A fresh look, new ideas, a new team, and even more emotion—the Warsaw Film Festival is making a grand comeback. General Director Joanna Szymańska-Szcześniak promises a program featuring films from around the world – from intimate stories to narratives with global reach. A total of 112 feature films and 56 short films will be screened, over 80 of which are world, international, European, and regional premieres.

After BABYSTAR by Joscha Bongard celebrated its world premiere in Toronto, the German director's feature film debut will now be screened in Warsaw in the International Competition. The drama revolves around the controversy of Instagram versus reality. The teenage daughter of a family vlogger couple learns that she is not only the star, but also the victim.

In section 1-2 Competition, which focuses on first and second films by filmmakers, Sebastian Husak presents his film BUBBLES as an international premiere. The drama is about two couples living in different bubbles who spend a weekend together in a beach hut. When the divided holiday community has to deal with guilt from their shared past, disaster strikes.

The Documentary Competition section features two major German films: FRITZ LITZMANN: A FAMILY STORY by Aljoscha Pause, as an international premiere, and BETWEEN TWO VOIDS by Letisya Tapan, as a world premiere. In the former, filmmaker Aljoscha Pause tells the story of his father, Rainer Pause, who founded the renowned political cabaret theater Pantheon in Bonn in 1987, right next to the Federal Chancellery, and still performs there today in the role of his legendary character Fritz Litzmann. BETWEEN TWO VOIDS offers an intimate insight into the life of American artist Nancy Atakan, who has been living in Istanbul for 50 years as a member of a visible minority.

DEAD OF WINTER by Brian Kirk will be shown in the Encounters section. The German-American production is about a widowed fisherwoman—played by Emma Thompson—who is stranded during a snowstorm in Minnesota. She comes across a kidnapped teenager and seems to be the only hope for the young victim.

All German productions and co-productions in Warsaw at a glance:

International Competition
BABYSTAR by Joscha Bongard (LiseLotte Films)

1-2 Competition
A USEFUL GHOST by Ratchapoom Boonbu (FR/SG/TH/DE, Mayana Films)
BUBBLES by Sebastian Husak (Schmidbauer‑Film, HFF)

Documentary Competition
FRITZ LITZMANN: A FAMILY STORY by Aljoscha Pause (Pausefilm)
BETWEEN TWO VOIDS by Letisya Tapan (DE/TU, Heimatlos Films)

Official Competition: Free Spirit
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS by Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni (IP/NL/US/DE/QA/CL/CA, Inselfilm)
THE LITTLE SISTER by Hafsia Herzi (FR/DE, Katuh Studio)

Encounters
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA by Arab Nasser, Tarzan (FR/PS/DE/PT, Riva Filmproduktion)
DEAD OF WINTER by Brian Kirk (DE/US, Augenschein Films)
TWO PROSECUTORS (ZWEI STAATSANWÄLTE) by Siergiej Łoźnica (FR/DE/NL/LV/RO/LT/UA, LOOKSfilm)
THE SECRET AGENT by Kleber Mendonça Filho (BR/FR/DE/NL, One Two Films)

Cinema In The Clouds
AMÉLIE by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (FR/DE, MMC Movies)

Boom Generation – Free Screenings For Seniors
MARIA by Pablo Larrain (DE/IT/US, Komplizen Film)