Film Fund: Premiere of Piernikarki on Sunday
The documentary film Piernikarki, directed by Ryszard Kruk and supported by the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund, is a unique story about the gingerbread-making tradition of Toruń (and beyond), seen from a female perspective. The production fits into the increasingly popular herstory trend, giving a voice to women who nurture, develop, and promote the centuries-old heritage associated with Toruń gingerbread. The premiere will take place this coming Sunday.
Despite the enormous importance of gingerbread to the history and identity of Toruń, no full-length documentary dedicated to the subject had previously been made. Ryszard Kruk decided to create a film in which the main protagonists are women – scientists, museum professionals, artisans, entrepreneurs, and members of a rural women’s association. What unites them is their passion for tradition and their commitment to efforts aimed at adding Toruń gingerbread to the UNESCO heritage list.
The film features experts connected with museums and the history of gingerbread-making. One of the protagonists is Anna Kornelia Jędrzejewska, Director of the Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz and a specialist in gingerbread molds. Viewers will also meet Beata Pranke-Zdziebło, a woodcarver creating traditional gingerbread baking molds. She is one of only two women in Poland practicing this unique craft.
Piernikarki will also present the modern face of tradition. Among the featured women is Anna Kowalska, Vice-president of Kopernik, the largest gingerbread factory in Europe, as well as Dorota Swobodzińska, who runs Piernikarnia Starotoruńska and its café. The filmmakers also visited the rural women’s association Koło Gospodyń Wiejskich Bronisławianki, whose members have been baking distinctive potato-based gingerbread for generations. This regional specialty has already been added to the list of traditional products.
The filmmakers want to show that gingerbread is a living tradition that constantly evolves and inspires new generations. Contemporary women are giving it new meanings, creating original recipes, developing educational and tourism initiatives, and building modern business ventures around gingerbread.
For Ryszard Kruk, the most important thing is telling stories about passionate people. The protagonists of his films are individuals who, through their work and determination, find space for freedom and self-realization. This time, that space is Toruń gingerbread and the women who play a key role in preserving its tradition.
The premiere screening of Ryszard Kruk’s latest film Piernikarki will take place on May 24 at 5:00 PM at the student cinema “Niebieski Kocyk” in the Academic Centre for Culture and Arts Od Nowa, located at Gagarina 37a. The film will also be presented during the 24th BellaTOFIFEST, which will take place in Toruń from June 27 to July 3, 2026.
Department of Promotion
Paweł Jankowski
May 22, 2026