of moving and unsettling, entertaining and provoking reflection, while steadily consolidating its position on the world stage. Join us as we go through each month of 2025 in the world of short fiction films – enjoy the read!
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
The opening months of the year represented a period of relative calm and preparation for the more intense festival season ahead. Fewer screenings did not, however, imply a lack of significant achievements.
The year opened with Love_proxy (dir. Marcin Niemkiewicz), presented at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival. Produced by the Gdynia Film School, the film enjoyed a notable festival run and repeatedly impressed international juries. A particularly delightful distinction came when Love_proxy received the Best Short Film Prize at the Blaue Blume Festival of Romantic Short Films, organised by Romance TV – a prestigious event devoted to the most compelling romantic works in the short-film form. The film tells the story of Gniewek, a software developer who is assigned a humanoid double at work – a technically “enhanced” version of himself. Rather than using the invention professionally, he uses it to win the affection of his beloved Lena, resulting in a wry and tender meditation on love, technology, and human longing.
Early in the year, an award also went to Marcin Kluczykowski, whose film Bittersweet was presented at the Premiers Plans Film Festival in France, where it received a Special Mention from the Jury. Meanwhile, Damian Kosowski’s People & Things – one of the most significant titles of the year – was selected for the Sundance Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film events in the world, marking a strong early assertion of Polish short fiction on the international stage.
In February, the international presence of Polish narrative shorts was somewhat more modest – particularly when contrasted with the strong showing of animation at Spain’s Animac and documentary cinema at FIPADOC – yet the month foreshadowed the steady momentum that would follow. A notable highlight was the inclusion of Jan Bujnowski’s Dancing in the Corner in the programme of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. At the same time, Polish films made their mark in India: In Heaven and on Earth directed by Yulia Yukhymets and The Mandala by Mikołaj Janik were screened, while Dominik Mirecki presented Son of Happiness at the Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival.
MARCH
With the arrival of March, the festival rhythm of Polish short fiction films gathered palpable momentum. At the Arthouse Film Festival at Queen’s University in Belfast, the Award for Best Short Fiction Film went to Justyna Nowak for Nothing About You Scares Me – an emotionally intensive work that confirmed its growing international potential. The top prize also went to Nothing Serious by Kamil Czudej at the Czech festival Mladá kamera, where Aleksandra Szczepaniak’s Attraction was likewise screened. Meanwhile, at the Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival, Here For You by Cezary Orłowski received the award for Best Cinematography, honouring the work of Mikołaj Piekarski. The film offers a visually striking portrait of a young man with Down syndrome who experiences his first love amid the sombre routine of working in a funeral home.
In March, Polish short fiction films were also presented at the following international festivals:
Comme Des Cowboys, dir. Julia Sadowska (London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival)
PLANTAGO, dir. Maryna Suslovets, Visit, dir. Paulina Zając, From You, dir. Jędrzej Gorski (Lisboeta International Short Film Festival)
People & Things, dir. Damian Kosowski (The Bratislava International Film Festival FEBIOFEST)
APRIL
April was marked by significant student awards and further international successes for Polish short fiction films. Burnout, directed by Marta Nowak, was screened at the 20minmax International Short Film Festival before travelling to the 42nd Busan International Short Film Festival in South Korea, where it received an award. The film tells the story of a young woman whose work triggers disturbing visions – a gift quickly turns into a threat, prompting the heroine to take increasingly radical steps in a desperate attempt to regain control of her life. Also screened at the same festival were Nothing Serious by Kamil Czudej and Such a Perfect Day by Piotr Pluta.
Further distinctions came at the Film O’Clock International Festival, where From You by Jędrzej Gorski received a Special Honorific Jury Mention, while Hushes and Phonics by Piotr Krzysztof Kamiński was honoured with the Jury Award. At Hollywood Shortfest in the United States, Mine by Kaja Sajdak won Best Student Short – the film is a moving story of 70-year-old Elżbieta, who sets out in search of her Ukrainian housekeeper and confronts the fate of war refugees. There were also notable triumphs in Europe: Feel No Fear With Me by Monika Klimkiewicz-Dudziec won Best Student Film at the Prague Film Festival, while the same distinction in Istanbul went to Jan Bujnowski’s Dancing in the Corner.
