Taking place in London and select cities across the UK from 4 February to 29 March 2026, the Kinoteka Polish Film Festival, organised by the Polish Cultural Institute in London, returns with a line-up of contemporary and classic Polish cinema, documentaries. As well as a retrospective of films by Andrzej Wajda coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the film director’s birth.
Andrzej Wajda: Portraits of History and Humanity
The festival celebrates the centenary of Andrzej Wajda’s birth with a retrospective at BFI Southbank, ICA and Ciné Lumière that spans six decades of the filmmaker’s work.
Kinoteka begins on 4 February 2026 with an Opening Gala screening of Wajda’s revered Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól i diament, 1958) at BFI Southbank, showing from a 35mm print.
Highlights during the season include the director’s first feature A Generation (Pokolenie, 1955); Man of Marble (Czlowiek z marmuru, 1977); French revolution drama Danton (1983), and the Oscar nominated Katyn (2007).
Ciné Lumière will present a series of double-bills highlighting the myriad ways Andrzej Wajda’s body of work co-exists with his student turned-filmmaking rival Andrzej Zulawski. Films screening: The Wedding (Wesele, dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1972) and The Devil (Diabel, dir. Andrzej Zulawski, 1972); Man of Iron (Czlowiek z zelaza, 1981) and Possession (dir. Andrzej Zulawski, 1981); The Possessed (dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1988) and The Public Woman (dir. Andrzej Zulawski, 1984).
Closing Gala
Taking place at Cine Lumière on 29 March 2026, the Closing Gala is Brother (Brat, dir. Maciej Sobieszczanski, 2025), a coming-of-age drama focused on a family where violence and manipulation is always simmering below the surface.
New Polish Cinema
The New Polish Cinema strand explores community interaction and the potential of working together.
Two of Poland’s leading filmmaking names spearhead this year’s programme. Kinoteka will screen two films from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi). The Good Boy (2025).
Komasa’s follow up is Anniversary (Rocznica, 2025), a dystopian thriller with modern-day relevance starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Phoebe Dynevor and Dylan O’Brien.
Agnieszka Holland’s Franz (2025) is a portrait of young Franz Kafka and is Poland’s official submission to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Taking another cultural historical figure as its subject, Chopin, A Sonata in Paris (Chopin, Chopin!, dir. Michal Kwiecinski, 2025) is an interpretation of the Polish composer’s life.
Home Sweet Home (Dom dobry, dir. Wojciech Smarzowski, 2025) examines domestic life, and asks the question, ‘how well do we know the person we love?’.
In Laws 3 (Tesciowie 3, dir. Jakub Michalczuk, 2025) is the third instalment of the hit comedy in which the Chrapek and Wilk families reunite, this time in the peaceful countryside, for a christening.
LARP: Love, Trolls and Other Quests (LARP: Milosc, trolle i inne questy, dir. Kordian Kadziela, 2025) is a comedy following the story of Sergiusz, whose passion for LARPing (live-action role playing) makes him a victim of bullying until a new student arrives at school.
Photosensitive (Swiatloczula, dir. Tadeusz Sliwa, 2024) stars Matylda Giegzno in her first film lead as a fulfilled social worker who is blind and whose life changes following a meeting with a more reserved photographer (Ignacy Liss).
Documentary and a Tribute to Marcel Lozinski
Continuing its commitment to showcasing thought-provoking and topical documentary film, the festival presents three films in its Documentary strand.
Letters from Wolf Street + director Q&A (Listy z Wilczej, dir. Arjun Talwar, 2025) documents the Warsaw street where Indian filmmaker Arjun Talwar lives. Talwar offers a unique, personal view on his adopted country.
Trains + director Q&A (Pociagi, dir. Maciej J. Drygas, 2024) won the top prize at the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival and is crafted entirely from international archive footage.
Mr. Olbrychski + Daniel Olbrychski Q&A (dir. Robert Wichrowski, 2025), examines the persona of revered Polish actor Daniel Olbrychski.
The festival will also honour the legacy of Marcel Lozinski, who passed away last year. Films screening: The Visit (1974, 15 mins), Workshop Exercises (1986, 12 mins), 89mm from Europe (1993, 12 mins), Anything Can Happen (1995, 40 mins).
A Tribute to Kieslowski: Cinema, Performance, Technology
Kinoteka will mark the 30th anniversary of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s passing, with a programme featuring his early documentary shorts, alongside landmark feature films A Short Film About Killing (Krótki film o zabijaniu, 1988), A Short Film About Love (Krótki film o milosci, 1988) and The Double Life of Veronique (Podwójne zycie Weroniki, 1991).
Family Screening
Following the festival’s 2024 screening of The Dog Who Travelled by Train (O psie, który jezdzil koleja), this year’s family screening is the sequel The Dog Who Travelled by Train 2 (O psie, który jezdzil koleja 2, dir. Magdalena Niec, 2025).
Kinoteka on Tour
Following the Andrzej Wajda season BFI Southbank, ICA and Cine Lumière, the Polish Cultural Institute in London will support a UK tour of seven key titles directed by Andrzej Wajda, from March 2026. These include Ashes and Diamonds, The Maids of Wilko (Panny z Wilka, 1979) and his last film, Afterimage (Powidoki, 2016).
Venue and ticket details
London venues: BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, ICA, Ciné Lumière, Barbican, Southbank Centre, The Garden Cinema, Bertha Dochouse, Coal Drops Yard Kings Cross, Samsung Kings Cross, Ognisko Polskie - The Polish Hearth Club
UK Venues: Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle; The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford. More cities and venues to be announced soon.
For further information about the films and tickets visit:
Kinoteka 2026. The 24th Polish Film Festival.
