“A Multidimensional Actor”: Łukasz Simlat Receives the Marshal’s Film Award
The popular actor will become the 26th recipient of the Marshal of the Voivodeship’s Film Award named after Pola Negri.
He will receive the statuette featuring the image of the silent-film star on 3 July, at the closing gala of the 24th edition of BellaTofifest. Łukasz Simlat has fond memories of the festival, having left Toruń in 2020 with the Golden Angel Award for Creative Rebellion.
“He is a multidimensional actor, mysterious and incredibly modest,” says Marshal Piotr Całbecki. “An actor who not only helps shape contemporary cinema but has also made a significant contribution to filmmaking in our region through his unforgettable role in Seasons, directed by Michał Grzybowski.”
The film was produced in partnership with the Kuyavia and Pomerania Film Fund. Seasons premiered in 2024. The comedy tells the story of a marital crisis experienced by actor couple Marcin (Simlat) and Ola (Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza). The plot unfolds during three different theatrical productions, blending the characters’ private lives with the reality of the stage. The entire film was shot in Toruń, including scenes at the Wilam Horzyca Theatre. The cast also includes stars such as Andrzej Seweryn and Andrzej Grabowski.
The production attracted international attention earlier this year when John Anderson, film critic for The Wall Street Journal, published a favorable review on the newspaper’s website. In his article “A Polish Comedy About Marriage and Art,” he described the film made in Toruń as “very funny and charming.”
Łukasz Simlat was born in Sosnowiec. He graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw and also trained at the Art-Play Acting Studio in Katowice. He performed on the stages of several Warsaw theatres, including the Powszechny Theatre and Studio Theatre.
He made his screen debut in 2000 with a small role in the TVP television series Dom. Wider recognition followed through his performances in Lovers from Marona (2005), directed by Izabela Cywińska, We’re All Christs (2006), directed by Marek Koterski, and Extras (2006), directed by Michał Kwieciński. Audiences also know him from television series such as Ugly Betty Poland (BrzydUla), The Teacher (Belfer), and The Mire (Rojst).
In 2016, at the Gdynia Polish Film Festival, he won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jacek in United States of Love by Tomasz Wasilewski. A year later, he received the same distinction for portraying Inspector Jacek Sokolski in Amok, directed by Kasia Adamik. In 2020, he won the prestigious Polish Film Award (Eagle Award) for his supporting role as Father Tomasz in Corpus Christi by Jan Komasa. Last year, his acclaimed performance in Seasons earned him the Pulsar Award from the Polish Actors’ Trade Union in the category of Inspirational Screen Actor.
“For years, Łukasz Simlat has built a filmography that cannot be confined to a single formula. He is both an art-house and a mainstream actor, recognizable from cinema screens and television alike,” says Kafka Jaworska, director of the BellaTofifest festival.
BellaTofifest 2026
The 24th edition of BellaTofifest will take place in Toruń from 27 June to 3 July. The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Government is the festival’s main partner.
Screenings will be held at:
- CKK Jordanki,
- Cinema City,
- Dwór Artusa Cultural Centre,
- and the open-air cinema.
This year’s leading theme will be 12 Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam. The festival will open with No Good Men by Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat.
On the festival’s opening day, the Marshal of the Voivodeship’s Pola Negri Film Award will also be presented to actress Magdalena Czerwińska, who was born in Toruń.
The Marshal of the Voivodeship’s Film Award
Established in 2022, the award honors artists and filmmakers—from emerging talents to internationally recognized masters—whose work and achievements have made a significant contribution to Polish cinema.
Recipients include actors, directors, cinematographers, and film composers. The statuette, designed by Zbigniew Mikielewicz, takes the form of a stylized strip of film bearing the likeness of Pola Negri and is presented during film festivals held in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Dariusz Czołgowski
Department of Promotion
23 June 2026