In April, Polish short fiction films also appeared at the following international festivals:
Love_proxy, dir. Marcin Niemkiewicz (Brussels Fantastic FF – Student Film Competition)
Here For You, dir. Cezary Orłowski (International Festival of Young Actors, Short Movie Club Film Festival "NEFILTRAVANAE KINO", Indy Film Fest)
Buddha's Ashtray, dir. Adam Unierzyski (Hastings Rocks International Film Festival)
Beyond is the Day, dir. Damian Kocur (Brussels Short Film Festival)
Nothing About You Scares Me, dir. Justyna Nowak (Porto Femme International Film Festival)
Live, dir. Mara Tamkovich (Indy Film Fest)
MAY
May was somewhat more modest in terms of the number of festival screenings, yet exceptionally rich in quality. Two works by emerging filmmakers were presented at the Short Film Festival in Venice – both receiving awards. The first was the inventive Tennis Mortis, directed by Michał Łukowicz, which won prizes for Best Male Student Director and Best Production Design. At the turn of May and June, the film also screened at the Zlín Film Festival in the Czech Republic. The story centres on Ania, grieving after the death of her husband, a devoted sports enthusiast. An unexpected, almost phantasmagorical visit from her beloved – who returns to watch the championship final – turns into a confrontation with pain, memory, and unresolved loss. Another award from the same festival went to Paulina Zając, honoured for Best Female Student Director for Visit. This film is a precisely constructed drama in which an unannounced inspection by immigration officials at the home of Liliana and Édouard – a couple suspected of a sham marriage – places their relationship under severe strain. A directing award was also presented to Elena Vatamanu-Mărgineanu for First Last Month at the Female Characters Film Festival. Towards the end of May, Nothing About You Scares Me travelled to the Zsigmond Vilmos International Film Festival in Hungary.
In May, the following films were also screened:
Plantago, dir. Maryna Suslovets (Entre Curtas Festival)
From You, dir. Jędrzej Gorski (Mammoth Lakes Film Festival)
JUNE
Although the 65th Kraków Film Festival concluded at the end of May, the jury verdicts were announced on 1 June, so the last edition is included in the June summary. It proved an exceptionally rich month for Polish short fiction – both in the number of titles presented and the prestige of the awards won. A broad representation of narrative shorts was screened in the National Competition, among them:
Nothing Else (dir. Jakub Prysak), People & Things (dir. Damian Kosowski), Motherland (dir. Gor Arushanyan), Neverlandex (dir. Agata Kapuścińska), Just (dir. Olga Kałagate), Reenactment (dir. Marcin Strauchold), Look Homeward (dir. Artem Rachkelyuk), Fear (dir. Robert Zawadzki), It's All Because of Her (dir. Daria Kopiec), and the co-production Qaher (dir. Nada Khalifa).
The most significant honours went to Artem Rachkelyuk. His film Look Homeward was recognised as the Best Short Fiction Film in the National Competition, earning him the Golden Hobby-Horse – and the Golden Dragon in the International Competition. The jury praised its subtle, precisely acted portrayal of the existential crisis faced by young Ukrainian refugees standing at a crossroads between their personal futures and responsibility for their homeland.
Damian Kosowski received a Special Mention in the National Competition for People & Things, awarded for its unconventional form and conscious departure from journalistic immediacy. The film’s festival journey did not end in Kraków – in June it also won the Distinction for Best Production Design at the Fear No Film Festival in the US and received acclaim at the International Film Festival Art Film in Slovakia.
The Wrocław Feature Film Studio Award for debut (first or second narrative film) went to Jakub Prysak for Nothing Else – a moving story stripped of easy solutions about people confronting the ultimate.
Daria Kopiec’s presence was also strongly felt. Her film It's All Because of Her was honoured for its bold and mature take on sexual desire and emotional intimacy in the process of ageing. The director was also recognised by the jury of the International Federation of Film Societies (FICC), which praised her work for expressive performances and a narrative of theatrical quality. Kopiec also appeared at the festival with the animation The Pool or Death of a Goldfish, which was also awarded – as noted in our Polish Animations roundup.
