Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland at CSW Toruń. Screening Followed by a Discussion
The Centre of Contemporary Art (CSW) in Toruń invites audiences to a special screening of Paweł Pawlikowski’s latest film, Fatherland, as part of its Existential Cinema series.
Fatherland is the long-awaited new feature by Paweł Pawlikowski, the Academy Award-winning director of Ida. The film was warmly received at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival this year. It earned a standing ovation from audiences, while Pawlikowski received the Best Director award. As in his previous works, the director explores themes of identity, guilt, family and love against the backdrop of the chaos and moral uncertainty of post-war Europe.
Fatherland tells the story of the relationship between the renowned German writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika, an actress and author. At the height of the Cold War, the two embark on a journey across war-ravaged Germany, travelling from Frankfurt in the American occupation zone to Soviet-controlled Weimar.
The leading roles are played by acclaimed actors Sandra Hüller, known for The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall, and Hans Zischler, who has appeared in films including Munich. Cinematography was handled by Łukasz Żal, whose camera team included Stanisław Cuske from Bydgoszcz, the son of renowned documentary filmmaker Maciej Cuske.
A Kujawsko-Pomorskie Connection at the Cannes Film Festival
The Polish premiere is scheduled for 19 June. On the same day, Cinema Centre at CSW Toruń will host a special screening of Fatherland, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Professor Marcin Jaranowski, a psychotherapist and philosopher. Tickets priced at PLN 14 and PLN 16 are available at the CSW box office and online.
An interesting fact for residents of Kujawsko-Pomorskie concerns an episode from Thomas Mann’s life that is unlikely to appear in the film but is connected with the region. In 1929, the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He donated part of the prize money to the construction of a German-language Protestant school in Obórki, completed in the early 1930s. The donation amounted to 2,000 Polish złoty at the time. The village is located in today’s Brodnica County, in the municipality of Osiek, and the former school building is now privately owned.
Dariusz Czołgowski
Promotion Department
10 June 2026