The 4th Amsterdam Polish Film Festival (31 October – 2 November 2025) organized by Polish Culture NL in collaboration with De Balie, shines a spotlight on a new generation of Polish female film directors. On the third day we screen Woman on the Roof and Fucking Bornholm.
15.30 – 17.10: Woman on the Roof
17.10 – 17.55: Conversation: Unseen, unheard: the quite power of women’s resistance. Moderator: Katz Laszlo Guest: Anna Jadowska
19.00 – 20.40: Fucking Bornholm
Woman on the Roof
Dir. Anna Jadowska, Poland/France/Sweden, 2022, 95 min
Mira, a 60-year-old midwife, appears to lead a conventional life with her husband and adult son in a provincial Polish apartment. Her days are filled with routine: preparing meals, tending to her family, and caring for others. However, beneath this facade, Mira grapples with depression and a profound sense of invisibility. One morning, seeking a sense of agency, she attempts a bank robbery with a kitchen knife. This impulsive act shatters her family and forces her to confront the life she has quietly endured. Through Mira’s journey, Jadowska crafts a poignant exploration of the often-overlooked lives of older women, highlighting themes of isolation, identity, and the quest for recognition.
Talk
The screening is followed by a conversation with director Anna Jadowska and philosopher Lena Bril in which we explore how female filmmakers reveal women’s inner strength by portraying quiet resistance, emotional labour, and unspoken struggles often overlooked by male directors. Echoing these concerns in a different register, Fucking Bornholm follows somewhat younger protagonists navigating midlife anxieties and family tensions, rendered with Kazejak’s sharp, darkly comedic style.
Lena Bril (1992) is a journalist and philosopher. She writes essays and reports for, among others, de Volkskrant and De Groene Amsterdammer. In Trouw, she publishes a biweekly account of her personal search for meaning. Her book In Therapy got published by Prometheus this September.
Fucking Bornholm
Dir. Anna Kazejak, Poland, 2022, 95 min
Two long-time friends, Maja and Hubert, embark on a traditional long weekend getaway to the Danish island of Bornholm with their children, accompanied by Hubert’s recently divorced friend, Dawid, and his new partner, Nina. What begins as a familiar retreat soon unravels when an incident between the children exposes underlying tensions and secrets among the adults. As the weekend progresses, the facade of idyllic family life crumbles, revealing deep-seated issues and unspoken desires. Kazejak’s film offers a sharp, darkly comedic exploration of midlife crises, the complexities of modern relationships, and the challenges of confronting one’s own truths.
It is possible to purchase a day ticket or to experience the whole festival by purchasing a combiticket for all three days.
Speakers
31 October – 2 November
The 4th Amsterdam Polish Film Festival (31 October – 2 November 2025) organized by Polish Culture NL in collaboration with De Balie, shines a spotlight on a new generation of Polish female film directors. Following in the footsteps of their predecessors (such as Agnieszka Holland whom we highlighted last year), women behind the camera in
The Amsterdam Polish Film Festival shines a spotlight on a new generation of Polish female film directors. On the first day we screen Nina and Fugue.
Psychology & The Uncanny
The Amsterdam Polish Film Festival shines a spotlight on a new generation of Polish female film directors. On the second day we screen Tower. A Bright Day and Body.