The June triumphs of Polish short fiction also had a distinctly international dimension. Trap (dir. Vitalii Havura) and Stimulants & Empathogens by Mateusz Pacewicz were shown at the River Film Festival in Italy. The latter took the Audience Award there, then went on to be honoured at the Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival in the USA, where it won the Jury Prize for Best Short and Second Audience Award. Pacewicz’s film continued its international run in Canada at the Fairy Tales Queer Art & Film Festival and in Portugal at the BEAST International Film Festival.
At the end of June, several titles also appeared at the notable In the Palace International Short Film Festival in Bulgaria. There, among the films screened, audiences could find Trap (dir. Vitalii Havura), Balloons (dir. Jakub Michnikowski), Red (dir. Sophie Horry) and The Ghost (dir. Jakub Gomółka).
In June, the following Polish short fiction films were also presented at international festivals:
Nothing About You Scares Me, dir. Justyna Nowak ("One Shot" 23rd International Short Film Festival, Armenia)
Burnout, dir. Marta Nowak; Dog Days Are Over, dir. Kinga Pudełek; The Dam, dir. Giovanni Pierangeli (FEST|New Directors, New Films Festival)
Call Me Lala, dir. Zuzanna Sorówka (Cuenca Internacional Film Festival)
JULY
July brought further successes for Polish short fiction, reaffirming its strong position on the international festival map. People & Things by Damian Kosowski did not slow down – the film was honoured with the award for best international short film at the L.A. Shorts International Film Festival, one of the most important events in the short film festival calendar. This distinction is particularly meaningful because it qualifies the film to be considered for an Academy Award nomination. In Armenia, Gor Arushanyan’s Motherland achieved double victory, receiving both the Grand Prix for Best Short and the Gennadi Melkonyan Special Award. Justyna Nowak also enjoyed success when the screenplay for Nothing About You Scares Me was recognised at the International Film Festival Inventa Un Film in Italy, which took place across July and August.
In addition, you could also watch the following Polish short films at international festivals:
Border, dir. Maria Magriel (Revelation Perth International Film Festival)
Stimulants & Empathogens, dir. Mateusz Pacewicz (Gimli International Film Festival)
Call Me Lala, dir. Zuzanna Sorówka, Entropy, dir. Anna Fam-Rieskaniemi (STOP CADRU International Film Festival)
Attraction, dir. Aleksandra Szczepaniak (ShorTS Film Festival)
Let It Burn, dir. Piotr Bakuła (Mostra Livre de Cinema, Nordisk Ungdom Filmfestival - NUFF)
Son of Happiness, dir. Dominik Mirecki (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Future Frames)
In Heaven and on Earth, dir. Yulia Yuhymec (Jeunesse Tout Courts FF 2025)
Comme Des Cowboys, dir. Julia Sadowska (14. Festival Internacional de Cinema RIO LGBTQIA+)
Love_proxy, dir. Marcin Niemkiewicz (Intergalactiques Fantastic Film Festival)
From You, dir. Jędrzej Gorski (Indy Shorts International Film Festival)
I Gaze at the Sky, dir. Alexandra Strunin (Liberty International Movie Festival)
AUGUST
August turned out to be one of the most intense and triumphant months of 2025 for Polish short fiction, yielding both prestigious awards and significant international nominations.
The world premiere of Weird to Be Human, directed by Jan Grabowski, was met with dual success at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal. The production received a Special Jury Mention, while the award for Outstanding Performance went to Agnieszka Rajda. Fantasia Festival – celebrated for championing genre cinema from science fiction to horror and fantasy – recognised Grabowski’s visionary tale set in the year 2194, where the boundaries between physical and digital reality have almost dissolved. The film, which unfolds in a facility preparing bodies for artificial intelligences seeking human form, raises probing questions about identity, corporeality, and the meaning of humanity in the future.
An equally noteworthy recognition was given to Maria Tamkovich. Her short Live won Narrative Best of Fest at the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival in Los Angeles. This international event has long championed the short form, rewarding filmmakers for narrative strength and artistic precision – and Tamkovich’s triumph underscored the high regard in which her work is held in the global circuit. Another significant award in August went to Polina Biliaieva, whose powerful short Fuck Them All took the top prize at the Kotka Human Rights Film Festival in Finland.
August also brought excellent news from the world of student awards. Dad’s Not Home, directed by Jan Saczek and produced by a student of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia in Katowice, received a nomination for a Student Academy Award. It's one of the most significant recognitions for emerging filmmakers and a major step towards an international career.
