2025 Sundance Film Festival runs from 23, January to 2, February.

Sundance FF, initiated by Robert Redford, is held in Park City, Utah, USA. It is the largest annual independent film festival which focuses on promoting original films from around the world.

This year, Poland and our school are represented in the short film competition by the film PEOPLE AND THINGS directed by Damian Kosowski, our directing graduate.

The film was shot by our cinematography student, Stefan Żółtowski, and our graduate, Aleksander Pozdnyakov. It was edited by Natalia Jacheć, an editing graduate and current lecturer.

The film was produced by Munk Studio and co-produced by, among others, Indeks Film Studio.

Film synopsis: Set in the near future in post-war Ukraine, the story of 34-year-old Olena, who arrives with her eight-year-old daughter Kira and her friend Tymur to receive DNA test results confirming that her husband Ilya, who disappeared during the war, is dead. A confrontation with the exhumed bodies of victims of Russian aggression will force her to make a choice between the present and a world that has passed away.

Credits:
screenplay and direction: Damian Kosowski
cinematography: Stefan Żółtowski, Aleksander Pozdnyakov
editing: Natalia Jacheć
sound: Adam Sypka
production design: Katarzyna Tomczyk
costumes: Olga Przylipiak
production management: Kinga Klimczak
producers: Jerzy Kapuściński, Ewa Jastrzębska
executive producer: Zofia Kochan
production: Studio Munka
coproduction: Indeks Film Studio, Wide Shot Foundation, Podkarpacki Film Fund
cast: Oksana Cherkashyna, Kira Makidon, Stanislav Voitsekhovskyi, Grażyna Misiorowska

Film info at filmpolski.pl
Film info at festival website festival.sundance.org/program

But that's not the end of Polish accents. The World Cinema Dramatic Competition includes the feature film THE THINGS YOU KILL directed by Alireza Khatami which is a co-production of Turkey, France, Poland and Canada.

The coproducers are: our lecturer, Mariusz Włodarski and Marta Gmosińska from Lava Films. Both graduated from the Faculty of Film Art Organization.

More info about the film: lavafilms.pl/thethingsyoukill.html
Film info at festival website: festival.sundance.org/program/film/6753302768b8b73647fe4f26

* in the Midnight section, the film THE UGLY STEPSISTER, dir. Emilie Blichfeldt; one of the co-producers is Mariusz Włodarski, and the special effects were co-created by a Polish team: Maciej Rynkiewicz, Cyprian Piwowarski (lecturers at the Department of Animation and Special Effects), Szymon Ruczyński and Andrzej Jobczyk (graduates of animation and special effects) and Małgorzata Wójcik (graduate of production).

Film info at festival website: festival.sundance.org/program

* in the short films section VOX HUMANA, dir. Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, with cinematography by Vincent Prochoroff (cinematography student).

Film info at festival website: festival.sundance.org/program

* in the U.S. Dramatic Competition the film BUNNYLOVR, dir. Katarina Zhu, with special effects by Maciej Rynkiewicz, Cyprian Piwowarski and Małgorzata Wójcik.

Film info at festival website: festival.sundance.org/program

* in the Next section the film OBEX, dir. Albert Birney, special effects: Maciej Rynkiewicz, Cyprian Piwowarski, Marcin Arcimowicz (graduate of animation and special effects) and Małgorzata Wójcik.

Film info at festival website: festival.sundance.org/program

Congratulations and fingers crossed!

stills 1-3. PEOPLE AND THINGS
still 4. THE THINGS YOU KILL
still 5. THE UGLY STEPSISTER
still 6 - VOX HUMANA
still 7 – BUNNYLOVR
still 8 - OBEX