Polish Film Festival - Perth

12th Polish Film Festival in Perth

The Festival runs from 25 October to 10 December 2026, with screenings across Luna Leederville and The Backlot Perth, showcasing the breadth of contemporary Polish filmmaking - from the highly anticipated epic romance "The Doll" and a gripping political thriller "Winter of the Crow", featuring a standout performance by acclaimed British actress Lesley Manville, to award-winning coming-of-age stories, comedy dramas, romantic comedy and a documentary exploring the remarkable life of Art Deco icon Tamara de Lempicka.

Opening the Festival is THE DOLL, a spectacular new adaptation of Boles?aw Prus's beloved literary masterpiece - a sweeping story of love, ambition, money and social class. Set in Warsaw at the end of the 19th century, this lavish period romance brings the city vividly to life, following wealthy merchant Wokulski as he enters the world of the aristocracy in pursuit of the woman he loves.

Inspired by Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk, a gripping political thriller starring Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville. Set on the eve of martial law in Poland, Kasia Adamik's WINTER OF THE CROW premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and was selected as the closing film of the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

From the producers of Oscar-nominated Corpus Christi, Piotr Domalewski's bold coming-of-age story of four teenage altar boys who, frustrated by adults' indifference to social injustice, decide to take matters into their own hands. Funny, rebellious and unexpectedly moving, THE ALTAR BOYS explores friendship, faith and the difficult transition into adulthood. A major success at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, the film won eight awards, including the Golden Lions for Best Film and the Audience Award.

LACHTARA. LONGING will make its first festival appearances in Perth alongside its November Polish theatrical release. Starring Filip P?awiak, acclaimed Bosnian actor Branko ?uri? ("No Man's Land") and Iranian actress Sarina Farhadi, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for "A Separation", this poignant road movie, with humour woven throughout, follows a Greek father and his Polish-Greek son as they reunite after decades apart and embark on an unexpected journey across Europe in an old Polonez.

Winner of the Audience Award at the Trieste Film Festival and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Warsaw Film Festival, BROTHER is a raw and intimate portrait of brotherhood, resilience and adolescence under pressure.

The program also includes Emi Buchwald's acclaimed debut NO GHOSTS ON GOOD STREET, a darkly funny story about four siblings growing apart as they enter adulthood, THE LOVE BUZZ, a warm-hearted romantic comedy about friendship and second chances, and THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA DE LEMPICKA & THE ART OF SURVIVAL, a documentary exploring the extraordinary life and legacy of the Polish-born Art Deco legend, narrated by Anjelica Huston.

The Festival concludes with the Australian Premiere of PICASSO'S MERMAID, a charming comedy-drama inspired by the true story of Pablo Picasso's 1948 visit to Warsaw and the mermaid he famously drew on the wall of a Warsaw apartment.

All films are presented in their original languages with English subtitles or in English.

Tickets are now on sale and the full program is available at www.polishfilmfestival.org