30/07/2026 - The Story of the House of Fiedler, Lady Preachers and The End of the World triumph in Polish Days, while emerging filmmakers were likewise also recognised in Studio+

The Story of the House of Fiedler by Emi Buchwald

The 2026 edition of Polish Days, held between 26 and 28 July in Wrocław as part of the 26th TAURON New Horizons International Film Festival, has revealed its victors. Co-organised by the Polish Film Institute, the flagship industry event concluded with its traditional awards ceremony after welcoming nearly 300 film professionals from Poland and abroad to closed screenings of completed films, works in post-production and presentations of projects in development (read our news).

The sophomore feature by Emi Buchwald - whose debut No Ghosts on Good Street won the Best Director Award at the 2025 Gdynia Film Festival - The Story of the House of Fiedler scooped the Mid March Media & The Bridge Award, comprising a cash prize of PLN 35,000 (€8,100). This road movie drama also picked up one of two Wrocław Feature Film Studio Awards, consisting of production and post-production services worth PLN 50,000 (€11,550), as well as the No Problemo Music Award, providing a co-production contribution towards sound post-production valued at PLN 75,000 (€17,300).

Set for production in 2027, the film follows a family of gardeners who embark on an extraordinary journey across Poland after deciding to relocate their ancestral home in order to save it from being demolished to make way for a data centre. As the house travels across the country, long-buried family tensions, wartime mythology and supernatural memories resurface, forcing each generation to redefine what "home" truly means. Produced by Anna Kępińska and Piotr Śmiechowski for Telemark, the project blends road movie conventions with family drama, documentary elements and metaphysical storytelling.

Lady Preachers, the new period drama by Natasza Parzymies - who created the internationally acclaimed queer series Control - also enjoyed a successful awards haul. The project received the other of the two Wrocław Feature Film Studio Awards, in addition to the Fixafilm Postproduction Award, which offers image post-production services worth PLN 30,000 (€6,930). Inspired by true events and set in partitioned Poland in the late 19th century, the film follows celebrated writer Maria Konopnicka as she falls in love with painter and suffragist Maria Dulębianka. As the two women fight for Poland's independence and women's rights, they find the courage to reject social conventions and embrace a life shaped by love, art and freedom. Produced by Agnieszka Dziedzic for Koi Studio, the project is slated to enter production in 2028.

The End of the World, which is the new dramedy by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tomasz Śliwiński (Our Curse), received the PFX Award - consisting of a cash prize of €2,000 - as well as the ORKA Postproduction Award, comprising image post-production services worth PLN 30,000 (€6,930). The story follows a withdrawn man who dedicates his life to caring for his mother until the date of the Mayan apocalypse. When she dies three years before the prophesised date, he’s unable to accept her passing and exhumes and mummifies her body, embarking on a disturbing yet profoundly human journey through grief, loneliness and transgenerational trauma. Produced by Alicja Gancarz and Anna Wereda for Autograf Film, the project is scheduled to enter production in 2027.

Excursion, the new drama by Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa (A Pale View of Hills), received one of two MAKonLine Ubezpieczenia Awards, including a cash prize of PLN 5,000 (€1,150). The film follows a firefighter whose impulsive decision to abandon his young son in a forest spirals into a national scandal, forcing him to contend with fatherhood, shame and inherited expectations. Kalina Alabrudzińska's POLKA also received a MAKonLine Ubezpieczenia Award. This psychological millennial drama centres on a Polish-British woman who returns to Poland for her estranged father's funeral, only to find herself caught up in debt, betrayal and family trauma while attempting to renovate her inherited home. Meanwhile, the No Problemo Music section singled out the new dramedy by Michał Chmielewski (Roving Woman), The Neighborhood, as its champion. Set in a seemingly idyllic suburban community, the film intertwines the lives of teenagers and their parents as a school podcast exposes long-hidden family secrets and emotional fractures.

Prior to Polish Days, the 17th edition of New Horizons Studio+ took place between 23 and 26 July in collaboration with Creative Europe Desk Poland. This four-day workshop and networking programme supports directors and producers developing their first or second feature-length fiction films through intensive workshops, lectures and consultations with international experts (read our news).

The London Film Academy Award, for its part, which provides project consultancy, went to Miner Girl, which is directed by Adrianna Bartkowska. The Producers Guild of Poland Award, offering mentorship from an experienced Guild member, was presented to producer Viktor Shevchenko for the project MAMAYI directed by Sashcko Roshchyn. Finally, the Connecting Cottbus Award, granting accreditation to participate in CocoLab, was handed to producer Piotr Śmiechowski for Marcin Kluczykowski’s project Lady Thatcher's Feast.

The full winners' list from Polish Days and New Horizons Studio+ 2026 is as follows:

Polish Days

Mid March Media & The Bridge Award
The Story of the House of Fiedler – Emi Buchwald
Producers: Anna Kępińska, Piotr Śmiechowski (Telemark)

Wrocław Feature Film Studio Awards
Lady Preachers – Natasza Parzymies
Producer: Agnieszka Dziedzic (Koi Studio)

The Story of the House of Fiedler – Emi Buchwald

Fixafilm Postproduction Award
Lady Preachers – Natasza Parzymies

ORKA Postproduction Award
The End of the World – Tomasz Śliwiński
Producers: Alicja Gancarz, Anna Wereda (Autograf Film)

MAKonLine Ubezpieczenia Awards
Excursion – Kei Ishikawa
Producers: Mariusz Włodarski, Eiko Mizuno-Grey (Lava Films)

POLKA – Kalina Alabrudzińska
Producers: Agata Gerc, Michał Kiedrowicz (wir)

PFX Award
The End of the World – Tomasz Śliwiński

No Problemo Music Awards
The Neighborhood – Michał Chmielewski
Producer: Patryk Sielecki (Lumisenta Film Foundation)

The Story of the House of Fiedler – Emi Buchwald

New Horizons Studio+

London Film Academy Award
Miner Girl – Adrianna Bartkowska (Poland)
Producer: Kinga Tasarek

Producers Guild of Poland Award
MAMAYI – Sashcko Roshchyn (Ukraine)
Producer: Viktor Shevchenko

Connecting Cottbus Award
Lady Thatcher's Feast – Marcin Kluczykowski (Poland)
Producer: Piotr Śmiechowski