“Chopin, Chopin!” Available on a Streaming Platform
The partner of the film about the famous composer is our Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund. One of the most expensive productions in the history of Polish cinema is now available on TVP VOD.
The premiere of this major production took place on 22 September last year at the opening gala of the jubilee 50th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. The film generated strong interest from both the media and audiences, due to its subject matter as well as the scale of its production. At the prestigious festival it received two awards – for set design and costumes. On 10 October, “Chopin, Chopin!” was released in Polish cinemas, and on 13 October it was screened at the closing gala of the Expo 2025 World Exhibition in Osaka, Japan.
The film was directed by Michał Kwieciński, known among others for “Tomorrow We’re Going to the Cinema” and “Filip”. The screenplay was written by Bartosz Janiszewski, and the cinematography was by Michał Sobociński. The story takes viewers to Paris in the 1830s. The 25-year-old Chopin becomes a favorite of Parisian salons and of the King of France. He enjoys life, while at the same time struggling with advancing tuberculosis and personal dilemmas.
The role of Fryderyk Chopin was played by Eryk Kulm, with a cast that also includes Lambert Wilson, Josephine de La Baume, Karolina Gruszka, Maja Ostaszewska, and Victor Meutelet.
“Kulm’s portrayal breaks stereotypes and creates a subversive image of the Polish composer, standing in opposition to the national myth of the melancholic artist—depicting instead a dandy and salon lion addicted to social life, fame, and female admiration. The film’s image of Chopin resembles a contemporary rock star more than a consumptive succumbing to a fatal illness,” wrote a Polityka reviewer. For this role, Eryk Kulm was nominated for the prestigious Polityka Passports award in the film category.
In November last year, during the 33rd edition of the Camerimage festival, Kulm received the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Film Award named after Pola Negri from Piotr Całbecki. “I congratulate you on an outstanding portrayal of Fryderyk Chopin, a composer with family ties to our region,” said Marshal Całbecki while presenting the award.
The budget of “Chopin, Chopin!” reached PLN 72 million, making it one of the largest and most ambitious Polish productions of recent years. The film was made with financial support from the Kujawy and Pomorze Film Fund.
The great composer was connected to our region. As a child, he spent his holidays in Szafarnia near Golub-Dobrzyń. Today, the manor there houses the Marshal’s Chopin Centre, which hosts annual international competitions for young pianists. Meanwhile, in the manor in Kłóbka – restored in recent years by the regional self-government and now home to a branch of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land Museum in Włocławek – lived Chopin’s fiancée, the talented painter, pianist, and composer Maria Wodzińska.
“Chopin, Chopin!” is now available on the TVP VOD streaming service.
“Dom dobry” Also Available to Stream
Another high-profile production made with financial support from the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Self-Government – “Dom dobry” – has also reached streaming platforms. From 23 January, the film by Wojciech Smarzowski has been available on Amazon’s Prime Video platform and can be watched at no extra charge as part of a Prime subscription.
“Dom dobry” was last year’s most-watched Polish film in cinemas. Since its premiere on 7 November, it has been seen by 2.4 million viewers on the big screen, making it the second most popular film of Smarzowski’s directing career. The number one remains “Kler” (2018), with nearly 6 million viewers.
Department of Promotion