Polish Film Festival


The Polish Film Festival, formerly Gdynia Film Festival, Gdynia – Festiwal Filmowy and Film Festival w Gdynia, is an annual film festival first held in Gdańsk, now held in Gdynia, Poland.
It has taken place every year since 1974, except in 1982 and 1983 when Poland was under martial law.
The organizers of the festival are the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, Polish Film Institute, Polish Filmmakers Association, the Pomeranian Voivodeship Local Government as well as the port city of Gdynia.
The Polish Film Festival award is the Grand Prix Golden Lions, which is different from the Eagle, awarded at the Polish Film Awards and the Seattle Polish Film Festival. Special awards include the Platinum Lions conferred for lifetime achievements in cinema as well as the Audience Award. Agnieszka Holland holds the record number of wins at the festival having been awarded the Grand Prix four times. In 2020, Mariusz Wilczyński's Kill It and Leave This Town became the first ever animated film in the festival's history to be awarded the Golden Lions for Best Film.
The jury for the 2008 competition was headed by Robert Gliński, a director who had previously won at the festival.

List of winners

The Golden Lions Award was not awarded on six occasions: in 1976, four films were instead awarded Main Prizes, the films which received this distinction were Jerzy Łomnicki's Ocalić miasto, Marek Piwowski's Przepraszam, czy tu biją?, Andrzej Wajda's Smuga cienia and Mieczysław Waśkowski's Hazardziści; in 1982 and 1983, the festival was not held due to the imposition of the martial law in Poland; in 1989, 1991 and 1996.
YearDirectorOriginal titleEnglish titleSource
1974Jerzy HoffmanPotopThe Deluge
1975Andrzej WajdaZiemia obiecanaThe Promised Land
1975Jerzy AntczakDnie i noceNights and Days
1976No award
1977Krzysztof ZanussiBarwy ochronneCamouflage
1978Stanisław RóżewiczPasjaPassion
1978Andrzej WajdaBez znieczuleniaWithout Anesthesia
1979Krzysztof KieślowskiAmatorCamera Buff
1980Kazimierz KutzPaciorki jednego różańcaThe Beads of One Rosary
1981Agnieszka HollandGorączkaFever
1982Cancelled
1983Cancelled
1984Jerzy KawalerowiczAusteriaAusteria
1985Stanisław RóżewiczKobieta w kapeluszuWoman in a Hat
1986Witold LeszczyńskiSiekierezadaSiekierezada
1987Janusz ZaorskiMatka KrólówThe Mother of Kings
1988Krzysztof KieślowskiKrótki film o miłościA Short Film About Love
1988Krzysztof KieślowskiKrótki film o zabijaniuA Short Film About Killing
1989No award
1990Wojciech MarczewskiUcieczka z kina "Wolność"Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema
1991No award
1992Robert GlińskiWszystko co najważniejszeAll That Really Matters
1993Radosław PiwowarskiKolejność uczućThe Order of Feelings
1993Grzegorz KrólikiewiczPrzypadek PekosińskiegoThe Pekosiński's Case
1994Kazimierz KutzZawróconyReverted
1995Juliusz MachulskiGirl GuideGirl Guide
1996No award
1997Jerzy StuhrHistorie miłosneLove Stories
1998Jan Jakub KolskiHistoria kina w PopielawachThe History of the Cinema in Popielawy
1999Krzysztof KrauzeDługThe Debt
2000Krzysztof ZanussiŻycie jako śmiertelna choroba przenoszona droga płciowąLife as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease
2001Robert GlińskiCześć, TereskaHi, Tereska
2002Marek KoterskiDzień świraDay of the Wacko
2003Dariusz GajewskiWarszawaWarsaw
2004Magdalena PiekorzPręgiWelts
2005Feliks FalkKomornikThe Collector
2006Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof KrauzePlac ZbawicielaSaviour Square
2007Andrzej JakimowskiSztuczkiTricks
2008Waldemar KrzystekMała MoskwaLittle Moscow
2009Borys LankoszRewersReverse
2010Jan Kidawa-BłońskiRóżyczkaLittle Rose
2011Jerzy SkolimowskiEssential KillingEssential Killing
2012Agnieszka HollandW ciemnościIn Darkness
2013Paweł PawlikowskiIdaIda
2014Łukasz PalkowskiBogowieGods
2015Małgorzata SzumowskaBody/CiałoBody
2016Jan P. MatuszyńskiOstatnia rodzinaThe Last Family
2017Piotr DomalewskiCicha nocThe Silent Night
2018Paweł PawlikowskiZimna wojnaCold War
2019Agnieszka HollandObywatel JonesMr. Jones
2020Mariusz Wilczyński Zabij to i wyjedź z tego miastaKill It and Leave This Town
2021Łukasz Ronduda and Łukasz GuttWszystkie nasze strachyAll Our Fears
2022Agnieszka SmoczyńskaThe Silent TwinsThe Silent Twins
2023Paweł MaślonaKosKos
2024Agnieszka HollandZielona granicaGreen Border