The Polish Film Festival North America 2026 is in full swing. Through Nov. 22, the Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge is home to the most important Polish cinema in Chicago, and the festival’s busiest week is still ahead. Here are our picks, along with an early invitation to the December screenings of “Violetta Villas.”
The Weekend: From the Kuroń Family to Father Kaczkowski
Saturday starts strong. At 5 p.m. comes “Nasza rewolucja” (“Our Revolution”) by Piotr Domalewski, the story of Gajka and Jacek Kuroń, a couple whose home served as the base of the democratic opposition. The director of “Cicha noc” (“Silent Night”) knows family cinema like few others, and here he confines big-time politics within the four walls of an apartment. It is one of the best ways to tell the story of communist-era Poland without monument-like stiffness. At 8 p.m. comes “Lalka” (“The Doll”), more on which below.
Sunday is a day for whole families. At 1 p.m. comes “Dziadku, wiejemy!” (“Grandpa, Let’s Run!”) by Olga Chajdas, a road movie for children about a grandson who spirits his zany grandfather out of a nursing home. At 3:15 p.m. comes “Dzień dziecka księdza Jana Kaczkowskiego” by Artur Wierzbicki, a portrait of a priest who could talk about dying with humor and without pulling punches. It is a documentary that leaves viewers with something more than just emotion. In the evening, at 6 p.m., comes “Jak żyć, żeby nie zwariować”, a comedy about a woman whose perfect life falls apart overnight.
“Lalka”: The Film All of Poland Is Talking About
Adapting Prus is a risk, because everyone has their own Wokulski in mind. Director Maciej Kawalski went for scale and for a cast unlike any in a long time: Marcin Dorociński, Kamila Urzędowska and Marek Kondrat, alongside Maja Komorowska, Andrzej Seweryn, Krystyna Janda, Agata Kulesza and Jan Englert. In Poland, more than 2 million viewers have already seen the film. Screenings here have English subtitles, so you can bring the younger generation, too.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m. – tickets
- Monday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m. – tickets
- Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m., with Maria Dębska in attendance – tickets
- Sunday, Nov. 22, 6 p.m. – tickets
Wajda, Komasa and the Holidays
On Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m., comes “Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei” (“Walesa: Man of Hope”), a screening held as part of the Year of Wajda. Robert Więckiewicz delivers one of the best performances of his career: a Wałęsa without sugarcoating, with his cunning, his temperament and his family in the background. It is also worth stopping by Dwell Studio, where an exhibition of Andrzej Wajda’s sketches and drawings, prepared with the Manggha Museum in Kraków, can be viewed free of charge throughout the festival.
Saturday, Nov. 21, offers the festival’s most interesting pairing. At 4 p.m. comes “Dobry chłopiec” (“Heel”), an English-language film by Jan Komasa starring Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough. It is a black comedy and thriller about a young hooligan whose family locks him in a basement to turn him into a “good boy.” Komasa once again asks where upbringing ends and violence begins, and he offers viewers no easy answers. For a change of pace, at 7 p.m. comes “Przepis na Święta” (“Recipe for the Holidays”) by Magdalena Nieć, a warm comedy about a baker, a banker and his son, in which nothing goes according to plan.
The festival closes on Sunday, Nov. 22. At 1 p.m. is the animated film for the youngest viewers, “Przytul mnie. Poszukiwacze miodu” (“Hug Me. Honey Seekers”). At 3 p.m. comes “Nasza rewolucja” once more, and at 6 p.m., the festival’s final “Lalka.”
“Violetta Villas” in December
The festival ends Nov. 22, but we return to the Pickwick in early December with “Violetta Villas,” a film about a legend of Polish popular music whose voice took her to the stages of Paris and Las Vegas. We watch the story of a great career, and then its collapse, through the eyes of her son. It is a good approach: instead of a medley of hits, we get a chance to hear a story about the price of fame, seen up close. The title role is played by Sandra Drzymalska, known from Jerzy Skolimowski’s Oscar-nominated “IO.” She is joined by Jowita Budnik, Mateusz Banasiuk and Borys Szyc, and the film is directed by Karolina Bielawska.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m. – tickets
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. – tickets
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. – tickets
Pickwick Theatre, 5 S Prospect Ave, Park Ridge. Voting for the Audience Award continues through Nov. 20, and votes can be cast at polishfilmfestival.com. Tickets for all screenings and the Karnet Chicago festival pass are available at MojBilet.com.
Source: Polski.FM