Polish short fiction was also strongly represented at the Greenpoint Film Festival in the United States. The programme featured The Power of Resistance (dir. Elżbieta Benkowska), Warsaw Story (dir. Jan Kuźnik), Call Me Lala (dir. Zuzanna Sorówka), Fiber (dir. Natalia Nylec), Freshman (dir. Michał Edelman & Tomasz Pawlik), and Border (dir. Maria Magriel). Both Warsaw Story and Border returned from the festival with distinctions, confirming the excellent form of Polish short films abroad. Meanwhile, at the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Damian Kosowski represented our country with People & Things and so did Marta Nowak with Burnout, reinforcing Poland's strong presence in the U.S. festival scene.
You could also find the following films at international festivals:
Call Me Lala, dir. Zuzanna Sorówka (Galichnik Film Festival)
Warsaw Story, dir. Jan Kuźnik (Benagluru International Short Film Festival)
Trap, dir. Vitalii Havura (Nòt Film Fest)
Neverlandex, dir. Agata Kapuścińska (La Guarimba International Film Festival)
Plantago, dir. Maryna Suslovets
Love_proxy, dir. Marcin Niemkiewicz
SEPTEMBER
September brought another clear success for Polish short cinema on the international stage. At a short-film festival in South Korea, the suspenseful Trap directed by Vitalii Havura was triumphant. The film, which in 2022 transported viewers to Kherson right under Russian occupation, won the Best Editing Award.
In Spain, at the Imagineindia International Film Festival, a total of five Polish titles were presented: Mine (dir. Kaja Sajdak), First Last Month (dir. Elena Vatamanu-Mărgineanu), From You (Jędrzej Gorski), Green Light (Weronika Jamróz), and Son of Happiness (dir. Dominik Mirecki). Two of these returned with awards in the Best Film School category – honours went to Elena Vatamanu-Mărgineanu and Weronika Jamróz for their respective works.
Another success came from the United States: I Gaze at the Sky by Alexandra Strunin won the Grand Prize in the Student Narrative Shorts Contest at The March On Film Festival. The film centres on the early days of the war in Ukraine, as a group of Ukrainian children displaced by the conflict are brought to a Russian elementary school. One of them turns out to be the long-lost nephew of a music teacher of Ukrainian descent. The resulting encounter shatters her world and becomes a catalyst for her fight to save the boy.
September was also a thrilling month for Qaher by Nada Khalifa. The film came away with a Special Jury Prize from the Adana Altın Koza Film Festival in Turkey, and at the Biencortos: International Short Film Festival in Venezuela it won Best International Short Film and Best Actor for Nabil Al Raee. Qaher was also screened at the Palestine Arts Film Festival. The film follows Jason, a Palestinian who returns to his homeland after living in Canada for many years, confronting questions of identity, belonging and the price of emigration – the trip to his home village proves a deeply painful experience, revealing the true meaning of the titular 'qaher'.
In September Polish short fiction films were also widely available at other international events. The audience and festival selectors could see:
Nothing About You Scares Me, dir. Justyna Nowak (Džada Debut Film Festival, Montenegro)
Mom Is Going Back, dir. Mikołaj Janik (Seize the Film)
All Souls' Day, dir. Aleksandra Terpińska; A Man Thing, dir. Sławomir Fabicki (Drama International Short Film Festival, Greece)
People & Things, dir. Damian Kosowski (Victory International Film Festival)
Exam, dir. Jan Naszewski (Encounters Film Festival, United Kingdom)
Warsaw Story, dir. Jan Kuźnik (Marrakech Short Film Festival)
Look Homeward, dir. Artem Rachkelyuk (i-Fest International Film Festival)
Visit, dir. Paulina Zając
Qaher, dir. Nada (Palestine Arts Film Festival)
The Dam, dir. Giovanni Pierangeli
Red, dir. Sophie Horry (26th International Festival MUSIC & CINEMA Marseille (MCM))
The Mandala, dir. Mikołaj Janik (International Student Film Festival "NEW WAVE")
OCTOBER
October was another strong month in the festival trajectory of Polish narrative short cinema. It was during that month that news broke of one of the most significant achievements for young Polish film: Dad's Not Home, directed by Jan Saczek, won the Student Academy Award in the Narrative category. Also in October, The Devil, directed by Piotr Krzysztof Kamiński, won the Warsaw edition of the 48 Hour Film Project. Produced by Studio System, this inventive short – which subverts the idea of a superhero film, revealing the unlikely titular figure to be the grandfather of two children – earned its creators the right to compete in the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival.
