Wajda, Pawlikowski and Chuck Norris: Przeźrocza Festival Programme Announced
The 12th edition of the Przeźrocza Festival will take place at the turn of August and September. The Kujawsko-Pomorskie regional government is the main partner and patron of the Bydgoszcz festival.
– In a world where excess surrounds us on every side, Przeźrocza aims to offer a moment of respite and show that, in keeping with this year’s festival motto, “Nothing more/Nic więcej”, nothing more is needed. Audiences will be able to watch, listen, walk, escape the hustle and bustle, and experience the power of a different perspective on cinema – announce the festival organisers from the Koloroffon Association.
One of the festival events will be a screening of the black-and-white film Muse. This short film by Academy Award-winning director Paweł Pawlikowski was made in 2025 in collaboration with the director’s wife, Małgorzata Bela, Marcin Masecki and Bydgoszcz-born cinematographer Stanisław Cuske. Following the screening, Marcin Masecki – composer of music for Pawlikowski’s films Cold War, Ojczyzna and Muse – will perform on the piano in the symphonic concert hall of the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz.
Another highlight will undoubtedly be a screening of Andrzej Wajda’s Lekcja pływania (Swimming Lesson), rediscovered this year after 56 years. The three-minute miniature was based on an idea by Zdzisław Maklakiewicz. – Przeźrocza will be one of the few places where this work can be seen on the big screen – the organisers announce.
As is tradition, Przeźrocza audiences will also have an opportunity to discover cinematic gems from the past. This year’s programme includes Andrzej Jakimowski’s Squint Your Eyes and Witold Leszczyński’s The Life of Matthew. The screening of the latter at the Orzeł Cinema will be followed by a discussion on minimalist cinema.
The spirit of Chuck Norris, who passed away this spring, will also make an appearance at Przeźrocza. A screening of Invasion U.S.A. – one of the most extravagant productions starring Norris as a CIA agent taking on terrorists – is planned in the garden of an Art Nouveau tenement house on Cieszkowskiego Street.
Przeźrocza 2026 will feature numerous regional highlights. These include a screening of Maciej Cuske’s Kandydaci śmierci (Candidates for Death) and a meeting with the protagonists of the documentary. For the first time, the film will be shown outdoors, in the amphitheatre of the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. Festival audiences will also see a film by another filmmaker from our region. Sebastian Kwidziński will present his Matka (Mother) at Rother’s Mills. The production received financial support from the Kujawy Pomorze Film Fund and has won awards and distinctions at festivals around the world. Following the screening, the director will take part in a panel discussion on the development of film production in our region.
On the final day of the festival, Marian Opania will receive the Pola Negri Film Award of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship for his timeless performance in Andrzej Wajda’s Man of Iron. An open meeting with the award winner is also planned.
Read also: Marian Opania Receives the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Film Award
The festival will begin on 29 August (Saturday) at Burakino, located in a former silo at the Żnin Sugar Factory, with a screening of La petite mort by Martyna Byczkowska and Kaja Zalewska. At sunset, the filmmakers will meet the audience on the lakeside beach.
A week later, the closing film will be Niespodziewane, directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. – The film, which has received excellent reviews from critics since its premiere in Cannes this May, fits perfectly into the minimalist and contemplative cinema theme of this year’s Przeźrocza Festival, held under the motto “Nothing more/Nic więcej” – say the organisers.
The detailed festival programme is available on the Przeźrocza website.
Dariusz Czołgowski
Promotion Department
7 August 2026