9th – 20th October, BFI London, BFI Southbank & Southbank Centre Royal Festival Hall, ICA, Prince Charles Cinema, Curzon Soho

The Polish Cultural Institute in London is proud to share that three fantastic Polish films will be screened as part of this year’s London Film Festival Programme, two of which have either been supported or co-produced by the Polish Cultural Institute in London.

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass (co-produced by the Polish Cultural Institute in London)

10th & 12th of October

UK-Poland-Germany 2024. 76min, Polish with English subtitles

Directed by the Quay Brothers and based on a novel by Polish writer Bruno Schulz, this new feature is a distinctive stop-motion work where dreams, fantasies and memories blur, creating a wondrous alternative reality.

An eerie train journey. A father ensconced in a sanatorium in a state of decline. A world in limbo. And an elaborate maquette that hides a secret drawer that could provide answers to questions not asked. Shot in exquisite black and white, and shifting between live action and haunting stop-motion, this captivating film finds the ever-inventive Quay Brothers once again riffing on the work of Bruno Schulz.

Tickets: Buy tickets for Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass | BFI London Film Festival 2024

Under the Volcano (supported by the Polish Cultural Institute)

11th, 15th & 18th October

Director: Damian Kocur, Poland 2024. 102min

A Ukrainian family on their sunny beach holiday navigate a seismic political shift, with the outbreak of war immediately making them refugees.

Damian Kocur’s timely second feature explores the precariousness of our lives and the brittle line between safety and uncertainty, stability and upheaval. Tenerife’s volcano looms in the background, but it’s the human drama of a family unable to return to their home that generates the tension. It’s an exceptional portrait of a relatable family coping with events out of their control.

Tickets: Buy tickets for Under the Volcano | BFI London Film Festival 2024

A Real Pain (promotional support by the Polish Cultural Institute)

13th, 15th & 20th October

Director: Jesse Eisenberg, USA-Poland 2024. 89min

Jesse Eisenberg cements his reputation as a gifted filmmaker with this witty and heartfelt portrait of two estranged cousins honouring their roots.

Benji and David travel to Poland to pay respects to their Jewish grandmother. No sooner are they on the road, they realise why they don’t spend much time together anymore. Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin dazzle in their roles as the familial odd-couple, trading witty barbs and sobering ruminations on mid-adulthood growing pains, in this deftly scripted film full of humour and hope.

Tickets: Buy tickets for A Real Pain | BFI London Film Festival 2024