‘Through the Wall’ Wins Gold: Gdynia 2026’s Winners & Surprises

FFFG-2026-laureaci-pap_20260926_28B.jpg, large, The ‘Through the Wall’ team at the closing gala of the 51st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, 2026, from left: producer Zbigniew Domagalski, actor Maria

#film

Maciej Sobieszczański’s 'Through the Wall' (Przez Ścianę) emerged as the big winner at the 51st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, taking home six awards, including the Golden Lions for best Polish film. Five awards went to Jan Komasa’s 'Good Boy' (Dobry Chłopiec). Other major winners included Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s 'Hot Spot' and Paweł Pawlikowski’s 'Fatherland' (Ojczyzna).

Even as the festival was still underway, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland and Maciej Sobieszczański’s Through the Wall were already being cited as favourites for the top prizes, alongside Jan Holoubek’s long-awaited Wild, Wild East (Dziki, Dziki Wschód), a Western-style tale set during the Second World War. Yet some of the jury’s decisions, chaired by Krzysztof Zanussi, proved surprising.

‘Through the Wall’ wins in Gdynia

Picture display

standardowy (864px desktop)

Arkadiusz Jakubik and Maria Dębska in the film ‘Through the Wall’, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański, 2026, photo: Bartosz Mrozowski / Kino Świat

Picture image

Przez-sciane_fot-Bartosz-Mrozowski-4.jpg

Let us start, however, with the expected winners. Maciej Sobieszczański’s Through the Wall, tipped as one of the favourites, left Gdynia with six awards. Based on the extraordinary love story of Wiesława Pajdak and Jerzy Śmiechowski, which began behind the walls of the prison on Rakowiecka Street during the Stalinist era, the film won the Golden Lions for Best Film. The jury praised Maciej Sobieszczański’s sensitivity and directorial precision.

Through the Wall also won the Best Cinematography Award. Even while the festival was still underway, this award for Jolanta Dylewska seemed almost a foregone conclusion. Dylewska gave Through the Wall a visual style that was both striking and restrained, using cinematography to build emotion and meaning. Through her lens, prison bars transformed into impressionist images, portraits of the protagonist offered a glimpse into her soul, and the prison interiors resembled sets straight out of German Expressionism.

Maciej Sobieszczański was also presented with the Journalists’ Award, the Art House Cinemas Association Award, the Don Quixote Award from the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs, and the Award from Polish Film Festivals and Reviews Abroad.

Silver Lions for ‘Tell Me What You Feel’

Video embed

POWIEDZ MI, CO CZUJESZ | Oficjalny zwiastun | Kino Świat

The Silver Lions at this year’s Gdynia Film Festival went to director Łukasz Ronduda and producer Natalia Grzegorzek, who were behind the film Tell Me What You Feel (Powiedz Mi, Co Czujesz), a moving tale of young people seeking their place in a hostile world. Inspired by the biography of Patryk Różycki, the film is a story about a lost generation, class divisions and pain for which there is no easy remedy.

‘Good Boy’, winner of five awards

Picture display

standardowy (864px desktop)

‘Good Boy’, directed by Jan Komasa, 2025, photo: Kino Świat

Picture image

b_c00037.jpg

Among the evening’s most highly acclaimed films was Jan Komasa’s Good Boy, one of the most unconventional films at this year’s festival. Produced in English and featuring a star-studded cast, the film is a puckish tale that explores the boundaries between good and evil, centred on a young drug addict and an elderly man who one day abducts and imprisons him in the cellar of his house. It was for that role of a young man chained up that Anson Boon, a British actor previously known mainly for his daring and, in some ways, similar role in the TV series MobLand, won the Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

In Gdynia, Jan Komasa’s film also won awards for Best Editing, presented to Agnieszka Glińska, and Best Screenplay, which went to debutant Bartłomiej Bartosik and his co-writer Naqqash Khalid. Komasa’s film also received the Audience Award in Gdynia, as well as a special mention for Best Cast Direction, awarded to Nina Gold, Martin Ware and Paulina Krajnik.

‘Fatherland’ among the winners

Video embed

OJCZYZNA | Oficjalny zwiastun | Kino Świat

One of the biggest favourites at this year’s festival was Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, a majestic yet crystal-clear tale about Thomas Mann, his daughter Erika, and the divided Europe of the post-war period. Even before the Gdynia Film Festival began, Pawlikowski’s film had been selected as Poland’s entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. In Gdynia, it won just two awards, both, however, highly prestigious.

Paweł Pawlikowski received the Best Directing Award. The second award for Fatherland went to production designers Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński, outstanding designers who had previously been honoured in Gdynia for Ida, The Mill and the Cross, In Darkness, and Chopin, Chopin.

