Film Stars at the Marshal’s Charity Ball in Toruń
The special guests of the 14th edition of the ball will be renowned actresses Katarzyna Figura and Ewa Kasprzyk, who for years have belonged to the group of the most recognizable figures of Polish cinema. But that is not the end of the film highlights at Saturday’s event.
The 14th Marshal’s Charity Ball will take place on Saturday, 17 January, at the Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre in Toruń. The largest event of its kind in the region since 2010 – initiated by the Marshal of the Region Piotr Całbecki and his wife Dagna – brings together representatives of various communities, combining carnival-style celebration with support for those most in need.
As in previous years, the noble cause will be supported by people of culture, science, sports, politics, and representatives of the business world. The special guests of Saturday’s ball will be popular actresses Katarzyna Figura and Ewa Kasprzyk. Both artists regularly engage in social and charitable projects.
Katarzyna Figura, known for her expressive roles in auteur cinema and popular productions, is regarded as one of the icons of Polish cinema of recent decades. She is a two-time winner of the Golden Lion at the Gdynia Film Festival for Best Actress in a Leading Role (for Gośka in I Love You by Marek Koterski and Ubica in Ubu Roi by Piotr Szulkin). For her role as the widow in Żurek by Ryszard Brylski, she received the prestigious Eagle Award (the Polish Film Award). In 2024, she received the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Film Award named after Pola Negri.
Ewa Kasprzyk has for years combined film, theater, and television work. She gained popularity thanks to her roles in Roman Załuski’s comedies Kogel-Mogel, Galimatias, or Kogel-Mogel II, and Komedia małżeńska (A Marriage Comedy). She received the Golden Lion for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 26th Gdynia Film Festival for her portrayal of a toxic mother in Bellissima by Artur Urbański.
But that is not the end of the film accents at Saturday’s event.
Among those seated at the film table will also be, among others, Magdalena Czerwińska, Zuzanna Grabowska, and Cezary Łukaszewicz.
The first of these actresses comes from Toruń and has long been associated with the Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw. She gained wider recognition for her role as Ewa in the film The Mole (Kret), and also played the wife of Zbigniew Religa in Gods (Bogowie).
Zuzanna Grabowska became popular thanks to the TV series Time of Honor (Czas honoru), in which she played Nina Jacewicz, a Pawiak prison inmate and later a Gestapo collaborator. In 2025, she directed the comedy-drama The Road Less Traveled (Droga rzadziej przemierzana), filmed mainly in Górzno and Szubin with support from the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund (the premiere is scheduled for 2026). Together with her husband Paweł Domagała, she co-creates the Cabaret at the End of the World (Kabaret na Koniec Świata).
A breakthrough moment in Cezary Łukaszewicz’s film career was his role as the police officer “Young” in the crime series Paradoks, where he starred alongside Bogusław Linda. In the Oscar-nominated film Loving Vincent (Twój Vincent), he portrayed Theo van Gogh, the brother of the famous painter. In the new 2023 adaptation of The Peasants (Chłopi) by Władysław Reymont, directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, he played the blacksmith Michał.
More than 200 items are scheduled to be auctioned at Saturday’s ball, including works of art, collectors’ items, and a real treat for film lovers. The winner of one auction will spend a day on a film set with director Wojciech Smarzowski. His latest production, A Good Home (Dom dobry), has enjoyed great success at the box office – it was the most-watched Polish title of the past year. Since its premiere on 7 November, this widely discussed film about domestic violence has been seen by 2.4 million viewers. It is worth recalling that A Good Home was co-financed by our Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund.
Proceeds from the ball’s auctions will support three main beneficiaries:
- Serce Torunia Association – supports people experiencing homelessness and those at risk of social exclusion
- Trisomiaki Foundation from Łochowo – works for children, young people, and adults with disabilities
- Special Educational Center run by the Orionist Sisters in Włocławek – provides care and education for children and young people with various disabilities
Support will also go to institutions that benefited from earlier editions of the ball, strengthening its long-term impact. This year, for the first time, funds will be donated to the Polish Foundation for Africa, which is involved, among other things, in providing daily meals for children in Madagascar.
The musical setting of the evening will be provided by one of the most recognizable voices on the Polish music scene, Kuba Badach, and the Eljazz Band led by Józef Eliasz. Also performing will be the masters of Brazilian samba “Carnival Stars,” the Military Orchestra from Bydgoszcz, and the Ziemia Bydgoska Ensemble.
Over the 13 editions of the ball so far, organizers have raised approximately PLN 4 million for those in need, including a record PLN 860,000 during the most recent edition in 2025. This shows that the appetite for doing good among participants continues to grow.
Department of Promotion
15 January 2026