In addition to four new docs world-premiering in official selection at Visions du Réel, the Polish doc industry will be represented in Nyon by a delegation of producers presenting six new projects to the international professionals in tow.
The festival will host the world premieres of the Polish docs The Big Chief by Tomasz Wolski (Burning Lights); and The Town That Drove Away by Natalia Pietsch & Grzegorz Piekarski and Double Trouble by Emilia Śniegoska, both in International Medium Length & Short Film Competition. The Guest by Zuzanna Solakiewicz and Zvika Gregory Portnoy is presented in Highlights.
Running in parallel in Nyon, Polish Docs Pro will present six new projects at VdR-Industry:
- Arctowski by Katarzyna Dąbkowska. Synopsis: A story lasting over 130 years, beginning with the Belgica expedition (1897‑1899), the first to winter in Antarctic ice. Its scientific leader was 26‑year‑old Polish Henryk Arctowski. This experience changed his life forever. Producer at VdR Industry: Ewa Żukowska, Studio Żuk.
- On My Own Terms by Tadeusz Chudy. Synopsis: Paweł, a young boxer, and his half‑sister inherit a flat, giving them hope of leaving the orphanage for their first real home. Their quest for stability will test sibling bond and make them face the problems of adulthood. Producer at VdR-Industry: Marta Wierzbicka, Smart Films
- Sandro by Kamil Dobrosielski. Synopsis: While seeking a breakthrough as a non‑binary artist in a male‑dominated Hip‑Hop scene Sandro, an artist from the impoverished Comuna 13 district of Medellin, still grapples with the aftermath of their brother’s murder. Producer at VdR Industry: Kamil Dobrosieski, npsp.film
- The Theory of Survival and Tuner by Paweł Chorzępa. Synopsis: The indomitable palaeontologist Zofia Kielan‑Jaworowska and her team discover the first dinosaur and mammal fossils in Mongolia. Tuner by Paweł Chorzępa. Synopsis: A story about people who eternally stand in the shadow, piano tuners who fight to have their instrument played by the future winner of the Chopin Competition. Producer at VdR Industry: Joanna Chorzępa, Bees Film House
- Victory Day by Wojciech Węglarz. Synopsis: Dmytro, a young Ukrainian from the Donetsk region, came to Svalbard in search of a livelihood. In Barentsburg, a Russian enclave on the Arctic island, he took a job in a coal mine on a two‑year contract. Producer at VdR Industry: Jakub Orłoś, Fala Film.
Polish producers will also be taking part in events prepared especially for the international delegations at VdR-Industry, including a co-production round table with producers from Canada, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland and France.