Another triumph went to People & Things directed by Damian Kosowski, named Bestz Short Film at the Santa Cruz International Film Festival, reaffirming its exceptional standing in the international festival circuit
Polish filmmakers enjoyed further success at The Pigeon International Film Festival in Iceland. As It Was, directed by Damian Kocur and Anastasia Solonevych, took the prize for Best Cinematography in a short film. Tennis Mortis directed by Michał Łukowicz was honoured with Best Screenplay award in a short, while The Most Interesting Man in the World (dir. Ignacy Ciunelis & Jakub Didkowski) won Best Short Comedy. The festival programme also included Bartłomiej Błaszczyński’s Take Me to Her.
Exam, directed by Jan Naszewski, also garnered international recognition, winning the title of Best International Film at the Adelaide Independent Film Festival in Australia. Meanwhile, Stimulants & Empathogens (Mateusz Pacewicz) received the Audience Award at the QUEER-Streifen-Filmfestival in Germany. Meanwhile, at the Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival, Polish cinema was represented by two titles: From You and I Gaze at the Sky, the latter earning Alexandra Strunin the Best International Short Film award. At the Fabriano Film Festival, Karolina Adamczyk won the award for Best Actress for her performance in Olympian, directed by Adrian Chmielewski.
October also brought tremendous festival success for Justyna Nowak. Her film Nothing About You Scares Me received five awards at the Film Olympiad International Film Festival in Greece: for Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Production Design, and Best Costume.
Complementing these victories were screenings of Polish short fiction in the Panorama section of the Cineast Festival in Luxembourg. The Best of Polish Shorts was a particular highlight. Curated together with the Krakow Film Foundation, this segment presented a cross-section of the most compelling Polish short films – from world classics to early works by directors now receiving universal praise at major festivals. Luxembourg audiences were able to see such canonical works as Roman Polanski’s Two Men and a Wardrobe, Magnus von Horn’s Echo and Damian Kocur’s Beyond is the Day.
Polish short films also appeared at other international events in October, including:
People & Things, dir. Damian Kosowski (Bolton International Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival)
Transgression, dir. Diana Szczotka (Cambridge Film Festival)
Fiber, dir. Natalia Nylec (Dublin International Short and Music Film Festival, Linz International Short Film Festival)
Sucker's Death, dir. Krzysztof Grudziński (Tels Quels Festival, Belgium)
Visit, dir. Paulina Zając (Imedghassen International Film Festival Algeria)
Trap, dir. Vitalii Havura (Buffalo International Film Festival, USA)
Nothing About You Scares Me, dir. Justyna Nowak (Alexandre Trauner Art / Film Festival)
Exam, dir. Jan Naszewski (Chicago International Film Festival, USA)
Burnout, dir. Marta Nowak (Izmir Internationaj Short Film Festival, International Short Film Fesitval – Film Front)
Stimulants & Empathogens, dir. Mateusz Pacewicz (Hobnobben Film Festival)
Attraction, dir. Aleksandra Szczepaniak; Haven, dir. Diana Szczotka; Love_proxy, dir. Marcin Niemkiewicz (New York New Filmmakers Film Festival)
Such a Perfect Day, dir. Piotr Pluta; Love_proxy, dir. Marcin Niemkiewicz (India Waterfront Film Festival)
Love_proxy, dir. Marcin Niemkiewicz (Cambridge Film Festival)
I Gaze at the Sky, dir. Alexandra Strunin (Sedicicorto Forlì International Film Festival)
Fuck Them All, dir. Polina Biliaieva
Haiphongpol, dir. Leon Korzyński, Neverlandex, dir. Agata Kapuścińska (International Film Festival Etiuda&Anima)
Red, dir. Sophie Horry (Female Eye Film Festival)
The Reporter, dir. Jan Górecki; Qaher, dir. Nada Khalifa (Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival)
NOVEMBER
November confirmed the strong and consistent presence of Polish short films in the international festival circuit. Both fiction and documentary films continued to attract the attention of programmers and juries, standing out for their formal maturity, precision of execution and insightful engagement with social and identity-related issues.
