Cinematic Kujawy Pomorze. 15 Titles in the Main Competition of ToruńCamerimage 2026

Paweł Pawlikowski’s Motherland and Maciej Sobieszczański’s Through the Wall are among the films competing for the Golden Frog in the main competition of the 34th edition of ToruńCamerimage.

The Main Competition has been the centerpiece of the Camerimage festival since its first edition in 1993, highlighting the cinematographer’s contribution to the art of filmmaking. “Its primary aim is to showcase feature films where imagery plays a vital role in telling the story. The visual value of these films stems from the creative collaboration between director and cinematographer, as well as the unique sensitivity of the visual storyteller,” note the organizers of the Toruń festival. “This year, once again, we will present the most compelling work in world cinema, defined by the creative use of cinematography in driving the narrative.”

As every year, an international jury will select the creators of the best cinematography. In 2025, the Golden Frog went to German cinematographer Judith Kaufmann for her work on Late Shift, directed by Petra Volpe. The Silver Frog was awarded to Fabian Gamper for Staring at the Sun by Mascha Schilinski. The Bronze Frog went to Chopin, Chopin!, shot by Michał Sobociński – a Polish blockbuster created with financial support from the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund.

The 34th ToruńCamerimage International Film Festival will take place from November 7 to 14. The Self-government of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region has long been the main partner and co-host of the event. A total of 15 titles will compete in the main competition for the festival’s top prize: the Golden Frog statuette for Best Cinematography. The names of all winners will be announced during the closing ceremony at CKK Jordanki.

Films in the Main Competition of ToruńCamerimage 2026:

“BEHEMOTH!”, USA, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Damián García

DIRECTOR: Tony Gilroy

Talented cellist Alex Serian returns to his hometown of Los Angeles after spending twenty years on tour. The music that has dictated the rhythm of his life for years will now take him on a journey that changes everything forever.

“BLACK GLOBE”, Spain, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Gris Jordana

DIRECTOR: Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo

The film follows three generations of men against the backdrop of pivotal events in Spanish history, bound together by pain, desire, and love. Carlos seeks to find his place in a divided country; Sebastián forms a close bond with someone on the opposite side of the conflict; and Alberto uncovers a long-buried family secret.

“DAY OF REVELATION”, USA, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Janusz Kamiński

DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg

When news anchor Margaret Fairchild unexpectedly begins speaking in a language she doesn’t understand during a live broadcast, she unwittingly reveals a secret hidden for decades, attracting the attention of powerful government organizations.

“WILD HORSE NINE”, UK, USA, Chile, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ben Davis

DIRECTOR: Martin McDonagh

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup d’état, CIA agents Chris and Lee are sent from Santiago to Easter Island by their superior, MJ. In the shadow of the island’s majestic statues, the two longtime partners must confront dark events from their past and escalating political intrigue.

“GROWTH OF THE SOIL”, Norway, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Oskar Dahlsbakken

DIRECTOR: Hans Petter Moland

In search of land to cultivate, Isak eventually settles in a remote region deep in the mountains, where he meets Inger, a woman as lonely and desperate as himself. Together, the pair build a farm and a family, gradually transforming the harsh landscape into a place they can call home. However, tragedy threatens to shatter their quiet life.

“WOMAN UNKNOWN”, Denmark, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jasper J. Spanning

DIRECTOR: May El-Toukhy

Marie works as a nanny and maid who is about to marry her employer, a wealthy widower significantly older than her. However, the young woman hides a shameful secret: during World War II, she had an intimate relationship with a German soldier. As her past begins to catch up with her and threaten her new life, Marie is prepared to do whatever it takes.

“MINOTAUR”, France, Latvia, Germany, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mikhail Krichman

DIRECTOR: Andrey Zvyagintsev

Gleb, an executive at a large company, and his significantly younger wife Galina project an ideal image of a wealthy couple to the outside world. They are raising a school-aged son together, but the passion between them has long been replaced by indifference. Things grow even more complicated when Gleb receives orders from the mayor to select 14 employees to be sent to the front lines.

“THE MOSQUITO BOWL”, USA, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jacques Jouffret

DIRECTOR: Peter Berg

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, four top college football stars put their careers on hold to enlist in the Marine Corps. While preparing for the brutal invasion of Okinawa, they play a legendary football game featuring some of the greatest athletes in the sport’s history.

“NATIVITY OF THE KING. ZERO A.D.”, USA, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Gorka Gómez Andreu

DIRECTOR: Alejandro Monteverde

In Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph give birth to a son, Jesus. According to prophecy, he is destined to become the new King of the Jews. Upon hearing news of the child’s birth, Herod, ruler of Judea, orders the execution of all newborn male children. Mary and Joseph must flee with the infant Jesus.

“MOTHERLAND”, Poland, Germany, Italy, France, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Łukasz Żal

DIRECTOR: Paweł Pawlikowski

The film explores the relationship between Thomas Mann—Nobel laureate in Literature—and his daughter Erika, an actress, writer, and race car driver. Set in the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter set off in a black Buick on a difficult, emotionally charged journey through ruined Germany.

“PROJECT HAIL MARY”, USA, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Greig Fraser

DIRECTOR: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Ryland Grace, a science teacher who finds himself completely alone far from home, forms an unexpected friendship with an unlikely ally. Overcoming all their differences, the two discover that even in the vast expanse of deep space, our greatest strength comes from connecting with another living being.

“THROUGH THE WALL”, Poland, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jolanta Dylewska

DIRECTOR: Maciej Sobieszczański

During the dark period of Stalinist terror in Poland, two young people fall in love. Wiesia and Jerzy are political prisoners held in adjacent cells who manage to communicate using Morse code. Their conversations become their sole escape from a brutal prison reality.

“ULYA”, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Wojciech Staroń

DIRECTOR: Viesturs Kairišs

Soviet Latvia, 1964. Standing nearly two meters tall, teenage Ulya grows up on a remote kolkhoz within an Old Believer family. Her unusual height worries her relatives, who wonder if she will ever find her place in the world. When word of the remarkable teenager reaches basketball coaches, Ulya is recruited by a famous team and moves to Riga.

“VISITATION”, Germany, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Axel Schneppat

DIRECTOR: Volker Schlöndorff

Standing on the shore of a lake near Berlin, a house serves as a silent witness to a century of history: the rise of Nazism, wartime devastation, Soviet occupation, German reunification, and the dawn of a new era. Successive regimes leave their mark upon it, as its inhabitants come and go.

“THE WICKER MAN”, UK, USA, Australia, Hungary, 2026

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Lol Crawley

DIRECTOR: Alex Huston Fischer, Eleanor Wilson

In a small coastal village lives a lonely woman who has been mocked for years by locals for not having a husband. Fed up with the relentless teasing, she decides to spite everyone by commissioning a husband woven from wicker from a local basket maker. To the amazement of the entire community, the wicker man comes to life.

(Film descriptions based on materials provided by the organizers)

Dariusz Czołgowski
Department of Promotion

October 27, 2026

Movie