Kort na het einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog weet Josef Mengele, nazi-arts in vernietigingskamp Auschwitz, uit Duitsland te ontsnappen. Met de hulp van SS-soldaten en de steun van rijke Zuid-Amerikaanse families duikt hij onder in Argentinië – totdat ook hier de klopjacht op hem geopend wordt.

Van Buenos Aires tot Paraguay, en tot diep in de Braziliaanse jungle, organiseert ‘De Engel des Doods’ zijn methodische verdwijning en ontloopt hij elke vorm van proces. Wanneer zijn zoon hem terugvindt, wordt Mengele echter geconfronteerd met een verleden dat hij niet langer kan ontkennen.

Das Verschwinden des Josef Mengele is een psychologisch indringend, visueel hypnotiserend portret van een van de meest ongrijpbare oorlogsmisdadigers, die tot op de dag van zijn dood uit handen van de autoriteiten wist te blijven.

Regisseur Kirill Serebrennikov (Leto, Petrov’s Flu) adapteerde de prijswinnende roman van Olivier Guez tot een beklemmend kat-en-muisspel tussen herinnering, vergetelheid, schuld en ontkenning. Zijn film is daarmee zowel een compromisloze ontmaskering van de donkerste dieptes van de menselijke ziel als een spiegel van onze huidige, verontrustende tijden.

Das Verschwinden des Josef Mengele ging in wereldpremière op het Festival van Cannes waar de film in het oog sprong door de uitmuntende performance van August Diehl als de onverbiddelijke nazi-beul.

Elke jaar reist een trein met artsen en apparatuur aan boord door de afgelegen, dunbevolkte gebieden van Kazachstan. De Salamatty Kazakhstan (Gezond Kazachstan) rijdt non-stop gedurende 8 maanden en is elke dag geopend. Lokale bewoners kunnen artsen raadplegen voor onderzoek en diagnose. Naast het medische personeel bestaat de treinbemanning uit keukenpersoneel, stewards en technici. De trein reist door 17 provincies, stopt op 121 stations en legt 18.000 kilometer af.

De film besteedt aandacht aan dit urgente, sociale project en toont het leven aan boord van artsen en treinpersoneel, het samen werken en leven gedurende de lange reis, ver van huis en haard. En aan de mensen van het platteland die voor consultatie komen, met hun aandoeningen en dagelijkse zorgen.

Situaties en personages worden getoond met respect en betrokkenheid. De film wil recht doen aan een sterke maar kwetsbare bevolking die beperkte toegang heeft tot medische voorzieningen.

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 second day we screen Tower. A Bright Day and Body.

Schedule
17.00 – 18.55: Tower. A Bright Day (2017)
20.15 – 21.00: Conversation with Jagoda Szelc: Between flesh and ghost:
the uncanny side of womanhood
21.00 – 22.15 Body (2015)

Tower. A Bright Day
Dir. Jagoda Szelc, Poland, 2017, 106 min

Mula has raised her young niece, Nina, in the countryside as her own daughter. When her estranged sister Kaja suddenly returns, it sparks fear and uncertainty: is Kaja here to reclaim her child, or do her intentions carry darker undertones? As the weekend unfolds with family visits and long-buried tensions, Mula and Kaja confront the weight of past secrets, desire, and loyalty. Jagoda Szelc’s debut feature seamlessly weaves stark realism with an almost surreal, psychological intensity, offering a haunting exploration of family, identity

Talk
The screening is followed by a conversation with filmmaker Jagoda Szelc, exploring how female directors portray the body and the spirit, and how women’s experiences of grief, loss, and resilience are represented across cultures. Echoing these themes in a different register, Body turns inward to explore how grief, loss, and unseen forces ripple through a family, shaping identity in unsettling ways.

Body
Dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Poland, 2015, 90 min

Janusz, a criminal prosecutor numbed by overexposure to corpses, lives with his anorexic daughter, Olga, who is still grieving her recently deceased mother. Olga is sent to a psychiatric hospital, where she is treated by Anna, an unconventional therapist who claims to communicate with the dead. As Anna insists she has been in contact with Olga’s mother, Janusz is drawn into a séance, leading to unexpected revelations. Szumowska’s film blends black comedy with a poignant exploration of grief, the body, and the supernatural.

