Karolina Gruszka Becomes the 30th Recipient of the Marshal’s Film Award

The actress received the Pola Negri statuette during the opening gala of the 34th ToruńCamerimage International Film Festival on Saturday, 7 November.

The award was presented by Marshal Piotr Całbecki at the CKK Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre. The recipient was visibly moved and recalled her connections with Camerimage.

“Thanks to the festival’s director, Marek Żydowicz, and his colleagues, I experienced a wonderful Polish-Hollywood adventure,” she said. “I am referring to my meeting with David Lynch, which took place many years ago during one of the festival’s editions and subsequently turned into a beautiful adventure lasting several months, connected with the filming of David Lynch’s final feature film, Inland Empire. Back then, together with the Camerimage team, we received a wonderful lesson from David in spontaneous and courageous creativity.”

Gruszka is the 30th recipient of the Marshal’s Film Award, which has been presented since 2022 to actors and filmmakers whose work and achievements are of particular significance to Polish cinema. This year, commemorative Pola Negri statuettes have already been awarded to Zbigniew Suszyński, Magdalena Czerwińska, Łukasz Simlat, Marian Opania, Mikołaj Trzaska and Andrzej Grabowski. On 14 November, during the closing ceremony of ToruńCamerimage, the distinction will be presented to the outstanding actress Maja Komorowska.

Other Recipients of the Marshal’s Film Award

Karolina Gruszka graduated from the Acting Department of the Theatre Academy in Warsaw in 2003. She made her screen debut as a child in the television series Boża podszewka (1997). To date, she has appeared in more than 60 film and television productions.

She gained international recognition through her aforementioned collaboration with the renowned American director David Lynch on Inland Empire (2006), in which she appeared alongside major stars Laura Dern and Jeremy Irons. Her filmography also includes the title role in Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge (Maria Skłodowska-Curie), as well as performances in The Lovers of Marona (Kochankowie z Marony), The Happiness of the World (Szczęście świata), Oxygen (Tlen), Chopin, Chopin! and the latest adaptation of The Doll (Lalka), directed by Maciej Kawalski.

Younger audiences may recognise her from films such as Too Old for Fairy Tales (Za duży na bajki) and Kaytek the Wizard (Kajtek Czarodziej). She has also appeared in television series including Sfora, Oficer, Dom pod Dwoma Orłami, Breslau, Nieobecni and Gra z cieniem.

For her performance in The Lovers of Marona, directed by Izabella Cywińska, she received the Best Leading Actress Award at the 30th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in 2005. She has also been nominated five times for the Polish Film Awards, known as the Eagles.

Karolina Gruszka’s ties with the Kujawy and Pomorze region stem from her involvement in film productions and cultural events. She appeared in The City (Miasto, 2021), directed by Marcin Sauter, and Chopin! Chopin! (2025), directed by Michał Kwieciński, both of which were produced with support from our Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund.

In 2008, during the Pola and Others Film Festival, she received the Politka Award. This distinction is presented by the Pola Negri Cultural Society in Lipno to artists who also pursue their careers internationally. This year, she served as a jury member in the Main Competition of the 24th BellaTofifest International Film Festival in Toruń.

Dariusz Czołgowski
Promotion Department

9 November 2026