Once again, People & Things, directed by Damian Kosowski enjoyed a successful month, winning the title of Best Short Film at FilmFestival Cottbus and – further confirming its international reception – also at the Oslo Film Festival.
Justyna Nowak also received another reason to be proud of herself: her Nothing About You Scares Me was honoured with the prestigious The Tarkovski Grant at The Lee Strasberg Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Tennis Mortis, directed by Michał Łukowicz, also gathered audience acclaim. At the NYC Short Comedy Film Festival, the film’s lead performer received the Best Dramedy Actress award – a testament to the strength of the acting in this subversive story balancing between humour and melancholy. At the same New York festival, Vitalii Havura’s Trap earned the Best Student Film Award.
Wiktoria Gorodeckaja was also widely recognised for her acting achievements. For her role in I Gaze at the Sky, she received Best Performance at the Women and the World Film Festival, followed by a Best Actress award at the Montecatini International Short Film Festival. Meanwhile, Nada Khalifa was presented with a Special Mention at the CONTACT International Student Film Festival in Turkey.
Other Polish productions enjoyed notable success. At the Balkan festival Seize the Film, Mom Is Going Back (dir. Mikołaj Janik) won the Grand Prix. At the same time, Piotr Bakuła's Let It Burn was named Best International Short Movie at the Uno Sguardo Raro – Rare Disease International Film Festival. The film tells the story of Nadia, a young woman with cerebral palsy, and her determined mother Iwona. When Iwona loses consciousness during a wedding reception, the partially paralysed Nadia must overcome her own limits, call for help and care for someone else for the first time in her life.
However, the most remarkable streak in November belonged to Mateusz Pacewicz. Stimulants & Empathogens won the Audience Award at the Madrid International LGBTIAQ+ Film Festival, before dominating the Los Angeles Queer Film Festival with four prizes – including Best Cinematography Award, Best Screenplay Award, Best Short Award, and Best Audience Choice. The sequence of successes concluded with recognition as Best LGBTQI+ Short at the Dublin International Comedy Festival in Ireland.
Polish short fiction was also widely represented at the European Film Festival Scanorama, where the programme included People & Things, Stimulants & Empathogens, Balloons and Entropy (dir. Anna Fam-Rieskaniemi). In turn, the internationally renowned Energa CAMERIMAGE festival held in Poland saw such Polish works as Haiphongpol, Neverlandex, and Service.
Polish short films also had screenings at other international events in November, including:
My Secret Cyberlove, dir. Bartosz Stankiewicz (BOO International Film Festival, Interfilm Berlin Int’l Short Film Festival)
Trap, dir. Vitalii Havura (Ukraina! Film Festival, Reggio Film Festival)
Exam, dir. Jan Naszewski (Liege Comedy Festival)
Bittersweet, dir. Marcin Kluczykowski (Mezipatra Queer Film Festival)
Reborn, dir. Paulina Sikora (Cinemistica Film Festival)
Live, dir. Mara Tamkovich (Aaretaler Kurzfilmtage, Switzerland)
Mom Is Going Back, dir. Mikołaj Janik (Seize the Film)
Burnout, dir. Marta Nowak (International Film School Festival, Morocco, Filmfestival Kietzbühel, Izmir International Short Film Festival)
Qaher, dir. Nada Khalifa (Olhares o Mediterrâneo Women's Film Festival, HAYAH Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes)
Ends and Beginnings, dir. Klaudia Fortuniak (Early Bird International Student Film Festival)
Neverlandex, dir. Agata Kapuścińska (Beirut Short Film Festival)
Let It Burn, dir. Piotr Bakuła (Africa International Film Festival)
I Gaze at the Sky, dir. Alexandra Strunin (Liberty International Movie Festival)
My Secret Cyberlove, dir. Bartosz Stankiewicz; Dancing in the Corner, dir. Jan Bujnowski (BOO International Film Festival)
My Secret Cyberlove, dir. Bartosz Stankiewicz (Interfilm Berlin Int’l Short Film Festival)
Reborn, dir. Paulina Sikora (Cinemistica Film Festival)
Black Shawl, Kamila Boichenko (26th Queer Film Festival Mezipatra)
Penguin Habits, dir. Jakub Poterała (Beijing International Short Film Festival)
Visit, dir. Paulina Zając (Bayelsa International Film Festival, Mostra de Cinema das Missões)
My Old Gals, dir. Natasza Parzymies; Rest of Our Lives, dir. Filip Tomczak (33rd MixBrasil Festival)
Can You See?, dir. Cezary Orłowski; Here For You, dir. Cezary Orłowski (Treviso Audiovisual Festival, Amarcort Film Festival)
Nothing Serious, dir. Kamil Czudej; Such a Perfect Day, dir. Piotr Pluta (Amarcort Film Festival)
Comme Des Cowboys, dir. Julia Sadowska (Festival of Future Storytellers)
Fuck Them All, dir. Polina Biliaieva (16 Days 16 Films)
DECEMBER
December kept us following the remarkable Oscar journey of Jan Saczek. His short film Dad’s Not Home, produced at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice, was included on the prestigious shortlist for the 98th Academy Awards in the category of Best Live Action Short Film. It's a significant milestone in the film’s international career and a clear affirmation of its strong standing in the global festival circuit.