It is possible to purchase a day ticket or to experience the whole festival by purchasing a combiticket for all three days.

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 first day we screen Nina and Fugue.

Schedule
17.00 – 19.15: Nina
20.15 – 21.00: in conversation with Olga Chajdas; Redefining identity and breaking free from society’s rules
21.00 – 22.45: Fugue

Nina
Dir. Olga Chajdas, Poland, 2018, 130 min
Nina, a woman in her thirties, is trapped in a marriage overshadowed by the struggle to have a child. When she and her husband meet the young and free-spirited Magda, who might help them realize their dream of becoming parents, an unexpected attraction sparks between Nina and Magda. What begins as a practical arrangement soon grows into a tender exploration of love, desire, and self-discovery. Olga Chajdas’ debut feature is a bold, intimate portrait of a woman who dares to break free from expectations and search for her own truth.

Talk
Following the screening, curator Stefan Malešević will moderate a conversation with filmmakers Olga Chajdas and Urszula Antoniak, exploring questions of identity, freedom, and the courage to overcome personal and social barriers, segueing into the next film, which is a deeply moving story about difficult love and the search for a new identity beyond society’s expectations.

Urszula Antoniak is a Polish-Dutch filmmaker known for her distinctive voice across arthouse and genre cinema. Her debut Nothing Personal (2009) won six awards at Locarno, followed by Code Blue (Cannes Directors’ Fortnight), Nude Area, Beyond Words (TIFF, San Sebastián), Magic Mountains, and Splendid Isolation. She also co-wrote the Polish hit Planet Single and the Dutch family film Life According to Nino. Her new project Self Tape is currently in development with support from the Dutch Film Fund.

Fugue
Dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Poland-Czech Republic-Sweden, 2018, ~100 min
After suffering memory loss, Alicja disappears and starts a new life from scratch, free from the bonds of her past. Two years later, her old family finds her and draws her back into the roles of wife, daughter, and mother she no longer remembers. For those around her she looks the same, but to herself she is a stranger in an unfamiliar life. Fugue is a haunting exploration of identity, belonging, and the fragile ties that define who we are.

It is possible to purchase a day ticket or to experience the whole festival by purchasing a combiticket for all three days.

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.

Mediha, een tienermeisje van de Yazidi-gemeenschap, richt haar camera op zichzelf om haar trauma te verwerken na haar ontsnapping uit IS-gevangenschap. Terwijl ze moedig haar verleden onder ogen ziet, proberen zij en haar jongere broertjes, Ghazwan en Adnan, hun leven opnieuw op te bouwen, ondanks de onzekerheid over het lot van hun vader, moeder en babybroertje.

Acht jaar na de genocide worden reddingspogingen nog steeds belemmerd door zowel lokale als internationale complicaties. De drie kinderen zijn afhankelijk van een netwerk van reddingswerkers in hun zoektocht naar hun vermiste familieleden.

Over een periode van drie jaar, met opnames in Irak, Turkije en Syrië, belicht de film Mediha’s uitzonderlijke veerkracht. Via haar persoonlijke videodagboeken confronteert ze haar trauma en pijn en start ze haar eigen onderzoek naar haar ontvoerders.

Mediha is een verhaal van moed en doorzettingsvermogen, waarin een jong meisje vastberaden haar weg zoekt naar gerechtigheid en genezing.

In a quiet Tunisian town where little ever changes, Alyssa feels trapped. Restless and yearning for more, she seizes an unexpected chance to move to Europe and convinces her childhood friend Medhi to join her. Alyssa, the street-smart hustler with an unshakable drive, and Medhi (Slim Baccar), the dreamer with artistic aspirations, set out on a journey that promises adventure, but soon reveals danger, chaos, and painful echoes of the past.

As their friendship is tested by unforeseen twists, their road to Djerba unfolds with both tension and humor, carried by a hypnotic indie soundtrack from the region. Where the Wind Comes From celebrates Tunisian youth with warmth, creativity, and energy, while acknowledging the uncertain paths they face.

