The Polish doc industry is gearing up for a busy CPH:DOX with My Dear Théo in main competition and the minority co-pro The Ground Beneath Our Feet in NORDIC: DOX. Words We Never Say, the new project by Agnieszka Zwiefka is selected for Forum, while a delegation of five female producers will also attend CPH:INDUSTRY.
“The number of projects and documentaries in production in Poland has increased enormously recently,” says Head of Polish Docs PRO Katarzyna Wilk. “A record number of applications for both development and production have been submitted to the Polish Film Institute this year, far more than ever before. More and more Polish projects are being invited to international industry events – markets, pitching. This increase is also reflected in the number of films that are being made and that are making international careers.”
“This is very gratifying because it proves that the goal we set ourselves when we started Polish Docs has been achieved: producers and filmmakers from Poland are becoming more and more aware of their strong position in the international industry. At the same time, I have the feeling that there is still a lot of work to do, because there are a lot of new Polish faces coming onto the market.”
In official selection, Alisa Kovalenko’s new documentary My Dear Théo, produced by Haka Films, world-premiered in DOX:AWARD. The Icelandic-Polish documentary The Ground Beneath Our Feet by Yrsa Roci Fannberg, with cinematography by Wojciech Staroń and co-produced by Staron Film world-premiered in NORDIC: DOX AWARD competition.
In CPH:Forum, the Polish project Words We Never Say by Agnieszka Zwiefka, produced by Agnieszka Zwiefka and Izabela Igel (Chilli Productions), will be presented March 25. The synopsis reads how, against a backdrop of the Far Right’s new emergence, a mother and a daughter on two sides of an increasing political conflict go on a journey through Poland and Europe and recreate their past disagreements in a film studio – a creative blend of a documentary road movie and fiction.
Additionally, this year’s CPH: Industry will once again feature a Polish delegation from Polish Docs PRO, organised by the Krakow Film Foundation. The delegation includes:
- Izabela Igel, Agnieszka Zwiefka / CHILLI PRODUCTIONS
- Katarzyna Kuczyńska / HAKA FILMS
- Małgorzata Staroń / STARON FILMS
- Justyna Kluczewska / RABAN
- Anna Gawita / KIJORA FILM
“The Polish delegation at CPH:Industry 2025 is made up entirely of female producers and directors. The topics of the projects are also largely focused on female issues and female protagonists,” comments Wilk.
Polish Docs PRO focuses primarily on a wide promotion of Polish documentary film industry at international events addressed to film professionals, she further points out, supporting filmmakers and producers in developing their projects by facilitating access to the markets abroad. “The aim of the Polish Docs PRO is to establish the brand of Polish documentary film in the international film environment and to develop international co-operation,” Wilk signs off.
