Movie

A frame from the film “Sezony”, which will be screened on Saturday at the open-air cinema at Centrum Bumar
A frame from the film “Sezony”, which will be screened on Saturday at the open-air cinema at Centrum Bumar

Open-Air Cinema at Tofifest: Giant Screens to Be Set Up at Four Locations Across Toruń

Cinema lovers will be able to enjoy 17 screenings in four open-air venues during this year’s BellaTOFIFEST International Film Festival in Toruń. The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Self-Government is the festival’s main partner.

The 24th edition of the BellaTOFIFEST International Film Festival will take place from 27 June to 3 July. Screenings will be held at the Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre, Cinema City, Artus Court Cultural Centre, and several open-air cinema locations.

“Open-air cinema is a very important part of the festival. This year we are adding another venue, bringing the total to four,” says Kafka Jaworska, Director of BellaTOFIFEST. “Screenings will once again take place in the garden of the Townsmen’s Court and in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall. Three years ago, we expanded beyond the Old Town and began hosting screenings in the industrial setting of Centrum Bumar in the Mokre district. We were unsure how the location would be received, but it turned out to be a great success. Local residents gladly come out from nearby apartment blocks to watch films. This year, for the first time, we will also be screening films at the Ethnographic Museum.”

For the first time in the festival’s history, audiences will be able to attend screenings in the open-air grounds of the Ethnographic Museum. Instead of the museum amphitheatre, films will be shown on a large screen set among traditional thatched-roof cottages. The atmosphere may be idyllic, but the programme certainly will not be: viewers will see two acclaimed horror films – Robert Eggers’ directorial debut The Witch: A New-England Folktale and the classic The Omen by Richard Donner.

For the fourth consecutive year, open-air screenings will take place at Centrum Bumar on Lelewela Street. This weekend, festival organisers have prepared two free screenings. Audiences will be able to watch Seasons by Michał Grzybowski and Life for Beginners by Paweł Podolski on the big screen.

Seasons was produced in partnership with the Kuyavia and Pomerania Film Fund. Premiering in 2024, the comedy follows actors Marcin (Łukasz Simlat) and Ola (Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza) as they navigate a marital crisis. The story unfolds during three different theatre productions, blending the characters’ private lives with the reality of the stage. The film was shot entirely in Toruń, including at the Wilam Horzyca Theatre. The cast also features renowned actors Andrzej Seweryn and Andrzej Grabowski.

Earlier this year, the film attracted international attention when John Anderson, critic for The Wall Street Journal, published a favourable review, describing the Toruń-made production as “very funny and charming.” Special guests at the screening in Centrum Bumar will include Michał Grzybowski and Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza.

The open-air cinema at the Townsmen’s Court on Podmurna Street will showcase cinematic gems from around the world, including Oscar-winning films such as Cinema Paradiso by Giuseppe Tornatore, A Beautiful Mind by Ron Howard, and The Piano by Jane Campion, one of the most significant works of women’s cinema, still admired for its visual and emotional power.

The most diverse programme has been prepared for the open-air cinema in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall, which will host screenings every festival evening. Highlights include last year’s major releases, led by Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and the European Film Award.

The central theme of BellaTOFIFEST 2026 will be 12 Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam. The festival will open with No Good Men by Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat. On opening day, the Marshal’s Film Award will be presented to Toruń-born actress Magdalena Czerwińska, while actor Łukasz Simlat will receive the Pola Negri Award at the festival’s closing ceremony.

BellaTOFIFEST 2026 Open-Air Cinema Programme

Saturday, 27 June

  • If I Could, I’d Kick You – dir. Mary Bronstein
    10:00 p.m., Old Town Hall Courtyard
  • Seasons – dir. Michał Grzybowski
    10:00 p.m., Centrum Bumar
  • Cinema Paradiso – dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
    10:15 p.m., Townsmen’s Court Courtyard

 

Sunday, 28 June

  • The Life of Chuck – dir. Mike Flanagan
    10:00 p.m., Old Town Hall Courtyard
  • Life for Beginners – dir. Paweł Podolski
    10:00 p.m., Centrum Bumar
  • A Room with a View – dir. James Ivory
    10:15 p.m., Townsmen’s Court Courtyard

Monday, 29 June

  • Sentimental Value – dir. Joachim Trier
    10:00 p.m., Old Town Hall Courtyard
  • A Beautiful Mind – dir. Ron Howard
    10:15 p.m., Townsmen’s Court Courtyard

Tuesday, 30 June

  • Decision to Leave – dir. Park Chan-wook
    10:00 p.m., Old Town Hall Courtyard
  • La Grazia – dir. Paolo Sorrentino
    10:15 p.m., Townsmen’s Court Courtyard

Wednesday, 1 July

  • Pillion – dir. Harry Lighton
    10:00 p.m., Old Town Hall Courtyard
  • When Harry Met Sally… – dir. Rob Reiner
    10:15 p.m., Townsmen’s Court Courtyard

Thursday, 2 July

  • The Witch: A New-England Folktale – dir. Robert Eggers
    10:00 p.m., Ethnographic Museum
  • Hearing Love – dir. Eva Libertad
    10:00 p.m., Old Town Hall Courtyard
  • The Piano – dir. Jane Campion
    10:15 p.m., Townsmen’s Court Courtyard

Friday, 3 July

  • The Omen – dir. Richard Donner
    10:00 p.m., Ethnographic Museum
  • Sirât – dir. Oliver Laxe
    10:00 p.m., Old Town Hall Courtyard

Dariusz Czołgowski
Promotion Department

25 June 2026