The film is the much-anticipated feature debut of Tunisian-born filmmaker, screenwriter, and photographer Amel Guellaty, whose acclaimed short Black Mamba (2017) earned international recognition. With moving performances and striking cinematography, Where the Wind Comes From is a vibrant and heartfelt exploration of resilience, friendship, and hope.

After the film, the leading actor Slim Baccar joins us for a Q&A session.

A young girl’s abduction sends shockwaves through the city of Algiers, igniting fear, anger, and suspicion among its residents. As furious locals attempt to take justice into their own hands, two unlikely figures are drawn into the case: Dr. Dounia Assam, a brilliant psychiatrist specialized in trauma, and police inspector Sami Sadoudi. Together, they must confront not only the crime itself, but also the lingering demons of the past. Afterwards the director will join the audience for a Q&A.

Set against a backdrop of rising social tensions amidst water shortages, the investigation quickly collides with personal and political obstacles. Inspired by true events, Algiers is a gripping psychological thriller that is not afraid to delve into the painful spot between justice and survival in a community on edge.

The film marks the feature debut of Algerian-French filmmaker Chakib Taleb-Bendiab, an award-winning screenwriter, director, and composer whose short films Sang Froid (2013) and Black Spirit (2018) have been celebrated at international festivals. With Algiers, Algeria’s official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards, Taleb-Bendiab establishes himself as a bold new voice in world cinema.

Algiers premiered at major festivals including the Fribourg International Film Festival, El Gouna Film Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala, and the International Film Festival of India, among others.

After the screening, director Chakib Taleb-Bendiab will join us for a conversation about the making of the film, its themes, and the realities that inspired it.

This documentary is both a historical and intimate exploration of the fate of a Tuareg tribe from the Timbuktu region, many of whom were forced into exile. 

Structured as a journey of inquiry through space and time, the film traces a people, a family, and the filmmaker’s own lineage. Director Intagrist El Ansari travels from place to place, meeting elders, scholars, heirs of knowledge, as well as those who fought and those who were displaced. This search takes the form of a letter to his son – an intimate gesture of transmission, even a testament.

Through this personal lens, Undertows also reflects on the collective memory of the Tuareg: marked by colonization, drought, forced settlement, and successive exiles – a story of resistance and survival.

After the screening, director Intagrist El Ansari will join us for a conversation to further unravel the complex topics his film explores.

NOTE: Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, Jasmila Žbanić will unfortunately not be able to join us for the event.

Through the life of Emerik Blum, a post-WW2 Yugoslav socialist and one of the founders of modern Sarajevo, this film recalls a time when workers shaped their own futures and believed progress belonged to everyone.

Emerik Blum was the visionary engineer and one of the driving forces that transformed Sarajevo into a modern city fit to host the 1984 Winter Olympics. He established Energoinvest, the biggest export company in Yugoslavia, which at its peak had over forty thousand employees worldwide. 

Academy Award nominee Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?) portrays Energoinvest as a unique social experiment in addition to a massive business enterprise. Employees took part in decision-making through Yugoslavia’s system of worker self-management, lived in apartments constructed by the company and took vacations in the workers’ apartments on the Adriatic coast. Blum emerges as a pragmatic innovator and paternal figure of the workers, negotiating and balancing the world divided between capitalism and socialism, thus creating a unique “Third Way”. 

Through the interviews with people who worked with him, the film honours his enormous accomplishments while also reflecting on Sarajevo’s terrible decline during the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s, reminding viewers of a pivotal period in Bosnian history that is both inspirational and irretrievable.

In collaboration with the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival, De Balie welcomes writer Johan de Boose to the Netherlands for a conversation about the film, its often overlooked themes, and their broader implications beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina or Yugoslavia.

Johan de Boose (b. 1962, Ghent) is a Belgian writer, poet, and essayist. He holds a doctorate in Slavic studies and has worked in experimental theatre, radio, and literary journalism. Since 2003, he focuses on fiction, poetry, and literary non-fiction, often exploring Eastern Europe. His notable works include De Grensganger, Bloedgetuigen, and Het Vloekhout. His latest book, Joegoslavië. Kroniek van zes of zeven landen (2025), is a comprehensive exploration of the former Yugoslavia, blending travelogue, history, and reflection on the fragile art of coexistence.