Blok shortów: Showcase 1: States of Mind

  • Hidden

    Hidden

    Hidden

    reż. Monika Kotecka
    Poland / 2026 / 22′

    A sensory film essay exploring the experience of fear, blending personal stories with visceral sound and archival imagery. Individual voices reveal a shared, generational story of anxiety.

    Hidden is an intimate, multi-layered film essay about fear—an emotion that permeates the body and mind, disrupts everyday rhythms, and, when suppressed, can have destructive effects.

    How do I feel then? Responding to this seemingly simple question, the protagonists share personal experiences of this primal emotion, often passed down through generations. Through the sounds of breath, heartbeat, and subtle disturbances, fear becomes a sensory presence with its own rhythm and melody. Hypnotic sound and image create an immersive experience that allows emotions to be felt. Drawing on polyphonic voices, archival footage from the Educational Film Studio in Lodz, and original staged imagery, Hidden explores the biological roots and bodily memory of fear, revealing how individual experiences gain a collective dimension.

    Monika Kotecka

    She is a cinematographer, director and photographer. She graduated in Photography from the European Academy of Photography and in Cinematography from the Łódź Film School. Her films have been screened at Cannes, Berlinale, Sundance, BFI London, Visions du Réel and IDFA. She is the director of the award-winning documentary Wolta and Stado, which received the Audience Award at the Warsaw Film Festival. She also co-created You Are Not Alone.

    Reżyseria: Monika Kotecka

    Język: Polish

    Napisy: English

  • slow, fast, slow

    slow, fast, slow

    slow, fast, slow

    reż. Jagoda Czarnek
    Poland / 2025 / 1’10”

    It wasn’t an ordinary morning for the girl who woke up. Did she really get out of bed?

    Jagoda Czarnek

    She is a student of Animation and Special Effects at the Łódź Film School. Her international directing debut was Slow, Fast, Slow, an animated film inspired by winning a competition held on cereal boxes.!


    Wybrane festiwale i nagrody

    National Live Animation Festival / Animation Slam 2025, One-Minute Film Festival 2026, 72nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen – Special Mention of the Ecumenical Jury


    Reżyseria: Jagoda Czarnek

  • The Voices of Crisis

    The Voices of Crisis

    The Voices of Crisis

    reż. Katarzyna Małyszko
    Poland / 2025 / 14′

    This animated documentary presents the testimonies of young people who share their personal stories of facing mental health challenges. Their voices, woven together, create a fuller and more honest portrait of a struggling generation and a healthcare system unable to fully support them.

    Katarzyna Małyszko

    An animation director and illustrator from Wrocław, she graduated from the Film and Animation Effects programme at the Łódź Film School. Her films have been screened at festivals in Poland and abroad. Together with Szymon Ruczyński, she received the main award for their short film “Puszcza: Dyptyk” at the 19th Neisse Film Festival and Festival du Cinéma Nature & Environnement. Her artistic practice combines art and activism.

    Reżyseria: Katarzyna Małyszko

    Język: English

    Napisy: Polish

  • Four Percent

    Four Percent

    Four Percent

    reż. Monika Masłoń
    Poland, Germany, Argentina / 2025 / 13′

    “Four Percent” explores the evolving role of touch in virtual spaces, revealing how digital interactions shape intimacy in the absence of physical presence. Shot entirely in virtual reality, this short documentary explores human connection in a digital world.

    Monika Masłoń

    Dr. Monika Masłoń is a visual artist and art educator working at the intersection of experimental film, digital media, and sensory experiences. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź and the Łódź Film School, she creates works combining video, sound, photography, VR, and spatial installations. Her VR experience “CONTROL NEGATIVE” premiered at DOK Leipzig in 2022 and has been presented at international festivals. In 2026, she became a finalist for the Lumen Prize.


    Wybrane festiwale i nagrody

    DOK Leipzig, Cracow Film Festival


    Reżyseria: Monika Masłoń

    Język: English

    Napisy: Polish

  • What Would You Do Differently Today?

    What Would You Do Differently Today?

    What Would You Do Differently Today?

    reż. Jaśmina Wójcik
    Poland / 2026 / 20′

    What Would You Do Differently Today? is an intimate cinematic process that invites reflection on what we all seek in life and without which, especially at a young age, it is difficult to function.

    Inspired by Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, the director, together with a group of people working in movement, psychology, and social theatre, conducts workshops with young men. Many of them did not receive support from adults during difficult moments of adolescence. Through movement exercises, conversations, reenactments of scenes from their own lives, as well as learning focus and breath regulation, the participants reflect on their experiences and life choices.

    The subsequent workshop activities intertwine with individual portraits and personal stories. The restrained black-and-white form documents the shared process, contrasting with vibrant, color-saturated abstract self-portraits generated by the protagonists using AI tools. What Would You Do Differently Today? is an intimate cinematic process that invites reflection on what we all seek in life and without which, especially at a young age, it is difficult to function.

    Jaśmina Wójcik

    She is a visual artist, director, educator and activist, creating participatory social and artistic projects. Her work gives visibility and agency to communities deprived of a voice. She directed the award-winning documentary Symphony of the Ursus Factory (2018). For years, she has focused on empathic education and working with children. Her latest film premiered at Hot Docs and was presented at Millennium Docs Against Gravity in 2025.

    Reżyseria: Jaśmina Wójcik

    Język: Polish

    Napisy: English