‘Hot Spot’ showered with awards

Video embed

HOT SPOT - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters August 21

As many as four festival awards went to Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s film Hot Spot, a dystopian tale set in a future world where humans become subordinates to the artificial intelligence that rules the world – and… food for it. Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s daring film was among the most eagerly anticipated titles at this year’s competition in Gdynia and will remain one of the most controversial films of the festival and of all Polish cinema in AD 2026. It was precisely this artistic audacity that secured Smoczyńska’s film the Golden Claw for the boldest film in the competition.

That was not the end of Hot Spot’s awards. The Best Sound Award went to Marcin Lenarczyk, one of Poland’s leading sound designers, known for his visionary use of music and for crafting expansive, spatial soundscapes. The Best Music Award was presented to Zuzanna Wrońska and Marcin Macuk. Katarzyna Lewińska, meanwhile, received the award for her ‘cheeky’ costumes, which blended campy kitsch with a cyberpunk aesthetic.

‘Exotic’, winner of acting awards

Jaśmina Polak in the film ‘Exotic’, directed by Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska, 2026, photo: Gutek Film

The Best Actress in a Leading Role Award certainly came as a surprise. It went to Jaśmina Polak for her performance in the film Exotic, directed by debutant Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska. In the film, she played a thirty-year-old woman who, through pole dancing, overcomes her insecurities and searches for her identity. In the race for the leading actress award, Polak beat Maria Dębska – considered the clear favourite – who starred in the film Through the Wall.

Awards for the Best Supporting Actors

Video embed

EXOTIC, reż. Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska, oficjalny zwiastun PL, wkrótce w kinach

Exotic also won the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Award. The award went to Monika Frajczyk, who was recognised for her daring portrayal of a pole dancer who speaks ‘Polglish’ and masks her insecurity behind a flamboyant façade.

Jacek Koman received the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Award at the Musical Theatre for his portrayal of Marek Edelman in Piotr Domalewski’s Our Revolution (Nasza Rewolucja). In this biographical tale about Jacek and Gajka Kuroń, he played a doctor and opposition activist – a man of noble character yet full of doubts. Despite being cast in a supporting role, he delivered an unforgettable performance and, alongside Arkadiusz Jakubik, delivered arguably the best scene in the entire film.

Best debuts selected

A still from the film ‘A Free Woman’ directed by Eliza Godlewska and Alan Ruczyński, 2026; photo: press materials provided by the producer

This year’s festival in Gdynia was unique in the event’s history. Of the 24 films screened in the Main Competition and the Perspectives Competition, as many as thirteen were works by debutants or directors making their second film. The competition for the Best Debut Award was therefore exceptionally fierce. The award went to A Free Woman (Kobieta Stanu Wolnego) by Eliza Godlewska and Alan Ruczyński, a tender story about women’s homelessness, featuring a moving performance by Konstancja Bułhak.

Video embed

„Czarna godzina” reżyseria Filip Bojarski produkcja Studio Munka SFP - trailer

The jury named Jan Sałasiński the best acting debut among both actresses and actors, honouring him for his role in Łukasz Ronduda’s film Tell Me What You Feel. In the film, Sałasiński played a character inspired by the life of Patryk Różycki, a young artist who leaves his home village for Warsaw to fulfil his dream of studying at the Academy of Fine Arts. This was one of two notable roles Sałasiński played that were screened in Gdynia. The actor also delivered an intriguing performance in Maria Wider’s debut production, Liquid States (Fluidy).

Julia Totoszko, star of Liquid States and Nice Women (Miłe Kobiety) by Maria Wojtyszko and Jakub Krofta, also joined the ranks of actors honoured with individual awards; the festival’s jury recognised her as the best for her outstanding artistic contribution to the latter film.

The Sapphire Lions for Best Film in the Perspectives Competition went to Filip Bojarski, director of Empty Pockets (Czarna Godzina), a striking black comedy about a female teacher couple forced to embark on a hopeless mission to find a new flat to rent. The jury commended him for his social awareness and for his courage in seeking out previously undiscovered acting talent.

‘Violetta Villas’, winner of the Best Make-Up Award

Sandra Drzymalska as Violetta Villas in the film ‘Violetta Villas’, directed by Karolina Bielawska, 2026, photo: Robert Jaworski / Kino Świat

The Best Make-Up Award for Karolina Bielawska’s Violetta Villas went to Anne Cathrine Sauerberg, Thomas Foldberg, Agnieszka Józefina Sasim and Aneta Brzozowska.

