Vouchers for passes to the 16th American Film Festival are now available!
The world hasn’t just shifted into fifth gear—it seems to have removed the brakes altogether. So it’s no wonder we’re turning to cinema more and more often for a little escape and respite. This year’s American Film Festival promises a refuge for (intelligent!) escapism—but would it really be us if we didn’t start with our guard up and a critical eye on the tangled web of U.S. politics?
We’re thrilled to continue our successful collaboration with Podkast amerykański (the American Podcast) and, from November 6 to 11, invite you to the second edition of the Politics on Screen section. You can already take the first step: vouchers for passes to the 16th AFF are now available!
The voucher costs PLN 350. Remember to activate it after purchase between September 9 and October 24, 2025 – via the festival website.
Looking back to understand the present (and think about the future)
As Łukasz Pawłowski and Piotr Tarczyński, the creators of Podkast amerykański and curators of the Politics on Screen section, remind us: American politics is inescapable—especially now, when the U.S. is delivering a constant stream of news that often sounds stranger than fiction. The most outlandish plot twists in film or TV seem tame compared to what’s unfolding in Washington, which might explain why many American filmmakers now steer clear of political themes.
That’s why we’re reaching into the past—sometimes the distant past—to spotlight how cinema has grappled with politics over the decades: presidential power, Congressional intrigue, corruption, abuses of power by intelligence services, and the challenges of foreign policy.
Just like last year, we’ve put together a wide-ranging selection. There’s a dive into the 1930s, when political cinema was taking its first, often idealistic steps (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington by Frank Capra), though that idealism can now read as eerily dystopian (Gabriel Over the White House by Gregory La Cava).
From the 1960s, we’ll revisit a somewhat forgotten classic (Advise & Consent by Otto Preminger), the lesser-known cousin of Dr. Strangelove (Fail Safe by Sidney Lumet), and one of the finest paranoid thrillers of the Nixon era (The Parallax View by Alan J. Pakula).
And for balance—so we don’t spiral into total cynicism—we’ll screen a 1990s romantic comedy (The American President by Rob Reiner), which may feel hopelessly naive today, but offers a nostalgic glimpse at a time when politics could evoke positive emotions.
And what besides politics?
The 16th AFF will once again deliver a rich lineup of indie gems, cult favorites, and long-overlooked masterpieces—in short, all the states of Northern American cinema that rarely make it through the mainstream pipeline to Poland. Today, we're unveiling the first section and titles from the program. More updates are coming in the weeks ahead. Join us for the 16th American Film Festival from November 6 to 11, 2025, as always at the New Horizons Cinema in Wrocław.
