Amsterdam Polish Film Festival Day 1

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.