Film from Kujawy and Pomorze at ToruńCamerimage: Smarzowski, Zanussi, Komasa…

Audiences at ToruńCamerimage 2026 will be able to see seven films made in partnership with our Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund.

“In the Film from Kujawy and Pomorze section, we will present exceptional films inspired by the Year of Film Professionals, established by the Regional Parliament of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region to highlight the importance of filmmakers and their contribution to the development of culture,” the festival organisers say. “Kujawy and Pomorze, with their history, landscapes and rich cultural heritage, remain an important source of inspiration for successive generations of filmmakers. That is why the Film from Kujawy and Pomorze section will feature both documentaries and feature films by directors fascinated by our region – films made in Kujawy and Pomorze and with the support of the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund. These diverse stories make the local setting more than just a backdrop: it helps shape the atmosphere, gives the stories a distinctive character and offers a fresh perspective on familiar places. Each film also bears witness to the work and imagination of the people who come together to make cinema.”

The line-up opens with high-profile films that premiered in 2025. Despite its difficult subject matter – domestic violence – Wojciech Smarzowski’s Dom dobry (Home Sweet Home) became a major box-office hit, attracting almost 2.5 million cinema-goers. It also received critical acclaim, winning five Polish Film Awards, known as the Eagles, in 2026, including all the major categories: it was named Best Film of the previous year, Smarzowski won the award for Best Director, Agata Turkot and Tomasz Schuchardt received awards for their leading performances, and Mikołaj Trzaska won for the score. In early July, Dom dobry triumphed in the Polish film competition at the Tofifest festival in Toruń, where the winner was chosen by the audience.

Wojciech Gostomczyk: “Dom dobry” Breaks the Taboo Surrounding Domestic Violence

Jan Komasa’s Dobry chłopiec (Good Boy) was first screened last autumn at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival under its English-language title, Good Boy. Polish audiences had to wait a little longer, with the film reaching cinemas only in March this year. The Polish director’s thriller impressed film critics in the United States and recently won the prestigious Audience Award at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. Anson Boon, who plays the title character, received the award for Best Actor. The jury also recognised the film’s screenwriters, Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, and editor Agnieszka Glińska.

This spring, Maciej Cuske’s documentary Kandydaci śmierci (Candidates for Death) premiered at the Thessaloniki Festival. The Bydgoszcz-based director spent nearly two decades working on the film. At this year’s Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival, it won the Polish competition and received two Audience Awards.

Maciej Hydr’s crime film Morderstwo w filharmonii (Murder at the Philharmonic) is also closely associated with Bydgoszcz, having been shot almost entirely in the city. The film is due to reach Polish cinemas in November. Meanwhile, for her directorial debut, Droga rzadziej przemierzana (The Road Less Travelled), Zuzanna Grabowska chose the picturesque towns of Górzno and Szubin in our region as filming locations.

Zuzanna Grabowska: “I Took the Plunge, but I Don’t Regret It”

ToruńCamerimage audiences will also have a chance to see Krzysztof Zanussi’s latest film, Całopalenie (Holocaust), ahead of its general release. The film was shot in several locations, including Toruń and the municipality of Zławieś Wielka. Cinematography is by Piotr Niemyjski. Set in Toruń, the film centres on three characters – Zosia, Paweł and Ignacy – whose lives intersect in a mysterious and entirely inexplicable way.

The World Is Steeped in Mystery: A Conversation with Krzysztof Zanussi

The first screening of Całopalenie, attended by the filmmakers and cast, took place in early October at the Niebieski Kocyk cinema in Toruń. After the screening, the audience had the opportunity to hear the film crew share their reflections and ask questions. A similar event will take place in November at ToruńCamerimage.

All these films were made in cooperation with the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund and with support from European funds. Meanwhile, thanks to our patronage, the absurdist black comedy I co wy na to, Gałuszko? (What Do You Say to That, Gałuszko?), by Maciej Cuske and Marcin Sauter, has been given a new lease of life after more than 25 years. A remastered version, made with support from the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund, was screened recently at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. The Bydgoszcz-based filmmakers copied all the surviving footage from the original film stock once again and then reconstructed the film from scratch.

The 34th edition of the Toruń International Film Festival, ToruńCamerimage, will run from 7 to 14 November. The regional self-government of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region has been a principal partner and co-host of the event for many years.

Film from Kujawy and Pomorze at ToruńCamerimage 2026

CAŁOPALENIE

Director: Krzysztof Zanussi

Cinematography: Piotr Niemyjski

Zofia, Paweł and Ignacy meet through a series of seemingly coincidental circumstances: working on a mission in India, suffering from a serious illness following a tragic accident, and deciding to enter a religious order in search of inner peace. At a certain point, their lives intersect, forming a unique web of mutual expectations, needs and desires.

DOBRY CHŁOPIEC

Director: Jan Komasa

Cinematography: Michał Dymek

Nineteen-year-old Tommy enjoys his carefree life, filled with substance use and reckless violence. One night, he is kidnapped by a stranger named Chris. Waking up in the basement of an isolated house, Tommy finds himself caught in the middle of a dysfunctional family dynamic. Chris and his mysterious wife, Kathryn, try to turn him into a “good boy” through their own particular form of rehabilitation.

DOM DOBRY

Director: Wojtek Smarzowski

Cinematography: Paweł Tybora

When Gośka meets Grzesiek online, she is convinced she has finally found “the one”. He becomes obsessed with her, showers her with flowers and eventually proposes in Venice. It must be love, right? But cracks soon begin to appear in this perfect picture.

DROGA RZADZIEJ PRZEMIERZANA

Director: Zuzanna Grabowska

Cinematography: Anka Malatyńska

Julia and Weronika were once inseparable friends, but they have not been in contact for three years. Their paths cross again at Karolina’s funeral. Her unexpected death sets off a chain of events, taking them on a journey full of twists and turns.

I CO WY NA TO, GAŁUSZKO?

Directors and cinematographers: Maciej Cuske and Marcin Sauter

A mysterious stranger arrives in a sleepy fishing village in Kashubia, while the local police chief dreams of solving a major criminal case. His chance comes when the village is shaken by a series of mysterious murders. Chief Sawicki sets out to track down the culprit, accompanied by his assistant, the eponymous Gałuszko.

KANDYDACI ŚMIERCI

Director: Maciej Cuske

Cinematography: Tomasz Pawlik

Several years ago, Maciej took his son and two of his friends on a holiday, during which they made an amateur horror film together. He had no idea that the trip would turn into one of the greatest adventures of his life – one that would last more than a decade.

MORDERSTWO W FILHARMONII

Director: Maciej Hydr

Cinematography: Aleksander Krzystyniak

A concert at a philharmonic hall is interrupted by the murder of one of the audience members. Inspector Wróbel is assigned to the case and begins an investigation, questioning musicians, conductors and staff. Each has secrets of their own, and the clues uncovered lead to surprising conclusions.

(Film descriptions based on materials provided by the organisers.)

Dariusz Czołgowski
Promotion Department

29 October 2026