Polish titles will make their presence felt at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (5–15 March) – one of Europe’s most important documentary festivals and an Oscar qualifying event. This year, there will be as many as six Polish films in the festival programme.
“The Queen and the Smokehouse” by Iga Lis, screening in the Open Horizon section, follows Miecia, the charismatic owner of a legendary smokehouse in the seaside town of Łeba, known among the locals as the Queen of Łeba. The camera accompanies her at a turning point: health problems force her to reevaluate a life that has, for decades, been shaped entirely around work. Set against the backdrop of a summer resort, the film unfolds as a story of ambition, sacrifice, prestige, and the real price of determination.
Taken together, the Thessaloniki selection forms a compelling map of themes and cinematic languages within contemporary Polish documentary: from an intimate meditation on grief, through a long-term chronicle of growing up, to a portrait of labour, and an archival reflection on historical memory. Four films across such varied sections demonstrate the steady presence of Polish filmmakers at major international festivals as well as the striking diversity of artistic outlooks and authorial intentions they bring with them.
You can read more about other documentaries screening at the festival right here.