At the Poitiers Film Festival in France, Artem Rachkelyuk received the award for Best Screenplay for his film Look Homeward – a moving story about Vlad, who, living in Poland with his younger sister, learns that their father has been called up to fight in Ukraine. This news throws him out of his seeming balance and summons the fears and memories he has tried to escape.
Another distinction went to Qaher (dir. Nada Khalifa), which won the Grand Prix at the International Short Film Festival of Aix-en-Provence.
The year naturally wound down after an exceptionally intense autumn festival season, but this did not mean that Polish short fiction disappeared from the international festival map. In December, international audiences could see, among others:
People & Things, dir. Damian Kosowski (Aguilar Film Festival)
Mom Is Going Back, dir. Mikołaj Janik (Art Without Limit International Film Festival)
Burnout, dir. Marta Nowak (Macau International Short Film Festival)
Sucker's Death, dir. Krzysztof Grudziński (Dorico International Film Festival)
Live, dir. Mara Tamkovich (KIN International Film Festival)
Warsaw Story, dir. Jan Kuźnik (The Global Youth Film Festival)
Hushes and Phonics, dir. Piotr Krzysztof Kamiński (Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People)
Let It Burn, dir. Piotr Bakuła (Art Without Limit International Film Festival)
First Last Month, dir. Elena Vatamanu-Margineanu (CineMAiubit International Student Film Festival)
Qaher, dir. Nada Khalifa (Carthage Film Festival - Cine-Promesse)
Feel No Fear With Me, dir. Monika Klimkiewicz-Dudziec (Lonely Wolf International Film Festival)
My Secret Cyberlove, dir. Bartosz Stankiewicz (Rome Independent Film Festival)
Thus, December brought the year to a somewhat quieter close, yet with a clear signal that Polish short films remain visible on the international festival map – even as the pace of the global circuit begins to slow.
The year 2025 reaffirmed the exceptionally strong and stable position of Polish short fiction within the international festival circuit. Short narrative films were regularly showcased at the most important and prestigious film events in the world – from Sundance and the Fantasia Festival, through DOK Leipzig, the Krakow Film Festival and numerous European showcases, to events across the Americas, Asia, and Australia. This presence was not incidental but systematic and sustained.
Polish productions did more than just secure spots in competitions and special programmes; they consistently won awards, distinctions, and audience prizes, including accolades that qualify for the Academy Awards and other esteemed industry honours. Works by both debuting filmmakers and already recognised voices impressed with narrative maturity, formal boldness, and a sensitivity to contemporary concerns – from the experience of war and migration, through intimate interpersonal drama, to genre cinema, and subversive comedy.
Short films from Poland have time and again demonstrated that they are a fully-fledged, artistically ambitious and internationally competitive segment of world cinema – one able to move audiences, provoke thoughts, engage emotionally, and dazzle visually. The sheer scale of festival presence and the number of awards clearly show that Polish short fiction maintains a high artistic standard and remains among the most recognisable and respected voices in international short filmmaking.
* Data compiled by Polish Shorts based on information obtained from producers, filmmakers, and festivals.