Polish Film Festival at Midpoint: What to See on the East Coast

The Polish Film Festival North America 2026 has reached its midpoint, and on the East Coast the best is still ahead. We went through the program with New York, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut in mind and have some suggestions on what to see. And in December, we invite you to see “Violetta Villas.”

“Lalka” (The Doll): A Classic Without the Dust

Adapting “Lalka” is always a risk: every viewer walks into the theater with his or her own Wokulski in mind. Maciej Kawalski took that risk on a grand scale, with a cast that Polish cinema has not brought together in a single film in a long time. Marcin Dorociński plays Wokulski, Kamila Urzędowska is Izabela Łęcka and Marek Kondrat is Rzecki, with Maja Komorowska, Andrzej Seweryn, Krystyna Janda, Agata Kulesza and Jan Englert in supporting roles. Audiences in Poland have voted with their tickets: more than 2 million people have already seen the film.

This is a movie to see with the whole family. The screenings have English subtitles, so younger generations who struggle with Polish won’t be left behind.

Where and when:

• New York – Sunday, Nov. 15, 3 p.m., SVA Theatre (Manhattan) – tickets
• Long Island – Sunday, Nov. 22, 4 p.m., Bellmore Movies & Showplace – tickets (the Nov. 15 screening at South Bay is already sold out)
• New Jersey – Saturday, Nov. 21, 4 p.m., Hawthorne Theatres – tickets
• Connecticut – Monday, Nov. 16, 5:45 p.m. and 6 p.m., Picture Show in Berlin – tickets; an additional screening on Monday, Nov. 23, 6 p.m., Holiday Cinemas Stadium 14 in Wallingford – tickets
• New England – Sunday, Nov. 15, 3 p.m., Picture Show in Fall River, Massachusetts – tickets

Manhattan With Maria Dębska

On Nov. 15, the SVA Theatre belongs to Polish cinema all evening. After “Lalka,” we will screen “Przez ścianę” (Through the Wall) at 6:30 p.m. (tickets). The festival’s special guest is Maria Dębska, whom we will see on screen in both films. It is a rare chance to watch an actress in two very different roles in a single day – and to meet her in person. The New York screenings are held under the honorary patronage of the Consul General of Poland in New York.

New Jersey: The Kurońs and the Holidays

New Jersey gets its strongest lineup on the weekend of Nov. 21–22. On Saturday in Hawthorne, after “Lalka,” comes “Przepis na Święta” (Recipe for the Holidays) at 7 p.m. On Sunday at Rutgers Cinema in Piscataway, “Przepis na Święta” screens at 3 p.m., followed by “Nasza rewolucja” (Our Revolution) at 5:30 p.m.

“Nasza rewolucja” by Piotr Domalewski, the director of “Cicha noc” (Silent Night), is the story of the love between Gajka and Jacek Kuroń, a married couple who found themselves at the very heart of the democratic opposition. Domalewski has a talent for intimate family dramas in which great history passes through the kitchen and the bedroom. Here, that approach meets a perfect subject: a revolution seen from the home rather than from the podium. For emigrants who remember those years, this is a must-see.

“Przepis na Święta” by Magdalena Nieć, meanwhile, is a light pre-holiday comedy: a young baker, a banker and his 10-year-old son, and everything goes wrong. It is a film without pretensions but with warmth – just right for a family outing on a November weekend.

“Violetta Villas” in December

The festival ends on Nov. 22, but Polish cinema stays with us. In early December, we invite you to see “Violetta Villas,” a film about a legend of the Polish stage whose voice took her to the stages of Paris and Las Vegas. We watch the story of a great career, and then a downfall, through the eyes of her son.

We are looking forward to this film with great curiosity. A star’s biography is easily turned into a medley of hits, but the perspective of a son – a witness to his mother’s triumphs and dramas – offers a chance for something more than a tribute. Sandra Drzymalska, remembered by audiences from Jerzy Skolimowski’s Oscar-nominated “IO,” plays the title role. Jowita Budnik, Mateusz Banasiuk and Borys Szyc star alongside her, and Karolina Bielawska directs.

• New Jersey – Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 p.m., Hawthorne Theatres – tickets; Sunday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m., Rutgers Cinema – tickets
• Long Island – Sunday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m., Bellmore Movies & Showplace – tickets

Festival audiences can also vote for the best film. Voting for the Audience Award continues through Nov. 20 at polishfilmfestival.com. Tickets for all screenings are available at MojBilet.com.

Source: Nowy Dziennik