The 51st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia took place from 21 to 26 September 2026.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

The Platinum Lions for lifetime achievements: Halina Prugar-Ketling
The Golden Lions for Best Film went to director Maciej Sobieszczański and producers Zbigniew Domagalski and Agnieszka Będkowska for Through the Wall.
The Silver Lions Award for the film Tell Me What You Feel is presented to director Łukasz Ronduda and producer Natalia Grzegorzek
Best Directing Award for the film Fatherland: Paweł Pawlikowski
Best Screenplay Award for the film Good Boy: Bartek Bartosik, Naqqash Khalid
Best Cinematography Award for the film Through the Wall: Jolanta Dylewska
Best Music Award for the film Hot Spot: Marcin Macuk and Zuzanna Wrońska
Best Set Decoration Award for the film Fatherland: Katarzyna Sobańska, Marcel Sławiński
Best Sound Award for the film Hot Spot: Marcin Lenarczyk
Best Editing Award for the film Good Boy: Agnieszka Glińska
Best Make-Up Award for the film Violetta Villas: Anne Cathrine Sauerberg, Thomas Foldberg, Agnieszka Józefina Sasim, Aneta Brzozowska
Best Costume Design Award for the film Hot Spot: Katarzyna Lewińska
Professional Acting Debut Award for the film Tell Me What You Feel: Jan Sałasiński
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Award for the film Exotic: Monika Frajczyk
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Award for the film Our Revolution: Jacek Koman
Best Actress in a Leading Role Award for the film Exotic: Jaśmina Polak
Best Actor in a Leading Role Award for the film Good Boy: Anson Boon
Audience Award: Good Boy, directed by Jan Komasa
The Andrzej Żuławski Golden Claw Award: Hot Spot for the director Agnieszka Smoczyńska and producers (Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Bogna Szewczyk-Skupień, Gregory Jankilevitsch)
Best Directing Debut Award: A Free Woman directed by Eliza Godlewska and Alan Ruczyński
The Sapphire Lions: Empty Pockets, director: Filip Bojarski, producers: Jerzy Kapuściński and Magdalena Tomanek
Outstanding Artistic Contribution Award for Julia Totoszko for the film Nice Women, directed by Maria Wojtyszko, Jakub Krofta
The Lucjan Bokiniec Award for Best Short Film: Case No, directed by Patrycja Polkowska
Special Award in the Short Film Competition: They Were All Named Anzhelika, directed by Aleksandra ‘Sasha’ Kutsen
Special Mention: The Knot, directed by Izabela Zubrycka
Award for Best Cinematographer in a Short Film: Patryk Roman for the film Recess, directed by Jan Saczek

SPECIAL AWARDS:

The Janusz Korczak Golden Lions Cubs Award: Too Old for Fairy Tales 3, directed by Kristoffer Rus
Journalists’ Award: Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański
The CICAE Jury Prize for a director’s debut or second film: A Free Woman, directed by Eliza Godlewska, Alan Ruczyński
Young Jury Award: Liquid States, directed by Maria Wider
The Art House Cinemas Association Award: Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański
The Amber Lions Award from the KINA POLSKIE Association: Good Home, directed by Wojciech Smarzowski
Audio Description of the Year – Jury’s Special Mention: Bartosz Wokan and Magdalena Dudowicz for the audio description of 13 Days Till Summer, directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski
The Audio Description of the Year Award, Audience Award: Alicja Maciejewska and Magdalena Dudowicz for audio description for the film The Crossroads, directed by Dominika Montean
The Film for Climate Award: Kamil Janik and Patrycja Strzyżewska for the production of the film A Free Woman, directed by Eliza Godlewska, Alan Ruczyński
The Film for Climate Award: Short Film Competition: Jagoda Surzycka and Gabriela Rybołowicz, The Knot, directed by Izabela Zubrycka
The Don Quixote Award from the Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs: Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański
Award from Polish Film Festivals and Reviews Abroad: Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański
Golden Claqueur Award: The Time That Never Came, directed by Julia Rogowska
GQ Poland Film Visionary Award: Mikołaj Bukrewicz for the film Less of a Stranger
Harper’s Bazaar Polska Discovery: Agata Trzebuchowska, director, and Maciej Edelman, cinematographer of the film Sick
The Dr Irena Eris The Bravest Look Award: Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska, Jaśmina Polak, Magda Koleśnik, Monika Frajczyk for the film Exotic
The Strong Start Award from the monthly magazine Zwierciadło: Patrycja Polkowska, director of the film Case No
Interia Catching Waves Award: Patrycja Polkowska, director of the film Case No
Award for Best Visual Effects: Sebastian Dominik, Supervisor, and the company Lumière de Cinema for the film Less of a Stranger, directed by Kristoffer Rus
Award for Best Cast Direction: Nina Gold, Martin Ware and Paulina Krajnik for the film Good Boy, directed by Jan Komasa

Translated from Polish by Agnieszka Mistur

Language English