“Pola and Others” Festival: Politka Statuettes for Ewa Braun and Magnus von Horn
The 19th edition of the “Pola and Others” Film Creators Festival will take place in Lipno from 18 to 20 September. The festival is supported by the regional self-government of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.
The event, held annually since 2007, pays tribute to the legendary silent-film star Pola Negri, who was born in Lipno.
Read also: Pola Negri had great talent and charisma
The organisers keep the memory of her life and career alive while also showcasing contemporary Polish filmmakers and actors, particularly those who have made their mark on the international stage.
“We invite you to another edition of the ‘Pola and Others’ festival – a feast of film and music, combining a touch of retro nostalgia with contemporary perspectives and featuring some of the most respected figures in cinema,” says the Pola Negri Lipno Cultural Society.
The festival’s main award is the Politka statuette. It was designed by sculptor Zdzisław Ostrowski, while the original casting was made by Toruń sculptor Tadeusz Porębski. The statuette depicts Pola Negri in the costume she wore in the 1923 silent film The Spanish Dancer, one of the first Hollywood productions in which the Polish actress appeared. Negri played the dancer Maritana.
The winners at last year’s, 18th edition were Kamil Mróz, a theatre, film and voice actor born in Lipno, and Dagmara Domińczyk, an American actress of Polish origin known for roles in films and TV series, including Succession and The Count of Monte Cristo.
This year, the Politka will go to acclaimed production designer and costume designer Ewa Braun, who won an Academy Award in 1994 for set decoration for Steven Spielberg’s iconic film Schindler’s List.
The second statuette will be presented to Magnus von Horn, an acclaimed Swedish-Polish director, screenwriter and lecturer at the Łódź Film School. His work has earned numerous awards, including for The Here After, Sweat and The Girl with the Needle.
Both laureates will meet with festival audiences and, as is customary, unveil commemorative plaques bearing their names on Pola Negri Boulevard.
Acting workshops and Polish cinema
The Nawojka Cinema in Lipno will also host acting workshops for young people led by Anna Szymańczyk, known, among other roles, for playing Zośka in Michał Gazda’s 2023 adaptation of The Quack (Znachor) and Lucyna Lis in the 2024 TV series Lady Love. She has also appeared in several acclaimed films by Wojciech Smarzowski, including Clergy, The Wedding 2 and The Good House.
Festival audiences will also have the opportunity to see Dominika Montean-Pańków’s feature-film directorial debut, The Crossing (Skrzyżowanie), followed by a meeting with the director.
The film was made with the support of the Kujawy and Pomerania Film Fund. It tells the story of Tadeusz, an 80-year-old retired hospital chief physician whose quiet life is turned upside down by a tragic car accident. Suddenly, he must face what may be his final struggle – for himself, his dignity and a “peaceful death” that he had imagined very differently.
The role of Tadeusz was played brilliantly by Jan Englert, who made a celebrated return to the big screen after several years away. His performance earned him the Best Actor Award at the 2025 Mastercard Off Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema in Kraków, while at the Tofifest International Film Festival in Toruń he received the Pola Negri Film Award of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.
The cast also includes Anna Romantowska, Michał Czernecki, Aleksandra Popławska, Martyna Byczkowska and Daniel Namiotko.
The screenplay, written by Montean-Pańków, received the ZAiKS Authors’ Association Award in the Script Pro competition for “a modern take on the conventions of the cinema of moral anxiety”. The Crossing was also shortlisted among the seven finalists of the 2025 Audiodescription of the Year competition. The winner will be announced on 25 September during the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.
Music
The musical star of the 19th edition of “Pola and Others” will be acclaimed singer and popular YouTuber Urszula Dudziak, who will perform at the festival’s closing event.
Admission to all events is free of charge.
For full details, visit https://polanegri.org.pl/.
It is worth recalling that the Film Award of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, established in 2022, bears the name of Pola Negri. The award takes the form of a stylised strip of film featuring the image of the iconic star of world cinema. It was designed by Toruń artist Zbigniew Mikielewicz.
Previous recipients of the Marshal’s Film Award
Dariusz Czołgowski
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24 August 2026
