Polish Film Spring returns to Budapest with seven films in seven nights

The 32nd Polish Film Spring will bring a week of contemporary Polish cinema to Budapest, with one film screened each evening. The festival line-up mixes major domestic hits, coming-of-age stories, romance and auteur cinema — and this year also includes two titles with strong Hungarian links, including a new Polish–Hungarian co-production starring Dorka Gryllus.

A week-long snapshot of contemporary Polish cinema

Organised by the Polish Institute in Budapest with support from the Polish Film Institute, the event aims to showcase the diversity of today’s Polish filmmaking, while also marking the 100th anniversary of Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda’s birth with a special screening.

For international readers: the Polish Film Spring is a long-running annual programme in Budapest that functions as a curated “mini-festival” — accessible, evening-based, and designed for audiences who want a quick, high-quality introduction to what’s new (and notable) in Polish cinema.

Tickets are available in advance via Toldi Cinema’s official site, according to the organisers.

Films in the programme – Polish Film Spring

• Chopin – Parisian Sonata (dir. Michał Kwieciński) – The opening film and, according to organisers, Poland’s biggest-budget production since the democratic transition; a large-scale biopic following Chopin’s rise in Paris, with Lambert Wilson appearing as King Louis-Philippe I.
• My Brother (dir. Maciej Sobieszczański) – Family drama centred on 14-year-old Dawid, whose world revolves around judo as he tries to protect his younger brother and cope with growing tension at home.
• Home Sweet Home (dir. Wojciech Smarzowski) – Psychological drama about domestic violence, in which a seemingly perfect relationship turns controlling and dangerous; the organisers note it drew more than two million viewers in Poland and became one of 2025’s biggest Polish box-office hits.
• LARP – Love, trolls and other quests (dir. Kordian Kądziela) – A coming-of-age film set in the world of live-action role-playing (LARP), following a teenage outsider dealing with bullying, first love and self-esteem.
• Tatarak – Sweet Rush (dir. Andrzej Wajda, 2009) – A tribute screening marking Wajda’s centenary; the story was partly inspired by a Sándor Márai novella, and features Krystyna Janda, known to Hungarian audiences from István Szabó’s Mephisto among other roles.
• Refraction (dir. Tadeusz Śliwa) – A romantic drama that, according to organisers, uses gentle humour to explore how connection can be deeper than what we see; a photographer’s life changes after meeting Agata, a woman who is blind and full of passion for life.
• Budapest Diary (dir. Rafał Kapeliński) – The closing film and a new Polish–Hungarian co-production: an autobiographically inspired story in which 11-year-old Irek arrives in Budapest in winter 1981 on a Polish tourist bus; Dorka Gryllus appears in a key role.

Why this edition may interest Hungarian audiences

Beyond the week’s “one film per night” structure, the organisers highlight two standout connections for Budapest viewers: the Wajda tribute film with a Márai link, and the new co-production that brings Poland and Hungary together not only in subject matter, but also in cast and production.

Venue: Toldi Cinema, Budapest

Date: from 23 to 29 April 2026

Tickets here.

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